If you don't want to use harsh chemicals, you can make bug killers at home.
If your home has household pests like roaches, flies and wasps, you may want to turn to a chemical pesticide to kill bugs. However, there are several ways to kill bugs around the house without harsh chemicals. Many recipes for homemade bug killers use essential oils and household products to kill and repel pests. Does this Spark an idea?
Hot Sauce Spray
One eco-friendly spray that will kill some common bugs and repel others is a spray made from soap and hot pepper sauce. Mix 1 cup water with 1/4 cup dish soap, three pulped garlic cloves and 2 tbsp. of hot sauce. You can put this in an airtight container and shake to mix. Strain out garlic and pour into a spray bottle. This spray works great in the garden but also in the house.
Mold and Mealy Bug Prevention
Mold and mealy bugs can harm plants and people in the house. This homemade bug spray kills mealy bugs and prevents mold buildup using tea tree oil, a powerful herbal oil. Mix 1 tsp tea tree oil, 1 tsp dish soap or castile soap and 3 tsps. baking soda with one quart of warm water and mix well until the baking soda dissolves. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray on plants. You can also spray this formula on moldy surfaces, and then wipe them clean.
Roach Killing Bait
To kill roaches in the garden and the home, you can use boric acid. This naturally occurring chemical kills roaches when they ingest it, but it is also toxic to people and animals if ingested, so keep it away from pets and children. To make a roach killing bait, mix 2 tsps. each of sugar, cornstarch and boric acid with 2 tsps. vegetable shortening to make a paste. Roll the paste into balls or use it to fill cracks where roaches enter the house. The pests will be drawn to the sugar, and they will eat the boric acid which will kill them.
Diatomaceous Earth
This chalky white powder is made from the dried out exoskeletons of microscopic sea creatures called diatoms. Diatomaceous earth contains thousands of sharp particles that can pierce the exoskeletons of most small insects and dries them out over time. Diatomaceous earth kills many different kinds of crawling insects, including fleas, ants, bedbugs, roaches and earwigs. Sprinkle this fine dust all along baseboards, in the back of cabinets, under appliances and anywhere bugs like to hide. If applying over a large area, wear a dust mask.
Bug Repellent Recipe
If you just want to keep bugs away but not kill them, you can make a homemade bug repellent by mixing any or all of these essential oils: eucalyptus, juniper, cedar, rosemary, tea tree, clove and cinnamon. Any sharp smelling essential oil will keep bugs away. Mix a few drops of these oils with vegetable or mineral oil and wear as a bug repellent on skin.
Tags: boric acid, baking soda, bugs away, Diatomaceous earth, dish soap