Effective Natural Insect Repellent Ideas are easy to make.
I like that there are natural ways to prevent bugs from bothering me.
Effective Natural Insect Repellent Ideas
This is a simple guide for preventing bugs from bothering you.
While these ideas are not 100% perfect at preventing bugs, they are natural ideas.
Did you read about the Nature Activities For Kids?
Many of those ideas can be done in your own backyard. These ideas may also be perfect for your next family hike or camping adventure.
Many of these ideas need a spray bottle to use. You can find a selection of spray bottles here.
People ask what is natural insect repellent.
Insect repellents usually refer to something that is often sprayed with the intended result being to deter bugs. Really, you can spray repellent on your body or clothes or spray it into the air around you.
When a repellent is called 'natural' the ingredients come from 'nature;.
That is, natural ingredients are used rather than 'synthetic' ingredients. The natural ingredients are often in the form of extracts from nature.
You may be wondering what is the difference between Repellent versus Insecticide.
Yes, the two terms are often used interchangeably. However, there is kind of difference between repellents and insecticides.
Here is the difference between repellents and insecticides.
According to the EPA,
a pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended for:
preventing;
destroying;
repelling; or
mitigating any pest. (Mitigating means reducing the effect of something.)
Hence, a repellent is one kind of insecticide.
Tips for making your natural repellents.
While not all repellents work on all bugs, it is usually worth a try anyway. However, when working with essential oils and other liquids that are used, it is important to follow the recipes that are used and never use the oils at full strength. Also, avoid spraying around the face or open wounds.
Tips for repelling bugs start here.
- Prevention before you need the homemade repellents.
- Recipes for homemade Bug Repellents.
- Natural relief for bug bites.
- Repellents that can be used around you.
Insect Prevention before you need the homemade repellents.
There are things that you can do to make yourself less attractive to the bugs.
If you are less attractive to bugs, you will be less likely to need a repellent right?
Here is how to prevent bugs from being around you.
- Since the biggest backyard pest is arguably the mosquito, you can limit the amount in your backyard by not having any kind of standing water, use 'bug' lights, and plant plants such as citronella, lavender, and mint.
- The best and safest way to prevent bites when you are outdoors is to wear long sleeves and cover your legs.
- Avoid locations that are more likely to be to be buggy. These locations include lakes, farms, and most anywhere that has had a lot of rain.
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Recipes for homemade Bug Repellents.
Most homemade bug repellents have three parts.
- The specific essential oil.
- What the oil is diluted in, (in repellents it us used instead of carrier oil) such as water.
- Emulsifier to help everything mix together. This can can rubbing alcohol, apple cider vinegar, or witch hazel.
Here is a basic recipe that you can use to make your homemade repellent.
Simply add the ingredients to a spray bottle. You can find a selection of spray bottles here.
To make a homemade bug repellent spray, try this recipe;
- Water- ¾ cup
- Emulsifier- ¼ cup
- Essential oil (listing below)- 20-25 drops (depending the desired strength).
Natural relief for bug bites.
Sometimes you can get a bug bite when you lease expect to, when your repellent has worn off, of when you have not applied any. There are natural ways to get some relief from many of those bites.
Try one of these ideas for relieving those bug bites.
- Place an ice pack over the area to help take down the swelling.
- Use a paste of baking soda and water over the bite (my mom always did this for me).
- Or, make an oatmeal and water paste.
- Apply honey to the bite.
- If you have an aloe plant, aloe can help alleviate the bite.
Repellents that can be used around you.
Another way to repel bugs is to prevent them from the actual area. You can light a citronella candle or make your own yard spray for example.
How to make your own yard spray.
You can make a simple yard spray using the ingredients mentioned about for the repellent. However, I would use more water as it can evaporate quickly when it is sprayed into the air. Also, use vinegar as the emulsifier as most bugs hate vinegar.
Common essential oils that are used to make insect repellents.
- Basil Essential Oil (mosquitoes, biting flies)
- Geranium Essential Oil (ticks)
- Citronella Essential Oil (especially for mosquitos).
- Lavender Essential Oil (many)
- Dill Essential Oil (many)
- Thyme Essential Oil
- Peppermint Essential Oil (ants and mosquitoes)
- Lemon Eucalyptus Oil- (many)
- Cinnamon Essential Oil (can kill mosquito larvae).
- Clove Essential Oil (mosquitoes)
Effective Natural Insect Repellent Ideas, a simple DIY guide for making your own homemade repellents for bugs.
