Natural Mosquito, Bug, & Pest Repellant With Essential Oils

Summer is our favorite time of year. We look forward to spending time outdoors, barbequing camping, hiking, fishing and just spending time with friends and family. The downfall is that depending on where you live, you will also spend much of that time, trying to fight off the mosquitoes and other pests that intrude upon our activities.

Summer is also the time when all the outdoor bugs and insects begin to make their way indoors. There are many ways to rid you home of these pests, but most of them involve toxic chemicals with harmful side effects.

Fortunately there are alternatives to toxic insect repellants. This article covers some of the natural Essential Oils that can be used to rid your home and gathering sites, of dangerous and pesky insects, bugs and rodents.

I have also provided some recipes for blending these essential oils, to rid yourself and your home of various types of pests.

• lemongrass
• lavender
• peppermint
• rosemary
• tea tree
• thyme

• basil
• cedarwood
• citronella
• clove
• eucalyptus
• geranium

• basil
• citronella
• clove
• eucalyptus
• peppermint
• lemon
• geranium
• thyme
• lemongrass
• lavender

Choose any of the above listed oils to add to your mix. You may want to experiment with different combinations. I like the following recipe:

Fill an 8oz. spray bottle half full with distilled or filtered water. Add 1tbsp. jojoba oil and 1tbsp. of witch hazel. Add 15 drops each of the following oils:

• citronella
• lavender
• eucalyptus
• lemongrass
• tea tree

Shake well before each use and reapply every few hours, especially if you get wet or it is hot and you are sweating.

If this blend doesn't work for you or you don't like the smell, try mixing some of the other oils listed till you find the one that works for you.

I know from experience how miserable it can be for you and your dogs to deal with fleas. We lived in an area of Ohio that was just infested with fleas. Our poor dog was constantly fighting off fleas. I used every method I could find to get rid of the fleas.I spent hundreds of dollars on Vet recommended methods and still she had fleas. I ended up picking them off of her every night because she was so miserable, but of course they would be right back the next day.

We used toxic bug bombs to fumigate our home, which helped for a short while, but they always came back. We eventually moved to a dryer climate where there are no fleas, what a relief for her and us.

I wish I had known about essential oils back then, we could have saved her a lot of discomfort. Essential oils are not only effective, but also non toxic and your dog will get other therapeutic benefits from these oils. Other benefits of essential oils for dogs include, soothing joint pain, providing urinary tract support, respiratory support and helping with anxiety.

• cedarwood
• citronella
• eucalyptus
• lavender
• orange
• tea tree oil
• lemongrass
• pine
• thyme

Essential Oil Flea Recipe:

• Eucalyptus
• Lavender
• Lemongrass
• Lemon

Mix 3 drops of each of the above oils in a small spray bottle. For best results, shake well before each use and repeat on a weekly basis or if your dog gets wet.

Essential Oil Flea Collar Repellent Recipe

• 3 Garlic Capsules
• 1 drop Citronella
• 1 drop Cedarwood
• 1 drop Lavender
• 1 drop Thyme
• 1 cup filtered or distilled water

Mix ingredients in a bowl and soak your dog collar. Collar must be the soft cloth type that will absorb the mixture. Let collar dry and put on your dog. Repeat this every couple of weeks for best results.

Please DON'T USE Essential Oils on Cats, unless you have thoroughly researched them first. Some essential oils can be toxic to cats, especially the citrus and pine. A cats liver is not capable of metabolizing some of the compounds in essential oils which can cause liver damage or even death.

I have noticed that when I am wearing certain essential oils around cats, they are extremely friendly with me, rubbing up against me and sitting on my lap. I found it interesting how attracted to the scents they are. But now that I am aware of how essential oils can affect them, I am more cautious using them when I know I will be around my friends cats. Just because they are attracted to them, does not mean they are good for them.

Spiders have an aversion to certain scents, especially citrus Their taste buds are on the tips of their legs so spraying your windowsills and other openings where you feel they may be entering your home, will keep them from coming in.

Soaking a cotton ball in the following repellant recipe and placing them where you find spiders coming in, will prevent them entering and are harmless if a small child or pet finds them.

Fill small 8oz. size bottle halfway with water and add 5 drops of dish soap, fill the rest the way with witch hazel and 15 drops of one or more of the following essential oils. The more oils, the stronger the mixture. Experiment with mixing the different oils. I recommend using at least 4 different oils.

• citrus
• cinnamon
• citronella
• peppermint
• tea tree
• lavender

Reapply weekly for best results.

• rose geranium
• eucalyptus
• oregano
• clove
• citronella
• lemongrass
• grapefruit
• juniper
• tea tree
• thyme

Fill an 8oz. spray bottle 1/2 full of distilled or filtered water and the following essential oils:

• rose geranium 20 drops
• lemon 15 drops
• peppermint 15 drops

Shake well before each application.

Tick Removal: Apply oil directly to the tick and wait for it to release grip. After removal of the tick apply tea tree or lavender to the area to prevent infection.

Don't want to mix your own blend? There are Essential Oil blends that are specially formulated to repel insects. Doterra makes a blend called TerraShield that has lemon eucalyptus, citronella, lemongrass, 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils with a base of pure fractionated coconut oil.

This blend is specially formulated to protect against insects. It has a light citrus smell and is safe for all ages. One application can last up to 6 hours.

Mix a few drops with a carrier oil such as jojoba or fractionated coconut oil and spread over your exposed skin.

Spray recipe - In an 8oz. spray bottle, mix half distilled or filtered water and half witch hazel with about 25 drops of TerraShield essential oil. Shake well.

If your not comfortable using a mouse trap to rid your home of mice, peppermint essential oil is the solution for you.

Use an 8oz. spray bottle, add about 25 drops of Peppermint essential oil and shake well. Spray wherever you suspect you have mice, or where they may be coming into your home. Alternately, you can soak a cotton ball in this solution and place wherever you feel they may be getting in.

This method is safe and effective, especially if you have small children or pets. Again, if you own a cat, leaving the cotton balls lying around, is probably not a good idea. As I said, they seem to be attracted to the scent, but it can be toxic to them.

I hope you find these suggestions and recipes helpful. Let me know which ones work best for you and have a happy and healthy summer.