Homemade Pest Control for Outdoors

Avoid harsh chemicals by using homemade pest control.

Controlling outdoor insects in gardens, on lawns and flying everywhere is a challenge. Stores of all types sell pest control liquids, powders and sprays, but homemade works just as well at a fraction of the cost. Homemade pest control solutions ensure safer ingredients without harsh and harmful chemicals. Find many effective pest control alternatives in pantries, kitchens and gardens.

Things You'll Need

• Tea
• Fireproof container
• Yellow paint
• Liquid dish soap
• Instant grits
• Diatomaceous earth
• Boric acid
• Spray bottle
• Salt
• Onion
• Garlic
• Hot sauce
• Molasses
• Cardboard
• Glycerin
• Eucalyptus essential oil
• Basil

Instructions

1. Save used tea bags and loose tea. Burn the tea in a small, fireproof container to keep mosquitoes away.

2. Paint a plastic or glass container yellow. Fill three-fourths of the way with water and add a squirt of liquid dish soap to attract and kill Japanese beetles.

3. Place a tablespoon of instant grits near an anthill. Ants will eat the grits, bloat and die because they cannot digest them.

4. Mix 1 cup diatomaceous earth with 1/4 cup boric acid, and then slowly add water to achieve a runny consistency. Paint the mixture on wood sheds, fences and other wooden structures to kill termites.

5. Mix 2 tbsp. salt into 12 oz. water. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray spiders to kill them.

6. Puree 1 large onion, 6 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup of hot sauce and 2 cups of very hot water in a blender. Allow the ingredients to steep for an hour, and then strain the liquid into a spray bottle. Spray all types of bugs to kill them. Test a plant leaf to determine if the spray is too harsh for the plant.

7. Paint a thick coat of molasses onto strips of cardboard and hang for quick and easy flypaper.

8. Mix 4 tbsp. glycerin with 1 tbsp. eucalyptus essential oil. Apply a little to arms and legs to keep mosquitoes from biting. Do not use on small children, and keep away from the delicate eye area.

9. Make basil sachets to repel most flying insects including bees, beetles, flies and mosquitoes. Chop up fresh basil leaves, place them in a net bag and hang them around porches, decks and patios.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose natural control methods over chemicals for a cleaner, safer environment.

References

• "1001 All-Natural Secrets to a Pest-Free Property"; Dr. Myles H. Bader; 2005