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by Alea Milham4 Comments
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If you are trying to control insects in your yard and garden, try one of these homemade bugsprayrecipes.
Insectscan quickly take over a garden and getting rid of them can run a hefty bill while dousing your harvest in chemicals. You can make many insect repellentsfor your garden at home for a fraction of the cost without all of the chemicals you do not want around your family. Matchone of the DIY insecticides below to your need to help eliminate pests from your home garden.
5 Homemade Bug Spray Recipes
Homemade Pyrethrum Spray Recipe
Insects like aphids and thrips eataway at your garden literally sucking the life out of your plants.
Ingredients:
⅔ cup powdered pyrethrum flowers
1 gallon water
4-5 drops Dawn dish detergent
Instructions: Collect pyrethrum flowers and dry them in the oven on the lowest setting. Store in an airtight container and grind as needed to make a powder. Mix water and powdered pyrethrum together in a jug and shake well. Filter through a reusable coffee filter or flour sack towel. Add soap and spray the plants well in the evening or early morning. If you have outdoor allergies, wear a dust mask while working with pyrethrum powder.
Homemade Leaf Miner Spray Recipe
If you find winding trails in your plants leaves you can get rid of the cause by smothering the leaf miners.You can alter the quantities, but keep the ratio of2 parts molasses to 6 parts water.
Ingredients:
1/4cup Molasses
1 1/2cups water
Instructions: Combine the molasses and water in spray bottle.Shake well before using and pray on any plants affected by leaf miners.
Ammonia can help control aphids and whiteflies. You can alter the quantities, but keep the ratio of 1 part ammonia to 8 parts water.
Ingredients:
1/4cup Ammonia
2cups water
Instructions: Combine the ammonia and water in a spray bottle. Shake well before using. Apply gently in a test area and wait overnight to see if it burns the plant. If the plant is doing well the next evening treat the plant with this spray.
Homemade Insecticidal Soap Recipe
You can use this recipe just like commercial insecticidal soaps.
Ingredients:
⅛ cup baking soda
3 to 4 drops original Dawn dish detergent or castile soap
2 cups water
Instructions: Mix well and spray infected plants liberally. Be sure to spray in the evening to prevent the sun from burning your plants.
Hot Pepper Bug Spray Recipe
This helps keep bugs away as well as unwanted animals such as cats, dogs, and rabbits. Wear gloves while working with this one.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup pureed hot peppers
2 cups water
Instructions: Mixthe peppers and water in a spray bottle. Shake well and apply aroundthe areas you want to protect for about a week straight. The bugs and animals you are trying to keep away will lose interest and stop coming around.
Let us know which of these homemade bug spray recipes you have used and share your results with us.
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About Alea Milham
Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.
Comments
Lilysays
Ty
Reply
Chrissays
Are these safe for bees?
Reply
Ricksays
Oh, yes. I use these concocctions all the time. The ammonia and vinegar solution cause the bee to stay away until they dicipate and the flowers have been rained on. A bee is a tough, resilent insect. None of these natural, biodegradable solutions harm bees. Commercial pesticides are the problems with bees and butterflies and lady bugs. None of these will harm any beneficial insect in your garden. Just don’t spray any of these directly on a butterfly. Any thing other than water will degrade the silk on there wings.
Reply
Ricksays
Some of these are mold inhibitors, which decrease white flies as they secrete a honeydew that encourages mold and mildew to propagate. I never like to kill ladybugs either. They are so beneficial to the health of your flora. One ladybug will eat 10 affids per day. Mantis and walking sticks are good to have around too. Any insect with a stiff cuticle are little affected by any of these ingriedients. Bees always shy away from vinegar until it’s odor has evaporated completely.
One of the easiest homemade bug sprays, simply mix one cup of white vinegar, at Walmart, with three cups of water. You can also add half a teaspoon of dishwashing soap to help the solution adhere. Shake thoroughly and apply to the affected areas.
Mix 1 part oil of lemon eucalyptus or lavender essential oil with 10 parts witch hazel in the bottle. (For each drop of oil, use 10 drops of witch hazel.) Shake gently to mix. Spray to apply.
Combine 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup water, and 40 drops of rosemary oil in a spray bottle and shake well. "If you don't like the smell of rosemary, you can also try lavender," says says Harlow-Ellis.
Use white vinegar and water in a spray bottle to kill bugs on the spot and leave a residue that repels the others. Spray the solution on countertops and floor corners to disrupt the invasion. Ants can only find their way in if a competent leader leaves a pheromone scent to follow.
Windex – Windex is one of the most common and most effective DIY household products for pest control. Windex is toxic to most pests, especially spiders. Spraying window cleaner directly onto small insects like ants or mosquitoes will kill them within a few moments.
A homemade insecticide made from vegetable oil mixed with a mild soap (such as Dr. Bronner's Castile soap) can have a devastating effect on certain troublesome insects, such as aphids, mites, thrips, etc.
2.5 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap (preferably Dawn or Lemon Joy) and not automatic dishwasher soap Mix with 2.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil per gallon of warm water. Make only what is needed for one day's treatment. An insecticidal soap like this is generally not harmful to plants, animals or humans.
'I mix 10 drops of lemon oil, 10 drops of eucalyptus oil, and four ounces of water before adding it to a spray bottle,' he explains. 'Lemon and eucalyptus oils contain natural compounds, such as citronellal and citronellol, which act as potent mosquito repellents.
Mosquitoes are turned off by several natural scents, including citronella, peppermint, cedar, catnip, patchouli, lemongrass, lavender and more. You can add some of these plants to your landscaping to fend them off.
Vinegar, witch hazel, and essential oil: Combine ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ witch hazel, and 20 drops of any essential oil such as rosemary, citronella, tea tree, cedar, eucalyptus, or lemongrass. Fill a spray container halfway with the mixture and shake well before using.
Repair any holes in drywall and caulk gaps around floor molding where insects can invade your home from neighboring units. Patch holes and loose edges on window and door screens. And be sure to keep windows and doors closed if they do not have screens. Repair gaps around pipes, air conditioners, and dryer vents.
Acidity of the vinegar is potent enough to kill many pests. Vinegar is often used as a contact type insecticide, which means that you need to spray it directly onto the spotted bug to make it effective. Vinegar is basically an aqueous solution composed of water and acetic acid.
Introduction: My name is Saturnina Altenwerth DVM, I am a witty, perfect, combative, beautiful, determined, fancy, determined person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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