Gardening On a Budget: Organic Pest Control with DIY Bug Repellent

Its summer time! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, kids are playing, plants are growing, and the bugs are munching! Summer has many positive attributes, but pesky bugs consuming your plants is likely not one of those things. Beetles, aphids, slugs, mealy bugs, white flies, you name it; they are munching! Today, we are sharing some organic pest control solutions. These are some of the best organic insecticides out there!

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  “Popillia japonica – Japanese beetle” by Lamba – Own work (Original text: Self made). Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Popillia_japonica_-_Japanese_beetle.JPG#/media/File:Popillia_japonica_-_Japanese_beetle.JPG

  Homemade insect repellant made from hot peppers: while wearing gloves, chop hot peppers and boil in a pan with water. After boiling, place the remaining liquid in a squirt bottle. You may want to do this step outside or in a well ventilated area so that you do not get the vapors from the peppers in your eyes. You could also wear goggles. You can also use fresh cayenne in place of the hot peppers. If you want to use cayenne, you also want to add an onion and a bulb of garlic to the pot. You should use approximately a teaspoon of cayenne. After it boils, add approximately a teaspoon of soap to the mixture. Both types of DIY bug repellent can be sprayed on your plants.

• A great method for organic pest control is companion planting. Not only do well-paired plants thrive together, they can deter pests for one another! For example, marigolds keep the aphids, grasshoppers, and cabbage maggots away. Geraniums attract Japanese beetles away from your veggies and roses and are toxic to them! Garlic and onions deter Japanese beetles and aphids.
• A homemade organic insecticide can be created from garlic. To create this insecticide, place 12 cloves of garlic in a blender with 1 quart of water. After it is well blended, let it sit for a day. After it sits, strain it and add 1 cup of canola oil.
• A homemade pesticide that can be used to deter slugs is coffee grounds or oatmeal! Just bread at the base of your plant to keep the slugs away. You can also handpick slugs off your plant, but this method can be time consuming!
• Another homemade insecticide can be made from Ivory soap and canola oil. Place a few drops of Ivory soap into a spray bottle along with a quart of water and a tablespoon of canola oil. Spray on the tops and bottles of your plants. This insecticide will kill bugs with soft bodies such as aphids and mites.
• Having problems with ants? Try turmeric. They hate it! You can sprinkle turmeric around the base of your plants or on its leaves.
• You can crush up egg shells to deter slugs. Just place it on top of the soil around your plants.
• A pest deterrent can be made from baby shampoo! Use 1 gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of baby shampoo. Spray this on your vegetables plants, but be sure to rinse off after approximately 2 hours.