10 Homemade Organic Pesticides

Great info! I hope it helps with my ant problem.

I think that it is really important that people start using alternative forms of pesticides. I can’t speak for everyone else, but the idea that poisons are being sprayed and absorbed into fields of food that may eventually reach my family’s plates…. well it really scares me. I try to grow and store my own vegetables when I can so that I can monitor what goes into them.

Good Luck and Go Green!
-Sabrina

“Eucalyptus oil
A great natural pesticide for flies, bees and wasps. Simply sprinkle a few drops of eucalyptus oil where the insects are found. They will all be gone before you know it.”

Killing insects for one’s convenience isn’t “green”, it’s entitled thinking. Given the massive die-back of bees this country has experienced over the past decade, does it make sense to create gardens that attract bees, then decide to poison them because you don’t want them around? Really?

lemongrass oil

Baking soda works everytime to get rid of fire ants.
I am sure there are many other uses for baking soda
besides baking. Thanks for other suggestions.

What about grasshoppers? Does anyone know of a good way to control them?

Organic pesticides can be produced from natural essential oils, such as lemongrass, neem, lavender and geranium oil. Find these interesting articles at Indonesia Essential Oils..

I mix a little bit of Seventh Generation all natural dish soap with water in a spray bottle and spray the squash/stink bugs. I’ve read that it will kill the babies but not the adults, but that is not the experience I’ve had. It kills babies and adults. I do not think it is effective on the eggs though. I’m thinking next year I will try something on the eggs that would dehydrate them. Maybe a mineral oil/salt mixture. The problem with crushing the eggs is they are hard to crush and you can’t hardly do it without damaging the plant and they don’t “knock” off the plant easily either. Squash/stink bugs have been the biggest problem around here. So much so that we skipped squash all together last year to try to break the cycle and while there were less of them this past season, they seemed to find us by mid season. They are a real problem for the organic gardener here in the mid Atlantic. I’m not sure that my Seventh Generation soap meets the Organic standards, but its says it is all plant based cleaning agents and I would use it to wash my own produce. It doesn’t harm the plants – at all – even when sprayed daily and I figure I can wash the soap off the veggies. I’d love to hear comments from people as to whether you think this is an acceptable method. It DOES work, although it is time consuming to hand spray the undersides of each leaf of every plant several times a week. If you only have a few plants, I highly recommend it! For several rows or many plants like me… I think next season I will try to rig up some sort of sprayer that I can move along each row that sprays upwards to get the undersides of the plants. Another nice thing is that one bottle of the Seventh Generation dish soap goes a long way, so the cost of this “pesticide” ends up being super, duper cheap. I found it also works on cucumber beetles.

How long to the various mixtures last??
I am looking for a few mixtures that I can produce in bulk and leave it in the garage or pantry for a week or so, until I need it again.

Thanks!

I found your site looking for an organic & inexpensive as well as EFFECTIVE way(s) to deter/kill fleas. I don’t have any pets, but there are neighborhood cats & squirrels that go through our yard. When I sit outside, the fleas like to jump in my hair! UGGGHHHH!!!!! I’ve tried many different pesticides w/pyrethrins, etc… Nothing seems to be effecitve. I also realize that there are 4 life-cycles of the flea & also use an insect growth regulator (IGR). I live in Florida & we get a lot of rain in the Summer & of course a lot of sunshine. Can you recommend anything to help me battle those little “suckers?” Thank you

Try diatomaceous earth. Check out this web page:

http://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp

Plant Marigolds around your tomato plants

The absolute best defense against ANTS is dried bay leaves! Grind up a handful of dried bay leaves in the blender until pretty much powder, then sprinkle anywhere you are having any problems with ants. Inside or outside. Ants literally run away as fast as possible. The best thing about this is it lasts for months and does not kill the ants or other creatures, just makes them move out and away – as fast as they can! Apply every few months for best results! I do this around my hummingbird feeder to keep the ants from crawling up the pole. Works wonders!!!

