Want Natural Ways to Keep Pests Away? Check These Out!
A common misconception is that insects only
come out in the rainy season, preferring to spend their short lives
huddled close to swamps and forests. However, anyone who has a garden,
or spends a lot of time outdoors, knows that all seasons attract their
own share of biting bugs. Autumn especially is known for the prevalence
of highly destructive and supremely invasive insects like the emerald
ash borer which can kill trees at an alarming rate. While mosquitoes may
be the most prevalent, we also have to deal with bed bugs, fleas, ants,
spiders, wasps, flies, and moths invading our homes.
Not only can they give you a good scare,
but many of these insects can also do quite a number on your plants and
garden. Whether in the house or outside, you can be prepared for these
creepy crawlers and flying stingers. These are some extremely easy
homemade bug repellents that you can mix up and carry with you anywhere
in a spray bottle. They are mostly made from natural ingredients meant
to smell refreshing and keep the bugs at bay! Give these repellents a
try and see which one works best for you.
1. Essential Oil Sprays 
You’ve probably used essential oils in the
past to give your home a welcoming fragrance with the help of a
diffuser. Some natural oils can even act as highly effective
pain-relievers or reduce symptoms of colds and the flu. However, many
essential oils also work well as bug repellents and can be mixed into
quick and easy-to-use sprays. The next time you’re stocking up on
essential oils, keep an eye out for these:
Citronella Oil
Most small bugs are repelled by citrus
oils, so you can add them to any homemade repellents you already have to
make them more effective. Citronella has the added effect of acting as
an insecticide. To make your own repellent, you just mix half a cup of
water with half a cup of clear alcohol (like vodka) and add about 30
drops of citronella. A good substitute for straight alcohol is
witch-hazel which is equally effective at keeping bugs away and tends to
be kinder on the skin. Be sure to keep the spray away from your eyes
though!
Peppermint Oil
Here’s one essential oil that will keep
your home mosquito-free and have it smelling fresh all the time. Much
like citrus oil, it can be turned into a spray. In case of an ant
problem, wipe down the area with a concoction consisting of 2 cups of
water, a quarter cup of vinegar, and 10 drops of peppermint oil to keep
them away. This oil can be toxic to dogs and cats, though, so be careful
of where you spray it if you have a pet.
Clove oil
Both for your home and for your garden,
clove oil can do wonders at getting rid of pests. Make your own spray
using alcohol or witch-hazel and water. 1/10th of the mixture should
consist of clove oil. Mosquitoes, moths, flies, and ants are all
repelled by clove oil. Mixing it with eggs, milk, dish soap, and hot
sauce will create a repellent for deer as well. Clove oil is pretty
potent and can act as a skin irritant, so never apply it directly to
your skin.
Cedarwood oil
Given the anti-insect properties of
cedarwood, it's no surprise that the oil makes an excellent base for a
bug spray. It is considered to be relatively non-toxic when diluted and
is effective against moths, fleas, and ticks. You can also add it to
citrus oil bug repellent sprays to make them more powerful.
Lemon eucalyptus oil
This oil works effectively as a household
cleaning agent and as a mosquito repellent. An easy bug-spray can be
made using half a cup of water and the same amount of witch
hazel/alcohol, a little bit of vinegar, and around 30 drops of lemon
eucalyptus oil. It also keeps away deer ticks, which makes it ideal for
anyone who spends a lot of time in a garden. It is extremely potent and
must be kept away from pets and children.
Castor oil
Castor oil is a major component in food,
perfumes, pharmaceuticals, soaps, and cosmetics, and yes,
insect-repellents. You can create an extremely effective repellent with
10 drops of castor oil and only 2 tablespoons of witch hazel or alcohol.
The most popular use of castor oil is actually as a mole repellent,
though it works equally well against other underground animals like
voles and gophers, as well as against household rodents like mice and
rats.
Neem Oil
Neem oil is the ultimate multipurpose gift
from nature and is something you should always keep stocked. It has
anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic
properties. It also acts as both a mosquito repellent and a natural
insecticide. It is often added to shampoos to get rid of lice. You can
make a bug spray out of it or you can put a few drops on your clothes
before you go out. But be wary of the smell if you do, because pure neem
oil can be quite pungent.
Lavender Oil
Homemade lavender soaps made from essential
oils can do wonders for ensuring insects give you a wide berth. Though
lavender oil alone can be used as a base for a bug-repellent, it is most
effective when added into sprays that contain the other essential oils
listed above. It not only adds to the potency of the repellent but also
enhances the fragrance.
