What non-toxic household/kitchen ingredient (like spices, herbs) can be used as an insect repellent?
Question:The ingredient(s) should be easily available or prepared and is to be used for places where food is kept. And how long does the effect last?
Answers:
Ants- spray ants with soapy water, put cucumber peels by point of entry into house or you can use dry crushed mint leaves. Outside you can put garlic around to keep them off the deck or patio.
Mosquitoes- soak strips of cloth in a mixture of 1 part garlic juice and 5 parts water and hang around patio or if using the BBQ grill put sage or rosemary on coals or burners
Flies- hang bags of mint or use bay leaves, cloves,or eucalyptus wrapped in cheese cloth and hang around
I had fire ants once and they were baaaad. I used either cinnamon or chili powder around the baseboards. Not sure how long it will last, I just re did it when I noticed ants in the house. Good luck! ;)
check out borax, insects hate it and soap is made from it.
Moth balls
Pepper- sprinkle it around where they are
Salt
Grits- sprinkle it around they eat it or carry back to nest and it kills them.
For Roaches, use Diatomite and boric acid. Place in out of the way places.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/diatomaceou...
As for the spices, here you go!! Enjoy!
http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/articles...
I am interested to see what answers you get. I live in the tropics and its insect paradise. Here's what I use:
Lemon grass oil - ( I think its called citronella ) is fantastic against flies and mosquitoes. Rub on your body and it lasts at least 10 hours. Rub it on countertops and flies dont settle there. Drawback -- its more expensive than commercial chemical sprays. I grow my own.
Other stuff - I dont know, though I notice ants and flies dont settle on pepper and chilli powder
Black pepper works great for ants and cayenne pepper also works for many insects.
Nym tree for mosquitos and other insects and Eucalyptus for Ants. Talcum powder is best for Ants. The best way to get red of insect particularly ants is to eliminate traces of foods or food particles. Once you take out the source of their food they will leave and look for another place to source out foods.
Cinnamon. Ginger. nothing sweet. Dry garlic powder works wonders. sprinkle along your counter tops (against the wall part) good luck. It really depends on what kind of insects you have. Keep your counters and kitchen clean of any food debris.
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