In case you are having pest problems and you’re thinking twice about inundating your surroundings with unsafe chemicals, you can try making your own bug spray. Making homemade bug spray is actually pretty effective in eradicating pests around the house and so much safer for pets and kids. Here is more pest control at home.
Homemade Bug Spray
Onion and Garlic Insecticide
You probably use onion and garlic all the time when cooking healthy recipes. But did you know that you can also create a homemade pesticide spray using these items? Finely chop a medium-sized onion and 5 cloves of garlic. Boil 2½ cups of water and place the minced onion and garlic in the water. Allow to boil for 5 minutes. Let cool and sieve the mixture. You can use the onion-garlic water as an insecticide spray. Also, you can add 2 tablespoons of dish washing liquid if you prefer. The mixture will keep its potency for a week.
Garlic and Hot Pepper Blend
This creates a great spray that you can use against all sorts of pesky bugs. Simply mince half a cup of both pepper and garlic. Boil in 2 cups of water. Once the mixture has cooled, strain. Put the resulting fluid in a spray bottle and use. Another way to do this is by allowing the ingredients to steep in the water for 24 hours. Strain afterwards. Here, you can use whatever type of pepper is handy. But you should use very hot peppers, like habanero, cayenne, Thai chili or bird pepper, or Scotch bonnet chili.
Citrus Spray
Citrus sprays are wonderful options if you do not want your house or garden smelling like garlic and onions. But such sprays will only work on soft-bodies pests, like aphids and mealy bugs. Ants do not like the scent as well. A citrus spray is simple to make. Peel 2 large oranges, and then boil 1½ cups of water. Put the orange peels in a container or bottle, and pour over the hot water. Allow this to steep for 24 hours. Strain and use as insect spray.
Flower-Based Pesticides
The dried flowers of chrysanthemums and tansies can also be used against a variety of insects. To make your own spray, boil a liter of hot water. Then, put 100 grams of dried chrysanthemum flowers. Allow to cool and let it steep for an hour before straining. Follow the same procedure when making a tansy pesticide spray. But remember that you should be very careful when using either flower because both contain very strong chemicals that could be harmful when ingested. Furthermore, do not eat or cook with plants that have been sprayed with chrysanthemum or tansy-based pesticides.
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