2. Essential Oil Candles
If bug-sprays aren’t working for you, there
are other ways essential oils can be used as repellents or insecticides.
One popular alternative is creating DIY Bug Repellent candles. You can
make these by mixing a little bit of the essential oil of your choice in
with the wax just before it starts to cool. You can also make your
candle using natural beeswax.
The best oil to use, especially if you’re dealing with a lot of
mosquitoes, is citronella oil, due to its dual roles as both repellent
and pesticide. Add a hint of lavender oil to sweeten the smell. You
simply need to light the candle whenever you see the number of
mosquitoes in your home rising. It also has a longer-lasting effect than
most sprays and a longer shelf life.
Another way of making use of candles to repel insects is to buy and
light plain unscented candles and add a few drops of the essential oil
of your choice to the top just after the wax melts a little. Be
extremely careful while doing this though, as most essential oils are
known to be highly flammable.
3. Coffee Grounds 
This is actually one of the easier
solutions for dealing with pests, both insect and mammal. If you happen
to be a coffee-lover, then this also gives you an excellent opportunity
to recycle. Just sprinkle your leftover coffee grounds outside the
doorways of your home and around the plants in your garden.
Most bugs, like fruit flies, beetles, and pests like rodents and deer
dislike the smell of coffee beans and will usually avoid it. Placing
them in your garden has the additional benefits of providing more
nutrients like potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus to your plants,
promoting healthier growth. You can also put them in a bowl and keep
them in the corner of a room to keep the mosquitoes away.
In addition to beetles, deer, and mosquitoes, coffee grounds can also
work well against fleas. If your cat or dog is having a flea problem and
you want to use a natural remedy, you can run the grounds on your pet’s
fur after a bath. This may work at keeping fleas away, though it is by
no means as effective as products prescribed by vets for getting rid of
fleas.
4. Bug Repellent Balm
Yet another alternative to the bug-sprays
and scented bug-repelling candles is a homemade balm that acts as a
bug-repellent. Heat cocoa butter, coconut oil, and natural beeswax in
equal proportions until they are fully melted and liquified. While the
liquid is still hot (but no longer being heated), add 15 drops each of
lemon eucalyptus oil and citronella oil. Once the mixture has cooled,
you can apply in small doses to your skin to keep the insects away from
you.
You can make a similar mixture with olive oil instead of cocoa butter,
and with cedarwood, peppermint, and tea tree oil mixed in. These three
oils can be incredibly nourishing for the skin. Ensure the oils are
added while the liquid is still hot but as it begins to cool, as
excessive heat could nullify some of the beneficial properties of the
essential oils.
5. Herb-Based Repellent
If you do not have or perhaps do not wish
to use essential oils, there are other options like coffee grounds and
banana peels (which keep aphids away and fertilize your plants). If you
happen to grow herbs in your garden, however, there may be another
option for you.
There are a variety of herbs that you can boil and add to a mixture of
witch hazel and water to create an effective bug spray. Dill, basil,
thyme, rosemary, and sage all contain elements that act as insect
repellents and some have the added benefits of nourishing your garden.
The most popular herbal bug spray you can make requires mint,
citronella, and catnip. Crush one cup full of these fresh herbs together
and heat it with equal parts water. When the liquid is boiled, drain
out the herbs and mix the concoction with witch hazel after it cools.
Pour the whole thing into a spray bottle that you can use both indoors
and outdoors.
6. Lemon and Garlic Juice
Both lemon and garlic have properties
associated with insect-repelling uses. In fact, garlic tends to repel
both animals and bugs due to the presence of allicin. This chemical
found in garlic has a distinct smell that most animals and insects tend
to dislike. Lemon juice is acidic and can be used to create boundaries
that insects will not cross.
Mixing the two together can create an especially potent repellent,
usually best used outdoors as it can be sticky, but is equally effective
indoors with higher concentrations of lemon and water. You can make
this spray by first crushing cloves of garlic and then soaking them in
mineral oil for at least one day. Mix the oil (after all the garlic is
filtered out) with a few teaspoons of lemon juice and 2 cups of water.
You can pour your repellent into a spray bottle or you can add dashes of
it to areas in and around your home that tend to attract insects. Just
ensure you shake the mixture well before applying to ensure it is
properly used.