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You can find a variety of humane bird repellent sprays online and at home improvement stores. However, if you want to try a DIY method that will keep birds away without harming them, mix some water, dish soap, and a few drops of peppermint oil and spray the area you want bird-free. Peppermint oil is a notoriously lovely smell for humans, but birds tend to avoid it.

Paper wasps look similar to other wasps, like yellow jackets. They have narrow, but not thread-like, waists with black or brown bodies and yellow colorations. You can better identify paper wasps by their nests, which are made with regurgitated wood pulp. The nests look like they are made from paper and usually have visible hexagonal holes, like a honeybee hive.

They build their nests in places like eaves or branches, and their removal more often warrants the help of a wasp control specialist near you.

Termites are generally more destructive than carpenter ants, which is why it’s important to get rid of termites as quickly as possible. Termites will swarm your home to relentlessly feast on its wood frame, sheetrock, insulation, and carpet down to the studs.

While carpenter ants work surprisingly efficiently, they can still take years to damage your home significantly. It can also take termites several years to fully compromise a home's structure. However, the right colony can take down a full house in about a year. Overall, termites are far more diligent when it comes to destroying structures.

You can use a homemade spray to kill fleas on a mattress. To make the spray, combine equal parts water and distilled white vinegar. Spray the mixture on the fleas and all over the mattress. Follow this up with a generous sprinkle of salt all over the mattress, and let it sit overnight. Finally, vacuum the mattress to clean up the salt, dead fleas, and flea offspring.