Natural Homemade Pesticides: Recipes & Tips
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These homemade pesticides are cheap and easy to make with many being just as effective as some commercial products on the market. No fancy ingredients required, everything you need is likely stocked in your kitchen and garden. Most of the ingredients are earth friendly and natural with the harshest being liquid dish detergent–no need to use toxic chemicals!
Tip: The best method of pest control in the garden is to keep your plants healthy so they don’t attract bugs. Fertilize as needed (see How To Make Compost Tea) and stay on top of weeds by pulling them as they appear or using weed killers (see Homemade Weed Killer Recipes & Tips).
Begin treating for insects as soon as you notice signs of an infestation, the sooner you start the easier it will be to get rid of the critters.
Note: For recipes that require liquid dish detergent, use the basic stuff–nothing fancy with added bleach, nothing concentrated and no special antibacterial formulas. You can also substitute with a gentler liquid soap such as liquid castile or a perfume free, gentle liquid hand soap.
Update: As with all pesticides, take care when applying to food bearing plants, handling and storage of the pesticide. No one needs reminding I’m sure, but wash all produce well before consuming.
Rhubarb Leaf Mix
1 cup rhubarb leaves
6.5 cups water
1/4 cup liquid dish detergent or soap flakes
- Cover rhubarb leaves with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes then remove from heat and cool. Strain then add 1/4 cup liquid dish detergent. Apply. Good for aphids, june beetles, spider mites, thrips.
- Rhubarb leaves are poisonous, take care when preparing and handling. Do not use on food bearing plants.
Garlic Tea
- Make your own garlic spray by boiling a pint of water, throw in roughly chopped garlic cloves and steep until the water cools. Remove garlic bits then apply.
Garlic, Peppers & Onion Insecticide
2 hot peppers
1 large onion
1 whole bulb of garlic
1/4 cup water
- Toss in the food processor and add water, blend until a mash is made. Cover mash with 1 gallon hot (not boiling) water and let stand 24 hours. Strain. Spray on roses, azaleas, vegetables to kill bug infestations. Bury mash in ground where bugs are heaviest. Good for thrips, aphids, grasshoppers, chewing and sucking insects.
Tomato Leaves Mix
- Crush leaves from a tomato plant and soak in water for a couple days. Strain then spray. Good for grasshopper and white fly control.
- Tomato leaves are poisonous, take care when preparing and handling. Do not use on food bearing plants.
Basil Tea
4 cups water
1 cup fresh basil (or 2 TBS dried)
1 tsp liquid dish detergent
- Bring water to a boil then add basil. Remove from heat, cover and steep until cool. Strain. Mix in the liquid detergent then apply. Good for aphids.
Onion Insect Repellent For Plants
*First published May 18, 2007 and moved to this page for better organization
Save Onion Peels & Bits To Make Your Own Garden Brew
- Save onion skins, peels and ends then refrigerate in an empty margarine-sized tub or ziploc bag until the container is full.
- Once you have enough, place the onion pieces in a pail and fill with warm water. Soak for a few days, up to a week. Optional: You can keep this on the patio in the sun to steep.
- After one week, strain the onion bits out and store the onion water in spray bottles. Bury the onion bits around plants that are prone to aphids, spiders and other pests.
- Spray both house and garden plants with the water to fight aphids and pests.
*You could also mix your garlic trimmings in with the onion pieces, bugs hate garlic too.
Salt Spray
2 TBS salt
1.5 gallons warm water
- Mix salt and water to dissolve, allow to cool to room temperature. Use for spider mites, caterpillars, cabbage worms and chewing insects.
Epsom Salt Spray
2 ounces of salt
2 gallons water
- Benefits: Helps with Black Spot, Mildew, Wilt and Rust
Slug Bait Trap
- Set out beer in shallow containers to attract slugs, they’ll drown in the beer. See more tips on this page.
Diatomaceous Earth
- An all natural solution for insects of all kinds (ants, snails, slugs, etc.). Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on top of soil around plants with pest problems.
Horticultural Oil Mix
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 tsp liquid dish detergent
2 cups water
- Fill a spray bottle with the ingredients then shake to mix.
