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Ants are most abundant in the Guangxi region; some enter chests and bedding. Upon seeing garlic, they leave, or they can be driven away by diligent inspection and cleaning.

Gardenia (Zhizi) can eliminate white ants, turning them into water. Alternatively, using Cinnabar (Yinzhu) is extremely effective.

Angelicae Dahuricae Radix (Xiangbaizhi), when planted in gardens, prevents snakes from entering.
Another prescription: Rhizoma Nelumbinis (Dujiolian), which resembles a lotus pod when first sprouting, if planted in gardens, prevents venomous snakes from passing underneath.
Yet another prescription: Use realgar (Xionghuang) sized like a tung nut, burn it to produce smoke to fumigate clothes and bedding, so that snakes dare not approach.

Burn hair to produce smoke for fumigating under beds or in kitchens; centipedes, upon smelling it, will burrow three feet into the earth. Or use the aforementioned Cinnabar method, which is particularly effective.

There is a strange insect that loves to eat corpses and cannot be driven away; only by covering the corpse with leopard skin will they scatter.

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, take one toad,剖开 (cut open), do not remove the entrails, and bury it at the center of a crossroad. On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, take it out, draw a circle on the room wall with the toad meat, and all mosquitoes will enter the circle, ensuring this room remains free of mosquito troubles forever.
Another prescription: At dawn on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, have one person fan the air in the main hall, while another asks, "What are you fanning?" The answer should be, "Fanning mosquitoes." Ask and answer seven times without laughing; then no mosquitoes will enter for the entire summer. This was transmitted by Huang Danweng, a ninety-year-old man from Shanxi.

One jin of sesame oil mixed with three liang of tung oil, when used as lamp oil, prevents rats from stealing.

Placing loom shuttles and other textile tools in the fields drives rats away.

Firefly (Yinghuochong), Eucommiae Cortex (Guijianyu), and Tribulus Fruit (Jili) each 1 liang; Realgar (Xionghuang) and Orpiment (Cihuang) each 2 liang; Cornu Saigae Tataricae (Lingyangjiao) calcined to retain its nature (cunxing) 1.5 qian; Alum (Kufan) 2 liang; Lead Oxide (Huandan) 2 liang.
Note: Prepare cotton wool into small balls, sized according to the child. Soak them in strong decoction of Licorice Root (Gancao) or sweetened cooked jujube paste. Carry them personally. When needed, moisten with saliva and place in the child's mouth so the child does not cry, avoiding search by thieves. Remove after the thieves pass. During the Jingkang era of the previous dynasty, a divine figure wrote this method on public roads, saving many lives.

Wherever a fire breaks out, take three eggs. Write the character "Wen" on the large end and "Qiong" on the small end of each egg. Throw them forcefully towards the highest point of the flames while chanting "Fushi Faren Tianzun". As you throw, chant continuously; where the eggs land, the flames will naturally subside.
Another prescription: In the area of the fire, regardless of distance, men, women, and children from every household should hold a plate of rice, sincerely shake and winnow it towards the sky, chanting "Fuxuan Faren Tiandian", and the fire will extinguish itself. During the Kangxi era, a Mr. Wu from Shanxi, who was extremely filial to his mother, prayed for her illness and dreamed of a deity saying, "Your mother's illness will heal easily, but your village will suffer a fire within the month; you should move quickly." He did not move immediately due to other matters but was urged repeatedly in dreams. He asked the deity for an expiation method, and the deity told him the above two methods. Days later, a fire broke out in the village. He instructed the villagers to try these methods, and the fire instantly extinguished. This was also transmitted by Huang Danweng.