How to Make Homemade Garden Bug Spray

When applying bug spray, be careful to do no harm to pollinating insects such as bees.

Backyard gardens are planted for many reasons, such as to add natural elements to the surroundings, to attract specific wildlife or insects and to provide fresh-picked edibles. Whether you are growing fruits, vegetables and herbs to eat or growing particular plants to attract butterflies and birds, controlling bug infestations is vital to the survival of the plants. Many gardeners prefer to make homemade recipes using common household ingredients to control garden bugs.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber gloves
• Garlic glove
• Onion
• Blender
• Cayenne pepper
• Cheesecloth
• Container
• Liquid dish soap
• Funnel
• Spray bottle
• Marker

Instructions

1. Peel, cut up and put one small onion and one garlic clove in a blender. Add 1 qt. water and 1 tsp. cayenne pepper. Blend the ingredients until they turn to liquid.

2. Set the mixture aside for one hour and up to one day.

3. Pour the mixture through cheesecloth over a container. Add 1 tbsp. liquid dish soap to the mixture and stir well.

4. Place a funnel on a spray bottle and pour the mixture into the bottle. Mark the bottle and date it.

5. Shake the bottle before every use and store it in a refrigerator. Get rid of the mixture one week after the date it was made.

Tips & Warnings

• Test the bug spray on a few leaves before spraying the entire plant to see if the mixture burns or harms the plant in any way.

• Wear rubber gloves to make and use homemade bug sprays to prevent skin irritation. Keep your nose and eyes away from the mixture as well to avoid eye or nose irritations.

References

• Organic Gardening: All-Purpose Insect Pest Spray
• Weekend Gardener: Homemade Organic Insect and Fungal Spray For Garden Pests

Resources

• Eartheasy: Natural Garden Pest Control
• Veggie Gardener; 12 Homemade Natural Remedies for the Vegetable Garden; Tee Riddle; 2011