How to Make Homemade Remedies for Keeping Deer Away

Deer in your yard can spread Lyme disease.

It can be magical to see a graceful deer step lightly across the yard. But it loses its charm when she and her friends stomp through the garden, eating everything in sight. They nibble at the shrubbery and eat the low hanging fruit off your trees. Worse, they can bring dangerous ticks to outdoor areas where your pets and children play, exposing them to Lyme disease. Keeping deer at a distance without harming them can be a challenge, but it can be done.

Things You'll Need

• 2 or more eggs depending on quantity
• water
• 2-gallon bucket for mixing solution
• Blender
• 3-gallon sprayer
• 4 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup peeled garlic
• 1 cup clear ammonia
• 1 cup Murphy Oil Soap
• 1 bar Ivory hand soap (optional)
• Medium sauce pan
• 1 small jar
• Water
• 2 coffee filters

Instructions

The Egg Repellent

1. Remove the white membrane from the yolks of the eggs you will use This will keep the sprayer from clogging. Put two eggs and two cups of cold water in a blender and blend at high speed for two minutes.

2. Add the mixture to a gallon of water and let it stand for 24 hours. This will make just over one gallon of spray. If you want more, you can use a ratio of 20 percent eggs to 80 percent water.

3. Spray the solution on the foliage of the plants you wish to protect after the mixture has rested for 24 hours. The rain will not wash away the egg solution quickly. Reapply ever month for an effective deer and rabbit repellent.

The Cayenne, Vinegar, Ammonia, Soap Repellent

1. Place cayenne and vinegar in the pan and boil it for one minute. Strain it through the coffee filter into jar.

2. Place the garlic in the blender with 2 cups of water and puree the mix. Strain it through another coffee filter.

3. Place both blended mixtures into the sprayer with the ammonia and oil soap. Fill the sprayer to the top with water. Add a bar of Ivory soap in the spray to make the solution adhere better to the foliage. Reapply this solution weekly and after rains. The recipe can be doubled or tripled as needed to cover a larger area.

Tips & Warnings

• The repellent solutions should be used on a dry day when the temperature is above freezing and the wind is still. Young trees and shrubs should be sprayed completely, and older trees and shrubs should be sprayed at the areas of new growth. Deer nibble from the top of the plant downward, so make sure to spray high on the trunk.

References

• Colorado State Extension Service: Preventing Deer Damage
• West Virginia Dept. of Natural Resources: Deer Control In Home Gardens
• Motlow Creek Gardens: Deer Tips

Resources

• Deer Departed.com: Deer Repellent