Make Your Own Pest Control Spray and Attract Beneficial Insects

With organic garden insect control, you can make your own pest control spray without chemicals and use nature to control unwanted insects. It’s best to test a leaf or two on each plant before spraying the entire plant with any of these homemade solutions for parasites. Some plants, such as those with hair leaves or waxy coatings may be damaged by these sprays reports the University of Florida. These do take more work on the part of the gardener than chemical sprays. You have to spray both sides of the leaves evenly for several days in a row to see a reduction in the pests on your plants. You may also have to experiment with the formula to find what works best in your garden.

Garlic and Cayenne Pepper Pesticide Spray

This recipe is supposed to be good for any pests eating the leaves of your plants.. With this recipe, you mix one garlic glove, one teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and four cups of water in a blender. Blend on high setting to ensure the garlic is emulsified as much as possible. Let the mixture sit for several hours or even overnight before straining through a cheese cloth. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and add one tablespoon of dish soap. When using, be sure to spray both the tops and undersides of the leaves.

Soap Spray

Several recipes can be found on using soapy water as an insecticide spray. The general mixture is about 6 teaspoons of soap mixed with a gallon of water. Dish soap or baby shampoos are generally recommended for use.

Oil Spray

Similar to the soap spray you can mix oil, soap, and water to use as an insecticide. For this you need less soap using about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and soap to mix into 1 gallon of water.

Add Baking Soda

For fungus on plants, add 2 tablespoons of baking soda to the above oil spray mixture.

Attract Beneficial Insects

Beneficial insects are those that eat the unwanted pest insects on your flowers or vegetable plants. These include praying mantas and ladybugs. To attract ladybugs, spray or water the area around the plants with a solution of water and sugar. The general mixture is 5 ounces of sugar mixed with 4 cups of water. Since praying mantids eat live bugs, having live bugs on your plants may bring them in. However, if you don’t see any, it’s best to buy praying mantis egg sacs from a local garden store to plant in your garden.