Hot Pepper Recipe
1/2 cup hot peppers (or 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper)
1 quart water
1 tsp liquid dish detergent
- Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add peppers. Cover and steep until cool. Strain then mix in soap. If using cayenne pepper, no need to bring water to a boil first. Apply.
Citrus Spray
2 cups orange peels (or lemons)
4 cups water
- Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add peels. Cover and steep until cool. Strain and use. Use the lemon mixture to repel white flies.
Dish Detergent & Baking Soda
2 TBS liquid dish detergent
2 TBS baking soda
1 gallon water
- Mix all ingredients together then use.
Peppermint Tea
1 TBS peppermint essential oil (can also use an infusion made with mint leaves, increase amount to 1 cup infusion)
1 quart water
- Mix together and use as an insect spray (good for ants).
Japanese Beetle Bait Trap
2 cups water
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup wine
1/2 tsp yeast
- Mix ingredients together and put in an old margarine container, cover with lid and set container out in the hot sun for a day. The next day, remove lid and set in garden where the beetles have been spotted (use a shallow container).
Potato Leaves Tea
1 cup potato plant leaves
2 cups water
- Chop leaves then cover with hot water. Seal container and leave 24 hours in a sunny window. Strain then use.
- Potato leaves are poisonous, take care when preparing and handling. Do not use on food bearing plants.
Neem Spray
1 TBS Neem soap (shavings)
1 liter water
- Add soap to water then let sit for an hour. Shake bottle then use.
Mineral Oil Mix
3 parts oil per 100 parts water
- Benefits: Helps with Aphids, Codling Moth, Leaf Roller, Mealybugs, Scaled Insects, White Fly
Easy Soap Flakes Spray
2 TBS soap flakes (don’t use detergents)
dissolved in 1 quart water
- Benefits: Aphid control
Pest Prevention Concentrate
*First published February 1, 2008 and moved to this page for better organization
Vegetable Oil Can Be An Effective Ingredient For Organic Pest Control
Here’s a short and sweet recipe for both garden and houseplants. You can use this as a preventative spray as well as a bug and pest killer.
Ingredients:
1 cup Sunlight dish soap
1 TBS vegetable oil
Directions:
- Mix ingredients together then store in a plastic, airtight container.
- When you’re ready to use, take 1 to 2 teaspoons of the concentrate and mix with a quart of water. Pour into a spray bottle.
- When applying make sure to get underneath the leaves as well as the flower buds and new shoots.
- In hot weather, repeat every third day (3 applications over 7 days).
- Warm to cool weather, use once a week for 3 weeks.
Tips
- Apply the treatment on top of the leaves as well as underneath–don’t overdo it, excess can cause damage.
- Most recipes can be used effectively with just a weekly treatment. Excessive use may affect the plant as well as kill the good insects you want to encourage in your garden (earthworms, bees, ladybugs, etc.). If you aren’t seeing results with a 7 day treatment, you can bump it up to 5 days but watch carefully to make sure plants can handle it without being damaged.
- Avoid treating during hot sunny weather, do so later in the day to reduce the risk of burning.
- If it looks like rain, delay until the weather is clear since any rain will wash away the new application. If it has recently rained, wait till greenery is dry before applying to prevent the mix being diluted with water.
- When trying a new recipe, test on just a couple leaves first (apply then watch how the test leaves react after two or three days, if no signs of damage proceed with spraying the whole plant).
Organic Garden Aids
*First published June 5, 2007 and moved to this page for better organization
With a little bit of planning you can help cut down on pests and disease organically by growing natural repellents near problem areas. Here are a few suggestions…
Rosemary, Mint, Thyme: Grow near cabbage
Benefits: Repels cabbage worms
Nasturtiums: Position near cucumbers, melons and squashes.
Benefits: Repels squash bugs
Summer Savory: Position near beans
Benefits: Repels bean beetles
Radishes: Grow near cucumbers
Benefits: Repels cucumber beetles
Um… those “bugs” in the picture are arachnids. They look a lot like ticks which of course are much more of a nuisance to us than to plants.
