Bug sprays are big business today. People like to go outside, sit around the pool or the campfire, work in the garden, and enjoy their animals without pesky insects crashing the party. However, many petroleum-based and other chemical-infused products have side effects to people and the environment. Those who want less pollution for themselves, their households, and their planet can use essential oil insect repellent instead.
At first, chemical pesticides were hailed as miracle tools in the fight against hunger and disease. DDT almost wiped out bedbugs, saved the apple trees from the coddling moth, and destroyed malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Other poisons were developed for pests and widely used.
However, we now know that many of these chemicals harm fish and birds, leave toxic residues in our food, threaten vital pollinators like bees and butterflies, and may be destroying our soil and our water supply. Bird populations that had declined sharply, like the ospreys, have recovered since DDT and some other pesticides have been banned. It was discovered that birds who ate poisoned insects laid eggs with shells too thin to protect the babies inside.
People are still concerned today, as bees are disappearing around the world and chemicals like DEET are found to be carcinogenic. Essential oils, in contrast, are natural volatile oils that can be safely extracted from plants and that are very effective against pests. They are safe to use in your home, garden, and barnyard. They are safe for all the beneficial insects, the birds, the fish, and the animals around us.
Essential oils should seldom be used full-strength. For insect sprays, you can add up to fifty drops of one or a combination of oils to a mixture of one part witch hazel to two parts water. You can also add the oil to water mixed with vodka. (Alcohol can be drying to the skin, so you could also add half an ounce of jojoba oil.) Leave room in the spray bottle for the shaking which is necessary before every use, since the oils will separate out.
Oils that make good carrier solutions are coconut, sunflower, extra virgin olive, and apricot kernel oil. Using an oil makes sense if you need a long-lasing effect or if you are applying it to a dog - as in a flea or tick repelling mix. If you have dry skin in the summer, a little fragrant oil on arms, hands, and legs is nice.
Many of the fragrant oils you are familiar with repel mosquitoes; citronella is one of the best known. Horseflies keep off when you use tansy, thyme, peppermint, and cedar wood. Lemon eucalyptus may be harder to find, but it's said to be the most effective against the most different kinds of bugs. For ticks, use tea tree oil. Gnats don't like the mints, eucalyptus, or citronella. You can help keep them away by spraying your hat, sticking a few springs of mint or lemon balm in your hatband, and rubbing the leaves of any of these herbs on your face and arms.
The volatile oils in plants attract pollinators while repelling pests. Check out the other oils you can use: grapefruit, clove, cinnamon, pine, rosemary, and lemon. A few drops of peppermint oil keeps spiders out of basement corners. With use, you'll find your favorite natural bug repellents.
At first, chemical pesticides were hailed as miracle tools in the fight against hunger and disease. DDT almost wiped out bedbugs, saved the apple trees from the coddling moth, and destroyed malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Other poisons were developed for pests and widely used.
However, we now know that many of these chemicals harm fish and birds, leave toxic residues in our food, threaten vital pollinators like bees and butterflies, and may be destroying our soil and our water supply. Bird populations that had declined sharply, like the ospreys, have recovered since DDT and some other pesticides have been banned. It was discovered that birds who ate poisoned insects laid eggs with shells too thin to protect the babies inside.
People are still concerned today, as bees are disappearing around the world and chemicals like DEET are found to be carcinogenic. Essential oils, in contrast, are natural volatile oils that can be safely extracted from plants and that are very effective against pests. They are safe to use in your home, garden, and barnyard. They are safe for all the beneficial insects, the birds, the fish, and the animals around us.
Essential oils should seldom be used full-strength. For insect sprays, you can add up to fifty drops of one or a combination of oils to a mixture of one part witch hazel to two parts water. You can also add the oil to water mixed with vodka. (Alcohol can be drying to the skin, so you could also add half an ounce of jojoba oil.) Leave room in the spray bottle for the shaking which is necessary before every use, since the oils will separate out.
Oils that make good carrier solutions are coconut, sunflower, extra virgin olive, and apricot kernel oil. Using an oil makes sense if you need a long-lasing effect or if you are applying it to a dog - as in a flea or tick repelling mix. If you have dry skin in the summer, a little fragrant oil on arms, hands, and legs is nice.
Many of the fragrant oils you are familiar with repel mosquitoes; citronella is one of the best known. Horseflies keep off when you use tansy, thyme, peppermint, and cedar wood. Lemon eucalyptus may be harder to find, but it's said to be the most effective against the most different kinds of bugs. For ticks, use tea tree oil. Gnats don't like the mints, eucalyptus, or citronella. You can help keep them away by spraying your hat, sticking a few springs of mint or lemon balm in your hatband, and rubbing the leaves of any of these herbs on your face and arms.
The volatile oils in plants attract pollinators while repelling pests. Check out the other oils you can use: grapefruit, clove, cinnamon, pine, rosemary, and lemon. A few drops of peppermint oil keeps spiders out of basement corners. With use, you'll find your favorite natural bug repellents.
About the Author:
Find a list of the benefits you get when you use an essential oil insect repellent and view our selection of essential oils at http://www.paulopolis.com/product/petitgrain-orange-essential-oil-2-oz now.