Homemade Bug Remedies

[Guest guest]

Homemade Bug Remedies

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-212 -- More Projects »

 

Here--straight from Paul James, master gardener and host of Gardening

by the Yard--are some home remedies for dealing with garden pests,

many of which call for items you probably already have around the

house:

 

The first is a simple solution made from the source of one of Paul

James's favorite flavors--garlic. Finely chop a dozen or so garlic

cloves, and dump them in four ounces of mineral oil. Soak the cloves

in the oil for a day or two. Strain the mixture, and add three or

four drops of regular dishwashing liquid. Then dilute it with about a

half cup of water, and pour into a hand-held or tank sprayer (figure

A). This is an all-purpose spray for all sorts of pests, but it's a

nonselective spray, which means it'll kill beneficial bugs as well as

bad bugs in your garden.

 

Here's another simple-to-prepare spray that uses another garden crop--

peppers. Put a cup of chili peppers such as jalapenos in a blender or

food processor (figure B). Add four cups of water, and puree the

mixture. Then strain the stuff (figure C), and pour it into a

sprayer. Again, you've got a nonselective spray, so use it to target

only the harmful insects. Be extremely careful to not get this spray

in your eyes or even on your skin.

 

Another insect eliminator is nicotine. Put a package of chewing

tobacco in a quart jar of water, and let the jar sit out in the hot

sun for a day so that the tobacco has a chance to steep slowly. Then

strain the mixture into a sprayer. This mixture is poisonous and can

actually be absorbed by the skin, so be careful. It can also be

absorbed by the leaves of plants, so don't use it on food crops.

 

The USDA recommends mixing together dishwashing detergent and cooking

oil to get a powerful control for aphids, whiteflies and red spider

mites (figure D). First, make a concentrate by adding one tablespoon

of liquid dishwashing soap--the brand doesn't matter--with one cup of

vegetable oil. When you're ready to spray, add one or two teaspoons

of the oil-and-soap solution to a cup of water. Pour that into a

sprayer and shake well.

 

 

Please note: Vegetable oil can burn plants, especially cabbages,

cauliflower and squash, and the hotter the weather, the more it can

burn. As with all these homemade sprays, test a leaf or two of the

plant you intend to spray, then wait a day and check the leaves for

damage before you spray the entire plant. Also remember the rule of

140: first, watch the evening's weather report. Add the outdoor

temperature (in degrees F) to the percent relative humidity. If the

total is more than 140, wait for a cooler or less humid day to spray.

 

Another homemade pest control uses plain old isopropyl or rubbing

alcohol. A cotton ball soaked in this and wiped over leaf surfaces

will kill a number of bugs such as aphids, mealybugs, red spider

mites, scales and whiteflies that are notorious for attacking

houseplants. To spray an entire plant, add one cup of the alcohol to

one quart of water, and spray away.

 

But if you don't want to bother mixing and straining and testing

these home remedies to get rid of your bug problems, then consider

using a more high-tech solution--a hand-held vacuum (figure E). Pay

particular attention to leaves, especially the undersides, where bugs

love to hide. James does a little vacuuming in the garden (figure F).

 

One last home remedy is to catch a bunch of bugs that happen to be

bothering your plants, puree them in a food processor and strain the

result through cheesecloth before spraying on your plants.