The recipes are excellent and helpful. If I could clarify one thing, though. The title may cause some organic gardeners and small farmers to believe that all of the recipes may be used on an organic farm. It might help to note that neither tobacco nor dish soap are approved for use under organic farming (although commercial soap-fatty acid-based pesticides are) and would be included on a list of products that you cannot have used for 3 years before applying for certification.

Something is eating the leaves on my sweet corn, I don’t know what the pest is which remedy should I use??

Can we ask or can you suggest some plants that can be used in pesticides or something that can be use in environment. And it is environmental friendly. Thanks.. We’ll appreciate it a lot if you can help us in our S.I.P.

Very bad idea to use tobacco spray, when nicotinamides are having such a bad effect on bees. I’ve used it myself in the past, I admit, always in the evening when foraging beneficial insects weren’t about, I’d never dream of doing it now, poor old bees. Planting to encourage predators (like growing poached egg plants/Limnanthes around beans to encourage hoerflies which eat aphids) is much more effective and less likely to lead to crashes and booms in pest and other populations.

What do you put on squash to kill the bugs?

These are some good tips! I think also simply having a variety of produce to grow aids in repelling pests. There’s so much pesticide out there in use now due to monocultures.

Yes and they are all GODS creatures the as you!

I am all for living in harmony with bugs, but this summer a new invader is here killing all of our flowering plants. Some of the bugs that are normally around are missing, and I don’t think it is a coincidence. Particularly the lady bugs and butterflies. We used to get invaded by both every year ( which I actually look forward to because, well, they are cute bugs!) but not this year. Even the lightning bugs are spare and I really think it’s this new bug I never see. What could it be?

I’m University a student. I can prepared special organic pesticide using cashew nut shell. It very successfully for pest control in paddy, vegetable and coconut pests. presently I’m doing research for brown plant hopper (Nilapavarta lugens) control research. any body can help me for improve it as best organic pesticide in world. It has special to increase plant growth rate.

That’s a problem! Check out this site, it has some info: http://www.birdmites.org/strategies.html

I have the less expensive neem powder. Do you think a mixture of this with water (and a natural soap) might work as well?

Probably May/June bug/beetles. They feast at night when you don’t seem them and will eat the leaves off of everything! They stripped my young fruit trees bare last year – even found them on roses and marigolds. You can take a flashlight with you one night in your garden to find out if they are the culprits. You can spray them with natural soap/water mix (Dr. Bronner’s) or take a bowl of it and flick them off into it – will definitely kill them.

Go to OMMP and natural remedies. Join our group.

I recently read that a mixture of powdered catnip and water will kill roaches and keep others out of your home. We live in a flooded area and this year, these bugs have been horrendous.
Has anyone read anything about the affectiveness of this mixture? Would gladly use it if it is safe around pets. I’m sure my cat would love it though.

Tobacco spray is seriously not a good idea! What’s killing the bees? Oh yeah… facepalm… neonicotinoids… those chemicals derived from nicotina. Dumb. You’re using a crude broad spectrum serial killer. Some of the strongest poisons are “organically” derived.

If a poison is so strong as to remain toxic even if the bee only brushes on it, then it’s seriously toxic. Just sayin.

what is an effective insecticide that I can use for my Herb plants ie basil, parsley, etcetera? which means that it would not be harmful to later use the herb leaves for cooking.

Great alternatives – thank you Dr Group. It was great to realise this blog was yours. I have been impressed by your products sold through Infowars.

mothballs but used carefully. not natural but works.

Anything that will work for ticks ??

Bad idea! Mothballs are very toxic! They have naphthalene in them, and are harmful to your health. Please don’t use them.

For fruit flies, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar in low glass/jar covered by plastic wrap –i use clear plastic bag) with 3/4″ hole cut in center top (secure plastic sheath with rubber band around lid). Fruit flies will enter jar but won’t be able to get out. Adios!

Hello, I have a four year old Lemon tree that lives outside on my deck from about May through September. Once the weather starts to drop below 50° I bring the plant inside for the winter and keep it under a light. My question is, as my plan has matured over the years I am more concerned about bringing pest or bugs into my home when I bring the plant in for the winter. Does anyone have a good DIY spray to clean the plant and just ensure there are no bugs on it before I bring it inside? Thank you!