How to Use Essential Oils for Pest Control
You clean regularly, you set traps, you seal cracks in your walls – it seems like no matter what you do, pests are still finding ways into your home. If conventional preventative measures just aren’t doing the trick, it may be time to try something new! Essential oils are a natural, safe way to rid your home of pests that are a great alternative to pesticides. So, what exactly are essential oils? Obtained through several different processes, essential oils are oils extracted from plants and contain aspects of their “essence” like the scent and chemical properties. Because they have been popularized by aromatherapy, many people don’t know that there are many more uses for essential oils, including pest control.
The Best Essential Oils for Each Type of Pest and How to Use Them
If you’ve decided that using pesticides just isn’t for you, try using essential oils! When purchasing them, check the label for ingredients. You want to make sure you’re buying the purest form possible, free of added synthetic chemicals. Identify which essential oil you need based on the pests you have, then take the steps to rid your home of them.
Roaches: Eucalyptus, Tea Tree
Cockroaches are scavengers, they’ll look for food until they find it – which is why they make their way inside. Apart from just being gross, roaches can also be a threat to your health, as they’ve been known to carry certain diseases like Typhoid, Polio, and Dysentery. There are two methods for getting rid of roaches. We recommend utilizing both: First,
- Find a spray bottle.
- Mix water with the essential oil. For every three ounces of water, add 10 drops of oil.
- Spray all infected areas to repel the roaches.
And second,
- Take cotton balls and douse them with the water and essential oils solution.
- Place the cotton balls in affected areas like inside cabinets, underneath the fridge, in the bathroom closet, etc.
For more information on how to get rid of cockroaches, read our blog, How to Get Rid of Cockroaches for Good.
Ants: Spearmint, Peppermint, Lemon
Ants are one of the most common pests around. They’re extremely tenacious, and their appearance in your home isn’t necessarily because it’s dirty, it’s because they’ll go anywhere they find food. To eliminate ants from areas where you prepare food:
- Use a clean spray bottle.
- Mix ¼ cup of water with 15 drops of spearmint or peppermint oil and 7 drops of lemon oil and add it to the spray bottle.
- Spray areas such as kitchen counters, cabinets, fridge, etc.
For more information on how to get rid of ants, read our blog, Ant Invasion: What To Do When The Ants Come Marching In.
Flies: Rosemary, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Basil
Flies thrive in filth. They can enter your home through open doors and windows and will lay eggs in decaying material like your trash or compost piles. Because of their nature to breed and feed in unsanitary places, they are known to carry diseases like E. coli, Cholera, and Typhoid. To repel flies:
- Find a jar or container with a lid and a sponge.
- Place drops of any of the four essential oils on the sponge.
- Put the sponge inside the container, close the lid, and leave it for 12 hours.
- After 12 hours, place the jar with the sponge still inside in the affected areas to drive the flies away with the scent.
Mosquitoes: Peppermint, Citronella, Lemongrass, Tea Tree
With spring just around the corner, mosquitoes won’t be far behind. The biggest buzzkill for an outdoor gathering is knowing you’re going to wake up the next day covered in mosquito bites. Protect yourself and your yard with an essential oil solution! To repel mosquitoes:
- Find a spray bottle.
- Fill with 12 ounces of water, 15 drops of citronella oil, 15 drops of lemongrass oil, 10 drops of peppermint oil, and 10 drops of tea tree oil.
- Spray affected areas and drive them away with the scent.
Spiders: Spearmint, Peppermint
Certain types of venomous spiders like the black widow and brown recluse are found in the Carolinas, so you want to make sure these stay far away from your home. Luckily, there are a few methods to ward off these potentially dangerous pests:
- If you know where they’re getting in, you can place an undiluted line of spearmint or peppermint oil along the crevice to keep them out.
- When you’re not quite sure of where they’re getting in, mix a spray bottle with 12 ounces of water and 15 drops of peppermint or spearmint oil to cover a wider area.
- Douse cotton balls with the mixture of water and your chosen oil. Place them in crevices around your home to repel the spiders.
Fleas: Lavender, Lemongrass, Peppermint
If you have any furry friends at home, chances are you’ve been concerned about fleas at one time or another. These parasitic insects feed on the blood of their host, most often dogs or cats, but can also bite humans. Using essential oils to prevent fleas is a natural and safe method to protect your home, yourself, and your pets! To prevent fleas on your pet:
- Find a spray bottle.
- Add 12 ounces of water and 15 drops of lavender, lemongrass, or peppermint oil to the bottle.
- Spray your pet’s coat once a week.
- Add 2 drops of your chosen essential oil to the shampoo you use to bathe your pet.
How Killingsworth Environmental Can Help
We understand the importance of using natural solutions, which is why we utilize environmentally conscious methods for pest control and provide you with do-it-yourself options like using essential oils. We’re committed to learning new ways of handling these issues while implementing our home and commercial pest control services to give our customers the safest and most effective results possible. If you decide that you’d like some help with pest control, schedule an appointment with us today so we can assess your issues.
