All Natural Pantry Bug Repellents

Have you ever had pantry bugs or just want to keep them away with natural pest control? Try these all natural pantry bug repellents to make sure you don’t end up with bugs in your grains.

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Pantry bugs and flour beetles are the same thing, just different ways to call these gross creepy crawlies. Who wants to open their rice or flour and discover it is moving? Ew.

I’ve had this happen to me before when I was careless about storing my grains. Once I started using these pantry bug repellents I never saw any more bugs – and it’s been 15 years!

Read: 10 Homemade Cleaning Products You Should Always Make at Home

Clean your shelves

First you want to make sure your shelves are clean and free of residue that might attract these bugs. I love using vinegar for everything plus it’s super cheap and pantry bugs hate the smell.

Next, you can spray your shelves using a tea tree and peppermint oil mixture to prevent the weevils from getting into your pantry. You can dilute it using water and vinegar if desired. My homemade spider repellent is more of an all-purpose insect repellent and can be used here!

Place your herbs

Bay leaves actually seem to be one of the best pantry bug repellents and they are really cheap to buy! You can put one or two right inside you flour, cornmeal or other grains in your cabinet.

Bay leaves not only deter flour beetles but also weevils, ants, silverfish (shiver) and most other insects! They are so great because they are completely safe and not a chemical! You can change out the leaves every few months with fresh ones and that’s it!

You can also put bay leaves on your shelves or under appliances to ward off bugs. The scent can drive bugs crazy and keep them far away from your pantry.

Other spices that help keep bugs away are clove, rosemary, black pepper corns, and garlic. You can put them all in a muslin or cheesecloth bag and just stash around your cabinets. The bonus is that your home will smell amazing!