Means and methods for preventing crawling insects from infesting a site where food, water, or garbage is located. In particular, this relates to creating a non-poisonous barrier in the path of the insects by coating a surface with a layer of high viscosity index petroleum based gel (HVIP-gel). One embodiment is an insect deterrent cup that is comprised of an inverted (upside down) cup whose inner surface is coated with a layer of PetrolGel. The insect deterrent cup is positioned between the food site and the crawling insects, blocking their path. This prevents crawling insects from accessing the food, water, or garbage.
