Simply add 1 teaspoon of the lemon eucalyptus essential oil and ¼ cup of coconut oil to a spray bottle. Put the cap on the bottle and shake it up to mix. There you go - all-natural homemade mosquito repellent!
Coconut oil itself is not a repellent, Zhu emphasized. However, the coconut oil-derived free fatty acid mixture—lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid as well as their corresponding methyl esters—provides strong repellency against blood-sucking insects.
In addition to repellency against stable flies, the coconut fatty acids also repelled other blood-sucking insects including horn flies, bed bugs, brown dog ticks and lone star ticks. Ticks and horn flies are known to transmit many diseases in human and animals26.
Those most closely associated with repellency are citronella oil, eucalyptus oil, and catnip oil, but others include clove oil, patchouli, peppermint, and geranium.
Make an All-Purpose Insect Repellent
Lemongrass or citronella oil, and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. 1 cup isopropyl alcohol, 1 cup water, ½ tsp. catnip oil. 1 cup alcohol or witch hazel and 10-20 drops of essential oils such as lemongrass, peppermint, or lemon eucalyptus.
What Chemicals do Most Pest Control Companies Use? Most pest control companies use pesticides called pyrethrins and pyrethroids, including Permethrin. These mimic natural and organic pesticides found in varieties of chrysanthemums. There are also a few other chemicals that are used but sometimes not as common.
Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray out of. It is effective in repelling ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and many others. Creating a mix is quite simple. What's best is that it is safe for humans and pets.
Oils like spearmint, peppermint, orange, and lemon are among some of the most used and most effective essential oils in pest control. But the oil you want to make certain to use in all home treatments is cedar oil.
Don't have peppermint essential oil on hand? Mix 1 cup coconut oil with 2 cups water in your spray bottle instead. You can also dip cotton balls in either solution and place them in strategic places inside and outside your home. Not only do spiders hate both peppermint and coconut, your home will smell great!
Peppermint essential oil might just be the holy grail of natural pest repellents to leave around your home's entry points, as it can help keep away ticks, spiders, roaches, moths, flies, fleas, beetles, and ants. Use sachets of this oil near your doors and windows or try making a diffuser or spray.
(stylized as OFF!) is an insect repellent brand from S. C. Johnson & Son, produced in Finland. Its active ingredient is DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) or metofluthrin which is the most common ingredient in insect repellants.
DEET (chemical name: N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is a common, synthetic (or human-made) active ingredient found in many insect repellents.
DEET (chemical name, N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is the active ingredient in many repellent products. It is widely used to repel biting pests such as mosquitoes and ticks.
Mouthwash, Vinegar, and Stale Beer
One calls for mixing mint mouthwash, Epsom salt, and stale beer and spraying it around your yard. Another uses apple cider vinegar, water, and an oil made up of citronella, peppermint, lemongrass, cedar wood, and geranium.
Cayenne pepper is an excellent natural fly repellent and also deters many other insects. Mix one cup of water and one teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a misting bottle and spray it near entryways and wherever you see flies. Other natural fly repellents include lemongrass, peppermint, eucalyptus, camphor, and cinnamon.
The so called natural bug sprays which use essential oils as their active ingredients, will lose their effectiveness quicker than chemical and synthetic sprays… good for maybe two years.
Vinegar spray
One of the easiest homemade bug sprays, simply mix one cup of white vinegar with three cups of water. You can also add half a teaspoon of dishwashing soap to help the solution adhere. Shake thoroughly and apply to the affected areas.
Peppermint Essential Oil
While most people enjoy the smell of peppermint and find it refreshing, most bugs hate it. You can apply peppermint to the skin (diluted in a carrier oil) to keep away pests or you can mix with water and spray in and around your home.
Dilution rates for DIY natural essential oil bug spray
A 5% dilution rate would be about 30 drops of oil in 1 oz of oil or water. A 10% dilution rate would be about 60 drops of oil in 1 oz of oil or water.
Clove, peppermint, thyme, rosemary, and citronella oil are just a few essential oils that can help keep bugs away.
When you add equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water into a spray bottle and spray in areas where you want to repel mosquitoes, it will work! Some experts say if you consume apple cider vinegar, you will have a natural scent that will make bugs go the other way.