Homemade Recipes for Insect Repellents

Spring is here, which means the creepy, crawly insects will be out in full force soon.

If you're concerned with using insecticides around your household, there are a few things you can do to cut down on the chemicals and still get rid of the nasty insects.

Here are some homemade recipes to cure your pest problem!

Ants:

Ants hate cinnamon, sprinkle it around your problem area and keep them away. If they are still sneaking in, mix equal parts borax and sugar. They will be attracted to the sugar and will bring it back to their nests. The borax will kill them.

To make an ant trap, mix together 1/3 cup molasses or honey, 6 tablespoons sugar and 6 tablespoons active dry yeast. Put the paste in a container.

Earwigs:

Earwigs hate bay leaves. You can purchase, or use your own, leaves. Dry them and sprinkle them around your home.

Houseflies:

To make your own homemade flypaper, mix 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1-tablespoon sugar and 1-tablespoon brown sugar together. Pour on strips of paper or cardboard and let them soak overnight. Poke a hole in the top and hang with a string.

Mice:

Mice hate mint, so leave cotton balls soaked in mint around the house. You can also use them if you know of an entryway, just plug the hole up.

Cockroaches:

Mix together 1 pound of borax, 60 ounces of powdered sugar, 1 ounce cocoa powder and 2 ounces of salt. Spread this around the house and keep these nasty things away! Repeat often, cockroaches breed fast.

Bees andWasps:

Mix together equal parts of laundry detergent and water and spray. It's best to spray at night, or late evening when they are all there to make sure you get them all. Use caution if you're spraying during the day- you don't want an angry force of bees coming after you!

Mosquitoes:

Use plain, old household rubbing alcohol and rub on your skin. Keep it away from your face.

You can also spray outside a mixture of 1 cup Lemon scented ammonia and 1/4 cup baby shampoo mixed with water. Keep up on the spraying to keep them from coming back.

For any other bugs:

Most bugs you can kill by spraying with rubbing alcohol. Obviously you want to use caution to make sure it doesn't blow back into your face, so watch the wind direction.

For general insect repellent, you can also use dryer sheets rubbed across your exposed parts on your body.

Spring, Summer and Fall are all enjoyable seasons, enjoy them even more by keeping those annoying pests away!