Repelling insects like mosquitoes, fleas and more In a safe and Earth friendly way

I am anxiously awaiting the warm weather that is coming soon (I hope)! Unfortunately, the much-welcomed warm weather that brings us flowers, birds, and butterflies also brings with it some very bothersome insects. It was cold last Thursday, but I watched as one anxious over ambitious bee tried to fly into my closed truck window. The bee left wherever it had wintered a little bit too soon, so it was probably looking for a warm place. There are a lot of products on sale to repel these things, but using natural things is much better for us and for Mother Earth. I will start with ways to repel the crawling insects. There are a number of herbs that will repel crawling insects. Cloves, bay leaves (especially good for ants) and sage are three of the strongest natural insect repellents. All you have to do is just place any one of these three herbs around a problem area, and the bugs should get the message to go away and stay away. To use these herbs, especially those in powdered form, just put some in some self-made cheesecloth sacks, tie the ends with string, and place them in your food storage cabinets or areas.

In my basket room bathroom a few days ago I noticed a few tiny ants here and there climbing on the ceiling and walls. I investigated to see where they were coming in, and I found them under a huge ceramic frog I have sitting on the bathroom floor. When I lifted the frog, there were hundreds of ants in a hole under the frog, and why they were attracted to that spot mystifies me. There was no real place to nest in there, and there was no food in there either. I saw that they were entering the house from under the electric heating wall unit on the outside wall.  I disposed of the ants in the frog, and I tried the suggestions below. So far, a few days later, it seems to have worked. Ants, spiders and roaches are a bit stubborn to remove, so if the three above herbs do not work try the following: Mix two cups of 20 Mule Team Borax with any powdered sweetener (you can use confectionery sugar). Sprinkle this mixture where insects gather. Another thing that is said to work, and this is what I did, is use baby powder. Crawling insects will not cross a line made of fine powder, like baby powder. You can buy store name or generic brands for this task to save on cost.

To tackle flying insects: It will help if this spring you plant some basil around your home as it will help to repel most flying insects. It is important to keep the basil plants well watered from the bottom. This keeps their aroma strong. You must, however, be careful not to over water. If you do not have a green thumb, you can make cheesecloth or muslin sacks and fill them with dried basil.  The basil can also be generic or in the less expensive store brands.

Repelling flies and roaches requires some preventative measures on your part. Be sure your garbage cans or any area where garbage is kept, are covered and sealed tightly. If the flies still hang around, Oil of Lavender will very effectively repel them. Just soak a sponge with the Oil of Lavender, place it is a saucer, and place it near the area where the flies are attracted. You can also put a little Oil of Lavender on a cotton ball and place it someplace in your kitchen or in the trashcan. This will not only repel the flies, it will also make the bins smell good. Oil of Cloves and Mint Sprigs also make excellent natural fly repellents. NOTE (WARNING): Be sure to keep the Oil of Cloves away from your face and wash your hands immediately if you get any on them to prevent touching and putting the oil on your eyes or nose. The Oil of Cloves is extremely harsh to mouth, nasal, and eye membranes. To repel roaches fill a shallow dish with any type of cheap alcoholic beverage, wine works the best, and place the filled dish where you think the roaches are congregating. This almost always works, and the roaches drown happy!

If weevils sometimes get into your grains and beans, placing dried chili peppers in with them can repel them. It repels the weevils without affecting the flavor of your beans and grains. Just be sure to tell a guest cook, if you happen to have one that it is there, so he or she does not use the chili pepper by mistake. (Been there-done that) A friend staying as a houseguest for a few days made a pot of the hottest bean soup I ever tasted, and never want to taste again! To protect grain products like macaroni, spaghetti, etc. from the insects that like these things all you have to do is place a wrapped slice of spearmint gun near these products. (WARNING) Do not use Juicy Fruit gum because insects happen to like that one!

There are some things you can do to repel fleas that surprisingly works. You can make a safe for your pet, your children, yourself, and Mother Earth “Natural Flea Collar”.  To start, cut a strip of cloth about two inches larger than your dog’s neck. Fold it over and sew a seam the length of the strip. Sew one end off then use a funnel to fill the material collar with a 50/50 mixture of rosemary and oregano (you can use fresh or dried - dried is best). Then sew or tape a piece of Velcro on both ends as a closure, and put the collar on your pet’s neck. You can also use snaps to close the collar.  A friend of mine, who raises shelties who are bathed often, makes the cloth strip, and then slides it over an inexpensive thin web material dog collar. She then fills it and sews the ends shut. This is very easy to make she says, and easy to put on and take off at bath time. Vacuuming the fleas once they enter the house, can help to eliminate fleas. Be sure to remove the bag, seal it, and throw it away as soon as you have finished vacuuming. When flea eggs fall off your pet and hatch they are first tiny little worm-like creatures that love cracks and crevices - be sure to vacuum these areas meticulously. Fleas also hate Oil of Lavender. Mix a few drops in some distilled water into a spray bottle. If this does not work, you need to make your mixture a bit stronger - it may take some experiments to get the right mixture. Spray this mixture on your pet’s sleeping area unless that happens to be your bed or sofa. Then spray a doggie blanket and place it where your dog sleeps. Hopefully your pet will not mind the smell. If you want to spray the floor, bedding, or any furniture, be sure to test an inconspicuous area first to be sure the oil does not stain or ruin sprayed areas.

