Herbs with insecticide properties include wormwood, cedar, lemon balm, perilla, various mints, feverfew, lavender, garlic,
eucalyptus and pennyroyal. Smudges can be made of cedar or other herbs that help repel insects. Oils such as vegetable,
almond, grape seed or olive oil should be used as a carrier of the essential oils when making insect repellant for topical
use on skin. For example, an insect repellant can be made with 30 drops of combined pennyroyal, wormwood, citronella,
eucalyptus and rosemary essential oils mixed in one ounce of vegetable, olive, almond or grape seed oil and applied as
needed. Dried herbs in sachets can be stored in cupboards and drawers to repel insects. Southernwood, semolina,
rosemary and lavender are especially good for this purpose. Add mugwort, chamomile, thyme, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
and other herbs, as you like.
Insects
- Vinegar of Four Thieves
- Place one part each of dried rosemary, wormwood, lavender, sage and mint in a jar and cover with vinegar for seven
days. Spray on clothes and exposed skin to repel ticks, fleas and chiggers.
- Ants
- Pour a line of cream of tartar, red chili powder or paprika; rub a fresh garlic clove or place dried peppermint leaves at
the point of entry. Repeat as needed.
- Chiggers
- Bathe in very hot water within a few hours of exposure to decrease larval attachment. Rub mountain mint
(Pycnanthemum spp.) on your legs prior to going into tall grass or woods. Put sulfur powder in your socks, shoes
and pant cuffs to deter chiggers.
- Cockroaches
- Place bay leaves around cracks in the room, set out a dish of equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar,
oatmeal flour and plaster of Paris, chopped bay leaves and cucumber skins, or crushed tobacco and water to repel
cockroaches.
- Ear Mites
- Use one drop of camphor-phenique in each ear. Wait one week and then put 3-4 drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide in
each ear to wash the mites out.
- Fleas
- Feed pets Brewer’s yeast, garlic tablets or B-vitamins and wash them regularly with herbal baths of fennel, rue or
rosemary. Apply a few drops of pennyroyal essential oil to repel fleas topically or use a cedar bed, spray or smudge.
- Flies
- Hang bunches of insect repelling herbs or put vases of aromatic herbs on windowsills. Tansy is especially effective.
You can also make a tea with any of the above herbs and spray it around windows, doors and plants. Homemade
flypaper can be made by boiling equal parts of sugar, corn syrup and water and spreading the mixture onto strips of
brown paper.
- Mites
- To keep mites out of flour, put 2-3 nutmegs, peeled elder shoots or bay leaves in the bin or bag.
- Mosquitoes
- Rub manzanita, eucalyptus, fresh elder leaves, citronella, lavender or chamomile oils on the body and clothing.
Repeat frequently for best results. Citronella repels mosquitoes but must be reapplied every hour to remain
effective. You can also use a piece of flannel dipped in camphor-phenique to help clear the area or burn an herbal
smudge or fragrant candle.
- Moths
- Use cedar chips, newspaper and dried lavender as a substitute for mothballs.
- For Bites and Stings
- Use chickweed tea or topical cream for itching. Topical peppermint oil, sandalwood oil, lemon balm oil, lavender oil,
plantain, aloe, witch hazel, comfrey or jewel weed are useful for bites. Wet aspirin, raw onion, lemon juice or vinegar
on stings will relieve pain and itching. To remove a stinger and soothe a sting, put wet mud or a baking soda/water
paste on the sting, allowing it to dry and then peel it off. Oatmeal, Epsom salt or baking soda soaks are helpful in all
cases of skin irritation.
IN THE GARDEN
- Insect Spray Concentrate
- Crush 3 unpeeled garlic heads/bulbs; add to 3 oz. liquid paraffin in a small bowl. Let stand 24 hours. Melt 1
Tablespoon grated oil-based soap (such as Ivory Snow) in 2 cups hot water. Add soap mixture to garlic mixture.
Strain into a glass jar and store in refrigerator. To use, dilute 4 Tablespoons in 4 pints water. Spray at least every
two weeks.
- Wormwood Spray
- Simmer 8 oz. wormwood leaves in 3 pints water for 30 minutes. Stir, strain and allow cooling. Dissolve 1 teaspoon
Ivory Snow in 2 cups hot water. Add to wormwood water. This spray is excellent for caterpillars.
- Red Pepper Spray Concentrate
- Chop 1 unpeeled onion and 1 unpeeled head/bulb of garlic. Add onion, garlic and 1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper to
3 pints water and simmer in a saucepan for 20 minutes. Cool and store in jars in the refrigerator for 6 weeks. Strain
and store in jars. To use, dilute 1 Tablespoon of concentrate with 1-pint water. Add a little Ivory Snow. This is a good
general insect spray and is effective against caterpillars.
- Comfrey Foliar Feed
- Cut holes in the bottom of a plastic bucket. Fill the bucket ¾ full with comfrey leaves and pack down tightly. Place a
plate on top of the leaves and weigh down the plate with a heavy object. Place an upside-down flowerpot inside
another bucket. Set the bucket with comfrey leaves on top of the flowerpot. After 3 weeks, there should be a brown
liquid in the bottom of the lower bucket. Bottle this liquid and place the contents of the top bucket in the compost
heap. To use, dilute 1 Tablespoon with 2 pints water. Add a little Ivory Snow.
Resources
1. http://altnature.com/library/repelling_insects.htm
2. http://www.gardenguides.com/TipsandTechniques/herbal.htm
3. Bove, Mary N.D. An Encyclopedia of Natural Healing for Children and Infants. Keats Publishing. 1996.
4. Ody, Penelope. The Complete Medicinal Herbal. Dorling Kinserly. 1993.
5. Tierra, Leslie. The Herbs of Life: Healing Using Western and Chinese Techniques.
6. Pearson, David. The Natural House Book. Fireside/Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1989.
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