Think carefully before applying any of these. While most are repellents, others are poisons and non-selective, at that. The rhubarb leaf spray is poisonous and the salt spray adds salt to your garden soil — seldom a good idea.
Overall, a good list: but, before rushing to spray, give the predators a chance to ‘do their thang’.
Thanks for the info Bill, I added notes to the Rhubarb, Tomato & Potato leaves sprays as well as an update at the top to mind prep and handling.
Erm, “liquid dish detergent” is probably more harsh (on you and the plant) than some of the naturally derived chemicals “commercially available.”
Remember, just because a company is selling you a product doesn’t mean that their product is inherently inferior, evil, or scary. And on a barely related note, organic companies are big companies too, you know.
Hi k, I don’t have a problem with big companies or commercial products, these are just a collection of homemade options.
ummm not I have been using homemade remidies for many years including the dish detergant and i am bug free and have a bountiful harvest every year
Not to mention money wise you save alot, buy not having to buy commercially. if done right it’s the only way to grow…
MY HOLLYHOCKS & ROSES ARE BEING ATE UP. HELP. I ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY GRAPE LEAVES.
One of my family members recommended Companion Gardening instead of using any kind of natural pesticides.
However, I’m looking for a natural spider killer residue that is harmless to pets, humans, and fish.
Please, if you have one let me know.
I didn’t like spiders in my mail box, so I went to the internet. Somebody volunteered this suggestion, and it works!
I mixed Ajax for Dishes with hot water as if to wash dishes, in a gallon container and poured it into my mailbox, and no more spiders for at least a year. Then saw 4 or 5 wolf spiders(big and hairy) coming toward the garage, so mixed more and poured a line barier. No more spiders in the garage for a loong time. Since, maybe once a year in the mailbox.
I think they know soap can dissolve their oily covering that protects then from insecticides, so they avoid it.
thanks for the tip,i am deathly afraid of spiders but i also want to find a better way for them to leave without the horrible chemicals in the soil!
HELP….our yard has been invaded by moles and their tunnels…. we have tried everything to get rid of them, to no avail…. has anyone conquered the mole???
Try dog sitting someones rat or fox terrier for awhile. They will dig a small hole to get at the mole but they will get it.
Tess, I had a bad problem with voles in my garden last year, they make tunnels too. I found that the battery operated mole chasers work great. they were a little expensive, but they work great, I haven’t changed the batteries in them yet, so they last a long time. They just vibrate and buzz every 60 seconds and chase all those little critters away.
Try putting a whole hot pepper of any kind down each hole. It helped us to rid our yard of the countless mounds and holes.
juicy fruit chewing gum in the holes also helps to get rid of them
Any good pesticides for black widows & scorpians? I live in the Mohave desert and these a big problems. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Please clarify. Your Rhubarb leaf pesticide gives a quantity of one teaspoonful of washing up liquid in the ingredients, but says mix in 1/4 cup in the instructions.????????
Whoops! Thanks for pointing that out Dennis, I fixed the ingredient list.
How do get rid of thrips and leaf miners? They are flying insects thus difficult to get rid of with insecticidal soap spray. Any recommendations? Thanks.
Friend in Fla. told me of this one. Spread hominy around foundation. Termite deterant. They eat the grits and the explode when the return to nest and drink water. Sprinkle from foundation to 4″ out.
Hopefully the snow will melt and I can plant. I have slugs and I need to find out how to get rid of them, oh yuck those grose ugly things.
Coffee grounds keep slugs away.
Do you have any tips for discouraging rabbits & ground squirrels from eating lettuce and other greens?
MAybe a dog can help.
So which is the best to spray on fruit trees to keep bugs out of the fruit?
I would like to know what to use to kill sand fleas or microscopic “mites”.I can’t see a thing but they are really biting my cat and I and seemingly are not going to let up much -to my horror!I have moved the plants I had in my apartment in case they came in with them -in the soil?? But they seem to have infested the carpet and the tiled floors even.It seems to be getting worse by the day…Please help me to get rid of the varmints and what about my poor tormented cat?How to treat him?Will just the carpet be enough?I hope so.Thank you,Lynn.
People in Texas sprinkle sulphur powder in the yard to get rid of chiggers, which itch like sand fleas in Georgia. They may be in the same family so it may work for them also.
