A spray of peppermint essential oil with a plastic water pistol will send pests away.
Pest control during any season can be a nuisance -- not to mention the unsafe nature of pesticides. When small children or pets are near, risking their health with an ant killer or insect repellent can be dangerous. Fortunately, a concentrated essential oil with a potent scent is a more natural solution to pest control. In the kitchen, a little peppermint essential oil will banish ants from the counters and floors. Apply an essential oil before going on a hike and ward off ticks and fleas. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Take the garden back from ravenous slugs with Cedarwood essential oil.
Use cedarwood essential oil on plants and concrete and watch slugs, snails and weevils turn away from the garden. Place 10 drops of the oil with 1 cup of water in the spray bottle, then coat the leaves with a fine mist of cedarwood. In areas where there is a lot of slug or snail activity, coat a rag with undiluted cedarwood and rub onto the cement or leave parts of the cloth at the base of plants.
2. Rid your house and outdoor living areas of ants, beetles, caterpillars, fleas, flies, lice, moths and spiders with peppermint essential oil. Add 10 drops of the peppermint oil to 1 cup of water in the squirt bottle and spray the ants, indoors or out. As a preventative measure, spray known areas with peppermint where ants and spiders may come indoors. Smear a section where the ants are crossing, and they'll turn away. Spray the corners of each room and spiders will go elsewhere to spin their webs. When flies buzz close by, spray the peppermint to send them buzzing away.
3. If the yard has ticks and mosquitoes, use a diluted lavender essential oil on the wrists, ankles and around the neck. One drop per 1 cup of water will warn ticks and mosquitoes to stay clear. Do a 24 hour patch test by applying a diluted amount of essential oil to the inside of your elbow before applying to the rest of your body. To get rid of aphids on roses or other blooms, use a few drops of spearmint in the spray bottle and coat the leaves to foil the feast. Essential oils are diluted with the water in the spray bottle and will not harm the foliage.
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