I have a great natural non-toxic way to repel spiders. Not only do they leave, they do not return. It is safe around most pets. Dogs and cats will not like the smell, but if used correctly it is safe and non-toxic. I like spiders.  I have had a cellar spider (the ones that have long legs and look like Daddy-long-legs) winter in my basket room bathroom all winter. Every once in awhile it would disappear, but return a few days or a week later. Where it went I have no idea. It has been gone now for over three weeks and believe it or not I am worried about what might have happened to him or her. Anyway, although I like spiders and I realize the important purpose they have in nature, I do not like their sticky traps hanging on my back covered patio (especially when I walk into one). Pieces of moths and other insects that are trapped remains of a spider’s dinner are not what I want attached to my hair or clothes when I go outside. I believe in the sanctity of all living things. I respect their rights to life. I am one of those people who do not purposely kill things unless it is going to be eaten. It was a problem trying to get rid of spiders, but I did find a way.  Spiders smell and taste with their feet (ALL EIGHT OF THEM), so I had to find something they absolutely hated to taste and smell. What I found is that they hate the taste of citrus like: lemons, oranges, and limes. Here is a recipe for a safe and natural spider repellent. You spray it wherever spiders may congregate.

You will need (1) An empty quart size spray bottle (2) Orange essential oil, or lime, lemon, or citronella (3) Water. You must use real essential oils (not synthetics). Synthetics do not taste the same as the real ones. Essential oils are volatile oils extracted from the leaves, stems, flowers, and other parts of the plant. Citrus oils are collected from the peels. If you cannot find them locally, you can always order them online. They are inexpensive, and keep in mind that lemon is the most potent.  The essential oils can stain some fabrics and furniture. The citrus oils are watery and will not stain most things - but check items to be sure by spot testing. Fill your spray bottle with a quart of water and add a tablespoon of the lemon essential or other oils mentioned above. If you use it outdoors where rain can wash it away, you will have to keep repeating the spraying after a rain, but inside and in protected areas it repel the spiders for a very long time. WARNING - do not let essential oils to come in contact with your pets. It is not toxic to dogs, but it can be quite irritating to the skin, nose, and eyes. Cats are especially in danger because their livers cannot metabolize the oils. It can cause them liver damage. So please keep you cats and dogs away from sprayed areas until they are completely dry. I was told that diluted vinegar could also work as a spider repellent.

For repelling mosquitoes: It has been proven that bug zappers do not work on mosquitoes. To keep mosquitoes away, it is important to practice some preventive actions on your part. Do not leave standing water around, and do not leave things laying around that can collect water like tires, pails, etc. I also buy “Mosquito Dunks” to put into troublesome areas where water stagnate and mosquitoes breed and hatch. Dunks releases a natural ingredient that renders the mosquitoes unable to reproduce. The sound of dragon fly wings also makes mosquitoes leave the area. There is a battery-operated device that makes a noise like a dragonflies wings. If you can find them, I have seen it work. Friends of my family who birded in the woods, loaded with mosquitoe, rubbed vinegar on their skin, and it worked for them. I prefer to use one tablespoon of orange oil and one tablespoon of vanilla added to one cup of water, which is placed in a spray bottle. Protect your eyes and nose when spraying. This works to repel mosquitoes for at least six hours. For young children dilute with more water. The Bugman (entomologist Richard Fagerlund) who has written the syndicated newspaper column, Ask The Bugman) recommends catnip. He says it is as effective as deet. He said his cats loved being carried around when he wore it. My cats go absolutely nuts when they smell catnip, so I do not think I could even pick one of my cats up if I had catnip on without getting scratched! One distributor of catnip repellent is: http://www.insectrepel.com/.”  A friend of mine who spends all of his spare time in the woods in nice weather uses a product called “Repel Lemon Eucalyptus”. It is a lotion that he claims repels mosquitoes and deer ticks for up to six hours. He orders it from the following Website company: http://www.repel.com/.

To kill moth eggs that may be in your woolens, simply place the woolens in a plastic bag and put them into a freezer for at least 24 hours. Then store your woolens in as airtight a bin or bag as possible.

To repel Silverfish mix one part of molasses with two parts white vinegar. This mixture can then be applied to cracks, holes, and baseboards where the silverfish reside.

Carpenter ants can be repelled by mixing together four ounces of cherry or grape jelly, three tablespoons of canned cat food, and one tablespoon of boric acid. Place small amounts of this mixture in areas where you have seen the Carpenter Ants. They will find the food and take it back to their queen, and the colony will be eliminated. WARNING (Be very sure that you do not place this mixture where children or your pets will find it and taste or eat it!)

To repel snails all you need to know is that they like beer! Pour stale, cheap beer in an open, shallow container. Place it so it is just below ground level.

The snails will take a drink. Since the beer has a diuretic effect the snails will loose excess liquid in a short period of time, which will cause them to die.

To repel slugs in your flowerbeds plant cabbage in the beds. Slugs love cabbage more than your flowers!  The slugs will be happy and well fed, and your flowers will be left alone. For the vegetable garden you can spray garlic and water, but not unless the type of veggie is infested with bad insects because your plants also need the good insects that would be repelled as well. I hope you find these hints helpful - Happy Spring.