Can essential oils be used when fighting bugs? Can essential oils be used when fending off bugs away from our gardens? These are both valid questions and yes, they have answers too. Keep reading this article on how to use essential oils as a pesticide and you would find the answers to the questions that you have to ask. We make use of insect repellents to fight pests that intend driving us crazy on summer evenings or when we are embarking on hikes but they can also be used in serving a greater purpose.
A powerful bug repellent can be used in chasing away certain air borne diseases like the west nile virus and the lyme disease but one problem we have with these insect repellent is the chemicals they contain which is capable of causing more serious health problems especially when they start building up in tissues over time. However, the answer to this mystery lies in the use of essential oils and these oils works through the release of vapors which makes detecting the host difficult for the pest.
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All essential oils are not created equally to repel insects and what we are trying to say is various essential bugs can be used in fighting off various bugs.
How To Use Essential Oils As A Pesticide
There are quite some suggestions that can be used when it comes to making use of essential oils in repelling insects. They are;
- Keeping Them Far From The Reach Of Pets And Kids – You should make sure that your children are not allowed to play with essential oils or apply it themselves. Certain essential oils should not be used for kids that are below three years of age and their are some that are also not safe for infants like two months and below
- You should also try to educate yourself more on essential oils as well as its effects before you make use of it as a pesticide. This is because most essential oils have high concentrations and therefore caution needs to be taken when applying them. There are essential oils that can be used in its undiluted form while others might require diluting with a base oil. If not properly applied, they might be toxic as well and also harmful when ingested while others are also phototoxic.
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List Of Essential Oils That Can Be Used As Repellents
- Ticks – Geranium, Cedar, Rosewood, Juniper, Grapefruit, Oregano
- Mosquitoes – Pine, Citrus, Clove, Peppermint, Basil, Eucalyptus, Lemongrass, Thyme, Lavender, Geranium
- Flies – Eucalyptus, Geranium, Rosemary, Lemon, Sandalwood, Mint, Tea Tree, Lavender
- Fleas – Orange, Pink, Lavender, Lemongrass, Citronella, Basil, Peppermint, Clove, Pennyroyal, Tea Tree, Cedar
- Wasps – Peppermint, Clove, Geranium, Lemongrass
- Bees – Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Geranium, Citronella, Cedar, Clove
- Horseflies – Eucalyptus, Citronella, Thyme
Once it is spring time, you would definitely love to enjoy the fun that staying outdoors brings but with these little bugs flying around, you might develop cabin fever and also feel discouraged about going outdoors. You should not be discouraged as we have shown you some of the essential oils that you can make use of. They are quite efficient in chasing away pests and the beauty of this all is you would not be making use of chemicals but natural methods. Essential oils do not prevent insects only outdoors but also makes sure they do not come inside your homes.
When used correctly, essential oils are safe and preferred to using traditional pest repellents and with all of the essential oils that we have listed for you, we are sure that you would be able to spend so much time outdoors whether it is when you want to garden or go out just to have fun.
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