- Several easily made home remedies combat insect problems in the home and garden. Most rely on common herbs and vegetables or household items. Many homemade liquid solutions work well in plant misters to repel or kill bugs infesting garden plants, pets, indoor furniture and clothing. Organic solutions need to be applied to outdoor plants more often than synthetic brands. Always check with a doctor or veterinarian before applying even mild herbal insect repellents to family members or pets.
- The classic saucer of beer remains an effective remedy for slug, snail and earwig problems in the garden. Simply set a beer-filled saucer on the ground near vulnerable plants. The pests will be drawn to the smell of the beer, immerse themselves in the tempting solution, and drown. Remove the dead pests and replenish the beer as needed.
- Pyrethrum, the single-flowered chrysanthemum variety that looks more like a common daisy than the classic autumnal "mum," makes an excellent deterrent to aphids, spiders, ants, cockroaches, flies and bedbugs, according to herbalist Lesley Bremness. Although all-natural and considered harmless to mammals, pyrethrum is extremely powerful, so wear a mask when working with the powdered form, and use large amounts of water to dilute it. Many hardware stores and nurseries sell powdered pyrethrum, but if you grow the cheerful flowers in your garden you can easily make it yourself. Dry the petals by air or in a dehydrator, and powder them in a coffee bean grinder dedicated to inedible plants. Add 4 oz., by weight, of the powdered petals to 2/3 cup rubbing alcohol. Dilute the pyrethrum-alcohol blend in 13 gallons of water. Store the solution in gallon jugs, and use as needed.
- Home garden pest remedies involving botanical infusions are inexpensive alternatives to toxic sprays. To repel aphids, pour 4 cups boiling water over a handful (about 4 oz. by weight) of fresh elderberry, rhubarb or basil leaves, or four freshly crushed cloves of garlic. Infuse the water for 10 minutes in a covered pot, then strain and cool. For a general insecticide, use the same recipe with costmary leaves, chopped hot peppers or fleabane roots and leaves. To combat moths, flea beetles, aphids and caterpillars, use wormwood leaves. If you have a strong stomach, you can even make a "fallen comrades" solution by trapping some of the garden pests you're trying to eradicate, placing them in an old blender, diluting the bodies with water and spraying this bug juice on vulnerable plants. Adding a teaspoon of mild liquid soap to these homemade insecticides enables them to adhere to the undersides of leaves a bit longer. (In fact, plain soapy water makes an excellent "baby bath" for store-bought seedlings, which may harbor whitefly. Hold the plant pot upside down and swirl the foliage in soapy water to dislodge any unwanted hitchhikers.)
- Pet owners seeking a nontoxic alternative to artificial flea powders and shampoos can make simple infusions of fresh or dried feverfew, fleabane, wormwood, tansy, rosemary, sage, lavender or camphor mint leaves, following the infusion method outlined above. Once the mixture has cooled and been strained, sprinkle or carefully spray a few drops onto your pets. Essential oils of peppermint, eucalyptus, citronella or lavender make more concentrated solutions when a few drops are diluted with water and sprayed under pet bedding and sofa cushions, on curtains and under rugs. Or blend four drops of any of the essential oils mentioned above in a teaspoon of almond or jojoba oil and rub into your skin for a fragrant, natural bug repellent.
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