5 Homemade Chemical Free Bug Repellents That Work
Not only can insects be a nuisance in your garden, but they can ruin a perfect picnic or hike. Here are a few totally green, home remedy suggestions to repel insects without using toxic chemicals.
#1 Pepper Spray
This works great for ants and other small pests.
- Boil 2 or 3 cups of water.
- Add about ½ to 2/3 cup of chopped hot pepper. Let marinate for a few minutes.
- Run the mixture thru a sieve to remove the peppers.
- Put the liquid in a squirt bottle and use when necessary.
- Be careful not to spray directly on foliage.
#2 Minty Soap Spray
This is great for ants.
- Mix 2 tbsp of Dr. Bonners mint soap with a gallon of water.
- Spray directly on ants.
This will also work to ward off other pests on foliage however be care when you spray it directly on your plants. It has been known to burn some plants if too much is applied.
#3 Pure Vanilla Extract
Dab a little on you wrists, neck and behind the ears. Many insects don’t like the smell.
#4 Chem-Free Bug Off Mist
- Mix witch hazel with a few drops of tea tree oil, lavender oil, or peppermint oil in a squirt bottle.
- Lightly mist your body.
You can also add one of these essential oils to an unscented organic lotion for a bug repelling moisturizer.
#5 Lavender Works Mosquito Miracles
Stop the bites!
- Rub a lavender flower behind your ears, wrists and neck.
- Not only will you smell great but mosquitoes will leave you alone.
Go Greener!
We don’t need to use spray’s and harmful chemicals to keep pests away. There are plenty of natural, chemical free solutions to control bugs this summer. Go greener, our planet will thank you!
Posted: June 6th, 2008 under Organic Gardening.
Comments: 23
Comments
Comment from Nancy Bond
Time: June 6, 2008, 5:28 pm
Really great tips! Thanks for sharing. I’ll remember these particularly for my grandson.
Comment from Myles Bond
Time: June 7, 2008, 2:53 am
Great Tips! I’ll help remember those tips for my grandma. She’s very forgetful.
Comment from tomh
Time: June 7, 2008, 3:20 am
Hmm, chemical free you say?
As far as I can tell, all 5 of those contain chemicals. And why would you not want to spray the pepper spray onto foliage if the chemicals in it were not harmful to the plants (same goes for the mint spray)
Maybe 5 chemical sprays you can make at home using ‘natural’ items is a better title.
Comment from Ashley
Time: June 7, 2008, 3:25 am
“Chemical Free” is not really a very useful term. Everything is a chemical. The only thing that is truly chemical free is a vacuum. Which would probably do a good job of repelling insects come to think of it…
Comment from Sarah
Time: June 7, 2008, 5:34 am
For you!
Comment from Amelia
Time: June 7, 2008, 5:36 am
For you!
Comment from James
Time: June 7, 2008, 6:07 am
You can also grow several mosquito repellant plants, such as horsemints, rosemary, and marigold. Work wonders.
Comment from mandy
Time: June 7, 2008, 10:35 am
Hi Everyone
Thanks for stopping by and for participating!
I just want to clear up the reason that I rarely suggest spraying any of these home remedies directly on your plants.
First it is safe to do so. The only reason I suggest not spraying directly on your plants is, many times if you spray anything directly on the plant it is possible to burn them. This is even true here in the desert of water if sprayed during the hottest part of the day.
Not only that but why spray stuff directly on the plant when spraying around the area usually does the trick.
If you have ants or aphids in you plants, these sprays are perfectly safe to use. Just pay careful attention to how much you use and try to spray in the evening.
Thanks everyone for participating and I hope you will stop by often for more organic tips!
Comment from Liz
Time: June 7, 2008, 11:07 am
I find this helpful to kill aphids on my roses. Soak several cigarette butts in a quart of water overnight to make a tea. Strain through a screen sieve into a spray bottle. Add a little dishsoap to make it stick, shake well and spray where aphids are present.