For moles, voles, and gophers you can throw a whole hot pepper in the holes and for some reason they move out. We had over 100 holes in our yard. I think they told their buddies. If you don’t have a dog, throw a hot pepper in the holes. I had a gack up plan if it didn’t work, but I did not use it. It was peppermint oil on a cotton ball down the hole.
I also started garlic powdering my plants each year and it took care of the squirrel problem.
please give some natural remedies for eradicating bedbugs.
thanx
Hi hema, I have tips for bed bugs on this page, hope they help!
A type of bed mite we have is called “acara.” It causes “acariasis” when it gets into the blood and its victims have intense bouts of itching all over. We are looking for a natural insecticide or other method of getting rid of acaras, but can’t find anything specific on the Internet. Any tips?
Here are some things I have learned from reading old “Organic Gardening” magazines. Sprinkle blood meal on the soil around your plants, or the border of your garden to repel rabbits. It will also add nitrogen to your soil.
For voracious bugs that eat your plants, make a spray using the offending critter itself. For instance, when caterpillars were eating my pine tree needles, and the horned tomato worm was scarfing down my tomato plant leaves I picked off three or four of the worms and blended them in my blender with water, soap or detergent, garlic cloves and cayenne pepper. After straining through some cheesecloth or a coffee filter, I then sprayed the mixture back on the plants. Until it rained, there were no more of the plant-eating monsters on my plants. Keep the spray around to re-apply after rainfalls.
If you can stand to just watch and wait, there may soon be little white ovoid shapes sticking out of the back of the tomato horn worm. These are the pupae cocoons for some kind of wasp that eats said tomato horn worms.
Another option is just to pick off the plant eaters, and squish them under your shoe with a twisting motion. I use a leaf to wrap the horn worm, or wear gloves so as not to touch it, (shudder).
Hi folks! I am a newbie here and I love this website! You have done an awesome job! I do have a question, does anyone have any home remedies for getting rid of roaches? We can not get rid of these things. We had a neighbor move out in the middle of summer and left all kind of food, thats when it started. We have bombed and sprayed, sucked up what we could with a shop vac full of bleach, and still have them. I have come to the conclusion that the only way to get rid of them is to blow up the house. Please, I need some help! Thanks all!
Don’t know how natural this remedy is, but its better than the sprays. Put boric acid along all baseboards through the whole house. Boric acid is a white powder that sometimes comes in little pellets. Get behind and under fridge, in cabinets and pull out drawers and put in the drawer wells. Leave for a couple Weeks or a month for extreme cases. After that, just keep in hidden areas like bathroom cabinets, and behind stove and fridge and drawer wells. Best remedy that I’ve got!
LaTricia- Mix diatomaceous earth with the borax. Sprinkle along areas affected.
Does anyone out there have a remedy to rid youselves of deer? (we call them huge, hoofed rats!) They have eaten my sugar pod peas, pruned my fruit orchard, eaten most of the new growth on my grapes and desimnated my raspberries … and we won’t even talk about tulips and columbine! I know the trick with Dial but I really don’t want bars of soap hanging from my perennials, etc. since the grapes and many others are right in my yard. Yes, the dear are that brazen. Any other ideas would be GREATLY appreciated! And yes, I know, deer fencing would be best and we actually do have it to install but the cost of posts and hubby’s schedule are slowing us way down. Appreciate any KNOWN results you may have to share with us!
Do you have a dog?? Maybe it can help.
Im growing greenbeans and im already having a problem with leaves being eatin. Looking for good home remedy quick. Plz help.
I have 5 baby tomatoe plants and they already have signs of leaf miner bugs. I have removed the infested leaves and thrown them in the trash. I have heard that I can take Dawn detergent (the kind used to help oil spilll animals, and to kill fleas when washing my dog) and delute it and spray beneath the leaves lightly. Is there a parts per water formula, and do I need to add anything else? Please help. I lost my tomatoes last year because I didn’t want to use the $8 per bottle spray from the hardware store for only 2 plants. My tomatoes are in large pots, with quality, store bought vege soil.. Thanks!