Deter household pests the natural way

[PrisonerOfHope]

Deter household pests the natural way

Tuesday, March 01, 2011 by: Katherine East


(NaturalNews) Environmental pollution levels, both air and water, are vastly affected by household chemical pesticides. By using natural alternatives such as herbs or essential oils to deter common household pests, you can make a difference to the environment.

Citronella oil is the most commonly used essential oil in natural insect repellents. It is distilled from citronella grass, indigenous to Southern Asia. The lemony fragrance is bearable to most people but pungent to insects, especially mosquitoes. Other insect-repelling essential oils include cedarwood, lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint, pennyroyal, lavender, and bergamot.

Below is a list of common household pests and essential oils or natural products that are effective in deterring them from sharing your home with you.

Flies: Place a handful of dried cloves in a bowl and sprinkle with a few drops of clove oil and lavender oil, citronella oil or peppermint oil. Refresh the cloves with additional oil regularly.

Mosquitoes: Vaporize a few drops of lemongrass oil or citronella oil in a burner. Citronella candles work well too. Place five drops of lemongrass oil, peppermint oil, lavender oil or citronella oil on a ribbon and hang it from window or doorways.

Cockroaches: Place a few drops of citronella oil (peppermint oil or lemongrass oil can also be added) on cotton wool balls and place them in cupboards or anywhere that cockroaches are active. Make a spray of water (half a cup) mixed with 5 drops of cypress oil and 10 drops of peppermint oil. Spray anywhere that cockroaches frequent.

Aphids: Mix 10 drops each of rosemary and lavender essential oil in 1 litre (4 cups) of salt water. Spray affected plants. Neem oil acts as a repellent and aphid reproduction regulator. Neem oil has a bitter taste, so aphids and any pests in general will not attack the leaves treated with it. Calcium powder is another natural aphid repellent. Sprinkle calcium around the base of plants.

Mice: Place a few drops of peppermint, eucalyptus or spearmint oil on some cotton wool balls and position in the ceiling or where you suspect mice are entering the house. This is said to deter mice but it may not work effectively if you have a serious infestation.

Ants: Vinegar is a natural ant repellent, so spray where ants show up. Cayenne pepper or black pepper can be sprinkled where ants come into the house. Drops of peppermint oil can be sprinkled along counters and walls to deter ants.

Silverfish: A few drops of cederwood oil on cotton wool balls can be placed in wardrobes, drawers and cupboards. Cederwood oil is safe for humans but noxious to silverfish.

Essential Oil Natural Insect Repellent Recipe
This combination of essential oils makes an excellent natural insect repellent.

20 drops citronella oil
10 drops lavender oil
4 drops pennyroyal oil
4 drops tea tree oil
4 drops jojoba oil

Dilute this base mix with 4 ounces / 100ml of almond oil and use on the body as a bug repellent. For a bug spray, mix with 100 ml / 4 ounces of vodka.
(Certain essential oils should be avoided during pregnancy - consult with a qualified aromatherapist.)

References

1.Valerie Ann Wormwood, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, New World Library; 1st edition (1991)
2. Reader`s Digest. The Healing Power Of Vitamins and Herbs. Heritage Publishers (Pty) Limited
3. gomestic.com/gardening/six-n...
4. www.naturodoc.com/library/li...

Learn more: www.naturalnews.com/031537_pests_natural_solutions.html#ixzz1SsSp78F2

[baydoll]

I found this while looking for a natural way to deter fleas and ticks from my dogs:

If you have a dog and hate fleas then this is the flea repellent dog treat for you! The brewers yeast and garlic in these treats will please your pet, and repel fleas.

Flea Terminator Dog Treats


3 cubes beef bouillon
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup brewers' yeast
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 egg yolks


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Dissolve beef bouillon cubes in boiling water, and set aside. Grease cookie sheets.


In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, corn meal, brewers yeast, and garlic powder. Add the yolks, then gradually pour in the bouillon water while stirring. Mix thoroughly to form a firm dough. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies one inch apart onto cookie sheets.


Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the oven off, and leave the cookies inside for at least 3 hours or overnight to harden. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Did you know?
Brewers yeast (available at health-food stores) is a natural anti-flea remedy. A half teaspoon of nutritional brewer's yeast daily can provide the B complex vitamins a dog needs. Dr. Michael Fox recommends brewer's yeast or nutritional yeast (but not baker's yeast), giving 1 teaspoon per 30 pounds of body weight mixed with the animal's food.

Flea Hater's Dog Biscuits

1 cup flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brewer’s yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
optional 1 clove garlic chopped, or 1 teaspoon powdered garlic
1/2 cup chicken stock plus 3 tablespoons for basting

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Mix flour, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, and salt together in a medium bowl. In a mixing bowl, combine oil and garlic. Alternately add 1/2 cup chicken stock and flour mixture in 3 parts; mix until well combined. Knead about 2 minutes by hand on floured surface; dough will be sticky.


On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out about 3/8 inch thick. Cut out bone shapes; place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, rotate baking sheet, and baste with remaining 3 tablespoons chicken stock. Bake 10 minutes longer. Turn off oven, leaving oven door closed. Leave pan in oven for 1 1/2 hours longer


Easy Homemade Flea Repellent

•B complex vitamins: 50 mg once a day for cats and smaller dogs, and twice daily for larger dogs.
•Use Omega 3 and 6 fatty acid supplements. Coconut oil is the best source for this.
•Add a tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar to your dog's water bowl to fight fleas and mange
•When bathing your pet, you can use apple cider vinegar to rinse his or her fur. This is a great flea repellent...Fleas don't like the smell or taste.
•Add a teaspoon each of safflower oil and powdered kelp or seaweed to the food bowl.
•Fresh garlic in small quantities can be an effective flea repellent by making the animal taste unpleasant to fleas. Grate a small amount of fresh, raw garlic into your pet's food at mealtime, about one-half to 3 cloves of the clove depending on the animal's size. Some vets recommend one crushed clove of garlic (not a whole bulb; a clove is just one chamber) per every 30 pounds. Some holistic health practitioners recommend heating the garlic for easier digestion, and not to give them garlic every day.
Note: Garlic and Onions can be toxic to dogs. Typically the problem is with large quantities not "seasoning portions". You should seek the advice of your veterinarian to find out if any garlic use is appropriate for your pet. If in doubt, leave it out.

•Fleas HATE Stash Earl Grey. Tear open a few bags, scatter the tea about on your carpet and vacuum up in a few days. Fleas will flee. Other folks have noticed that their pets love to roll in Stash-perhaps that's why! What a tea-riffic flea repellent!
•If you have pets, salt your carpets. At the end of winter, salt your carpets liberally, let stand about 10 minutes and then vacuum up. You just might get the jump on fleas before they get the jump on you. Also, try crumbling dried peppermint over your carpets before vacuuming, smell great and most critters don't like it.
•For your own homemade flea repellent collar, take a bandana or rope collar and rub eucalyptus oil, Tea Tree Oil, citronella, lavender or geranium onto it. Reapply weekly.
•If you're feeling crafty, here's a recipe for a flea repellent herbal pillow that will naturally repel fleas: 2 parts pennyroyal, 1 part thyme, and 1 part wormwood.
•Lavender, peppermint and geranium essential oils repel mosquitoes. Lavender, lemongrass and geranium repel ticks. And lavender, lemongrass, peppermint and citronella are natural flea repellents. Dab oils between your dog's shoulder blades. Other effective natural repellents include lemon, cedar, eucalyptus, myrrh, neem and rosewood
•Put a drop of lemon oil or rosemary oil on your dog's collar.
•A safe, easy homemade flea repellent: cut 6 lemons in half, boil in a quart of water, steep a few hours, then strain the solution into a spray bottle. Sprits your pet's fur, taking care not to spray near the eyes. Don't spray anything in a dog's face; apply spray to the hand and then rub it on the fur.
•Flea repellant blend
5 drops citronella
3 drops lemon
3 drops rosemary
3 drops thyme

www.easy-homemade-recipes.com/flea-repellent.html