Comment from Anoynymous Person
Time: June 7, 2008, 2:26 pm
Not 100% accurate…
Comment from Martin
Time: June 7, 2008, 4:11 pm
You can add powdered cinnamon for keeping away ants when they leave the garden and invade your home.
Comment from Rainbow
Time: June 7, 2008, 6:18 pm
I tried rubbing some of the anti-mosquito plants on myself. It seemed to work like a garnish for them as I was getting bit about every 10 seconds. Deet for me, thx.
Comment from Lucien Beauley
Time: June 7, 2008, 6:39 pm
http://digg.com/health/Mosquito_Spray_or_Natural_Predator_Controls_2
Each year, in the early spring, after the first lengthy rains, mosquitoes begin to make their appearance in our backyards and low-lying valleys. Local communities usually begin spraying to kill their larvae, hoping this will help keep their numbers down later. Do the mosquito sprays really work?
http://www.healthmad.com/Occupational-Health-and-Safety/Mosquito-Spray-or-Natural-Predator-Controls-.24392
Mosquito Spray, or Natural Predator Controls?
Comment from rosemarie
Time: June 8, 2008, 6:22 am
Hi: Thanks very much for your advice. Do you make anything for snails, slugs, moles, squirrels, and the like? PLEASE!
Comment from Green Gertie
Time: June 8, 2008, 11:55 am
Has anyone got an organic tip to keep snails from eating my busy lizzies (that’s impatiens)?
Comment from Bill
Time: June 8, 2008, 3:46 pm
Just as soon as I use up all of my chemical spray, I may try this.
Comment from Jack
Time: June 9, 2008, 4:47 am
crush up egg shells and place then on top of soil around plants,this will keep snails and slugs away.
Comment from Green Gertie
Time: June 9, 2008, 9:02 am
Thanks, Jack! Easy and so simple. Of course, snails don’t like grit or “bits” in their way, do they? I will try this, although it may be too late for my busy lizzies!
Comment from Dan
Time: June 10, 2008, 5:09 am
I’m headed fishing this weekend and apparently the flies are worse than they’ve ever been. I’ll try vanilla and lavender to see how that works. I’m skeptical but I’ll give it a try.
Comment from kevin
Time: June 10, 2008, 8:26 pm
hi there.
i stumbled upon your website here and am wondering if you have ever heard of a biting fly (insect) know as “battleass” in central america (specifically belize). This is a slightly bigger fly than a “sandfly” but it bites much more pronounced than a mosquito. Anyway, i would like to know if you have heard of this fly; becuase the only solution that i have to prevent getting bitten is by using long sleeve shirts, long pants, socks and sometimes even gloves. And if you think that’s bad …. try using this atire in the summertime within the tropics.
Comment from Dan
Time: June 16, 2008, 6:48 am
alright, I tried the vanilla and can say with confidence that it DOESN’T work at all.. in fact, re-read the vanilla sentence and omit the word “Don’t” and that about sums it up. On the plus side it does smell good. I didn’t try lavender because I really don’t know where to get that.
Comment from mandy
Time: June 16, 2008, 2:55 pm
Hi Dan
I am so sorry to hear that the vanilla did not work for you.
Different things work on different people and in different areas. It depends on the bugs. It sounds like where you are you are going to need something a little stronger. May I suggest Tea Tree Oil. You can pick it up at your local health food store and it is quite potent. You can either purchase it in the oil form, apply it behind your ears, neck wrists and ankles, or you can purchase it in a spray. If you purchase it in oil form, be sure to dilute it a little before you apply it to your skin because it is strong and might cause a rash.
Good luck
Comment from Haze E.
Time: July 10, 2008, 8:07 pm
Im sitting outside my friends house and im gettin ATE UP! The coors light next to me is begging me to chug the whole thing! Haha. Im gonna try the Vanilla Extract experiment and see if it ” Works Wonders” ! ! I hate mosqitous! Whoever reads this should go out and listin to any Tupac song, and think to yourself how lyrically inclined Tupac truley is, in zone. ” ” PEACE/LOVE
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