Natural Pest Control

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naturally-repel-garden-pestsSpring is making way for summer, and with it comes an increase of insect activity. I personally love beneficial insects in and around my garden. They balance the eco-system and bring in predictors like wasps who kill caterpillars, or birds that eat the bugs and leave me nice bird manure as fertilizer, but some insects just take over and have got to go.

This is a compiled list of bugs we may not want around, along with essential oils that will repel them, and herbs that you can companion plant into your garden to repel these insects. I personally tend to keep onions, garlic, calendula and basil in my garden beds to repel the most common buggies, with mints, yarrow and lavender close at hand.

 

Insect Repelling Essential Oils  

Repelling Herbs

Ants

 

Cinnamon, Citronella, Citrus (any), Clove, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Spearmint, Tansy

 

Bay, Calendula, Mint (any), Hyssop, Lavender, Marigold, Rue, Sage, Tansy, Woormwood, Yarrow

 

Aphids

 

Cedarwood, Lemon, Peppermint, Spearmint

 

Garlic, Onions, Chives, Coriander, Hyssop

 

Asparagus Beetle

 

Peppermint

 

Marigold, Petunia, Parsley, Garlic

 

Bean Beetle

 

Peppermint, Thyme

 

Marigold, Nasturtium, Rosemary

 

Cabbage Root Fly

 

Hyssop, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme

 

Peppermint, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme

 

Cabbage Worms

 

Eucalyptus, Thyme

 

Coffee grounds, Borage, Clover, Geranium, Thyme

 

Carrot Fly

 

Rosemary, Sage

 

Rosemary, Sage, Leeks, Garlic

 

Caterpillars

 

Peppermint, Spearmint

 

Garlic, Onions, Chives, Leeks

 

Cutworm

 

Sage, Thyme

 

Coffee Grounds, Egg Shells,

 

Flea Beetle

 

Lavender, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Spearmint

 

Catmint, Mint(s)

 

Fleas

 

Citronella, Lavender, Lemongrass, Peppermint

 

Lavender, Mint, Pennyroyal (toxic to cats)

 

Flies

 

Citronella, Lavender, Peppermint

 

Basil, Rue, Rhubarb

 

Gnats

 

Citronella, Patchoulli, Spearmint

 

Geranium, Lemon Thyme, Lavender, Mexican Marigold (Tagetes minuta)

 

Grass Hoppers

 

Cilantro

 

Horehound, Calendula, Cilantro, Garlic Oil, Clover

 

Lice

 

Cedarwood,Lavender,  Melaleuca, Peppermint, Rosemary, Spearmint,Thyme

 

Rosemary, Lavender, Thyme

 

Leaf Miners

 

Melaleuca, Cinnamon Leaf

 

Garlic

 

Mosquitos

 

Citronella, lavender, lemongrass, Terrashield

 

Basil, Rosemary

 

Nematodes

 

Sage, Citronella

 

Marigold, Chrysanthemum, Dahlia

 

Potato Bugs

 

Catnip, Coriander,

 

Horehound, Horseraddish, Calendula, Cilantro, Garlic Oil, Clover, Marigold

 

Slugs

 

Anise, Cedarwood, Pine, Rue

 

Woormwood, Rue, Fennel, Anise, Rosemary, Chevril
Snails

 

Cedarwood, Garlic, Patchouli, Pine, Rue

 

Coffee Grounds, Egg Shells, Crushed Nut Shells
Squash Bugs

 

Basil, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Orange, Lemongrass

 

Cloves, Onions, Garlic, Nasturtium, Raddish, Cilantro, Lemongrass, Sage

 

Ticks

 

Citronella, Lemongrass, Thyme, Sage

 

Lavender

 

Tomato Hornworm

 

Peppermint

 

Borage, Garlic Oil, Pot Marigold, Petunia

 

Weevils

 

Cedarwood, Patchouli

 

Catnip

 

White Fly

 

Lavender, Sage, Tansy

 

Nasturtium

 

White Moth

 

Sage, Rosemary, Mint, Oregano, Thyme

 

Hyssop, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Tansy, Thyme

 

Wooly Aphids

 

 

Patchouli, Pine, Sandalwood

 

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How to use the essential oils

Using essential oils in the garden takes some discretion. Don’t just dump undiluted essential oils in your soil and expect good things to happen. Sure it will repel those moths, but it will also damage your soil composition where the undiluted oil is. Instead, get some scrap cloth and tie it to a lattice, or a strong stocked plant in your garden like broccoli, fava beans, corn, or sunflowers. On the piece of cloth dab a drop or two of your oil blend of choice. Re-apply every 3 days or after a rain storm.

You can also put 10-15 drops of your essential oil blend into a spray bottle with 2 cups of water. Shake the bottle very well right before use (the oil floats to the top) and spray your plants on the top and bottom of the leaves to repel those pesky insects.

You can place cotton balls with a few drops of your EO solution on it throughout your garden.

How to use herbs to repel insects

This is my first line of defense for pest prevention. Instead of planting rows of food I disburse plants that need different resources and different parts of the ground so the bugs can’t just swarm my garden. For example, in one plot I will plant corn at the back, while the corn is growing I will then plant beans. The beans can climb up the corn and protect the stocks. I also plant squash at the base of the corn and peas. This will create ground cover and keep the roots cool. Between these rows of “three sisters” I plant garlic, onions, and radish, which repel the common bugs that eat squash, beans, and corn. This creates a bio-diverse garden that uses both vertical garden methods, traditional knowledge (the three sisters is how native Americans grew their corn fields), and uses different soil depths. The radish digs deep into the soil loosening it and allowing water to reach deep into the ground, the onions and garlic have a medium depth root that will expand and utilize ground that the squash, beans, and corn will not.

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SOURCE : naturallivingmamma.com

 

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