The sunny days favor the proliferation of all kinds of insects. Whether in your vegetable garden, your yard, or indoors, no one enjoys being visited by swarms of flies, colonies of ants, or very invasive hungry mosquitoes. For a peaceful summer, there is no need to opt for insecticides with toxic chemicals. Preventive insecticide or repellent will work just as well! Here are seven recipes for natural repellents with essential oils to apply on yourself or in your home to repel unwanted harmful insects. This will help you avoid some unpleasant mosquito or bee stings or a potentially dangerous tick bite.
Some repellents against insects
1) Repellents against flies, very annoying insects in summer
To repel flies, you can set up homemade traps. This is the quickest way to eliminate as many as possible. To make them go away and prevent them from entering your home, mix 1/4 teaspoon of lemongrass essential oil and 250 ml of water in a spray bottle. Flies hate the smell of lemongrass. All you have to do is spray it on entry points (doors and windows). Another effective repellent is to dilute 20 drops of rosemary essential oil, 20 drops of basil essential oil, 20 drops of mint essential oil, 30 ml of olive oil, and 15 ml of dish soap in 1 liter of apple cider vinegar! Renew regularly to keep the odor strong and repellent. In addition, place lemons studded with cloves in the rooms where they like to come.
2) Repellents against mosquitoes, these dreaded biting insects
To fight mosquitoes at home or in the garden, you can plant repellent plants around the house or place them on your window sills. Also, remember to use a skin repellent. The best repellent for biting insects consists of 1/6 teaspoon of lavender essential oil, the same amount of rosemary and cedarwood essential oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of citronella eucalyptus essential oil. Simply dilute everything in 2 tablespoons of grape seed oil and 2 tablespoons of vodka. All you have to do is apply it to the areas exposed to bites (legs, arms, neck…). You can also use one of the repellent essential oils in a diffuser to repel mosquitoes.
3) The spider repellent
Chestnuts are among the best repellents against spiders and many insects. However, they are not always easy to find in summer. Essential oils can then be invaluable! To use them, dilute 2 drops of lemon essential oil and 2 drops of lemon dish soap in 250 ml of water or 15 drops of peppermint essential oil in 250 ml of water. Using a sprayer, you should spray your repellent on entry points (door threshold, window frames…). You can also place your essence on a porous stone or cotton balls at entry points.
4) A repellent against ants
Drawing a chalk line, spraying white vinegar or lemon juice, placing basil leaves or 5-cent coins… All these solutions are excellent repellents against these small insects. However, these critters also despise mint. So to prepare a good repellent, mix 1 tablespoon of mint extract with 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Then apply this very effective solution to create a barrier against insects on window sills, door thresholds, door frames…
5) An ant repellent
In case of a serious infestation, you may need to use a mixture of boric acid and condensed milk to eradicate them. But to drive them away, use a repellent based on mint essential oil (1/4 teaspoon in 250 ml of water). Then, you should spray this product on passage areas (baseboards, cracks…).
6) The recipe for tick repellent
During a hike, do not hesitate to protect yourself with long clothes and high shoes. You should also inspect every inch of skin for you and your pets to prevent ticks from making their way to your home. It will also be ideal to treat your garden and vegetable patch to avoid ticks. However, the most direct trick remains the skin repellent to be applied to still exposed areas (arms, neck, legs). To prepare your tick repellent, mix 1/4 teaspoon of geranium bourbon essential oil with 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil of your choice.
7) And finally, the bee repellent
As long as they are not bothered, bees do not sting us and are harmless. However, if they proliferate, they quickly become numerous, which can be a source of stress and fear, especially for those allergic to them. To keep these useful insects away from you without harming them, make a repellent with a tablespoon of water and a tablespoon of peppermint oil. Apply it on your arms, ankles, and hair to keep them at a distance.
