As rainy season comes in there will be a lot of pests in my kitchen garden. Even though I keep surroundings clean it doesn't help much. I usually spray a mixture of neem oil, soap and garlic juice. it is quite effective on them and it doesn't harm environment either. But due to rain it will not stick for a long duration and then again they will be back within no time. Do you know any homemade recipes to use against pests even during rainy seasons?
I want to guess what particular home pests that keep on pestering you. Are they cockroaches? Rats? Ants? Mosquitoes? Files? Bugs? There are plants that could be utilized to drive away if not get rid of these pests. These plants may include the following artemisias for mice, basil for flies and mosquitoes, chamomile for flying insects, chrysanthemums for roaches and ants, lavender for fleas, among others.
It's almost impossible to keep a garden free of bugs, but there are some tricks. I don't know that another home recipe for a solution will work any better than what you usually use, since it will probably also wash away with the rain. I was recently reading however that various plants can help, like @Nakitakona mentioned above. You could try planting some peppermint and basil among your other plants. I've seen that lavender is also supposed to help keep certain pests away. I always heard that planting onions and garlic around the perimeter of the garden would help keep pests out as well. You can probably buy some starter plants, but if you are an avid gardener, you might just want to start from scratch. It's probably less expensive to do the latter.
In the old house I used to live in, we had a problem with little black ants getting in under the front door. There was only so much I could do to seal the door better, as it was a rented house, and so I did some research online and found that cayenne pepper is a great deterrent for many bugs that get into the home. I sprinkled some pepper on the outside of my front door and never had a problem with ants getting in again. It was a cheap and natural solution to the problem.
In one of our trips to the plant nursery, I have noticed the clean surrounding of the gardens. The fruit trees have no ants which is a common pest for a fruiting tree. The caretaker said that they spray vinegar on the bottom of the tree to deter ants and other pests from ravaging the fruiting trees. Ordinary vinegar it is. But I still have to try it since our mango tree is just beginning to bloom.
To keep mosquitos out of the house especially in the rainy season I put mint plants in some of the corners of my house. This way I keep 90% of the the mosquitos out. You can also soak of the mint plants for a few minutes in water and spray it through out the house and in every corner. Most pests hate the mint scent because they find it too strong, mint is my pest control solution and has been for about a year now.
Mostly all insects despise mint or any similar strong odors. It would be best to plant some or purchase potted mentha then set them around your home. I would also recommend purchasing a spray bottle that contains mint but without sugar added and spray it around where the pests might enter from. Another nice trick while eating, you can set mint chewing gum next to your plate. If you don't want to chew on it, use your hands and squish it so that it will be mintier. I recommend Trident since they don't contain sugar. It will keep bugs away. A lot safer and cheaper than those expensive pests sprays.
I have multiple cultivars of chili peppers on my garden. I am not able to eat all that red chilies and jalapenos so I make a natural pesticide out of them. on a blender, I add a cup of chilies on a liter of water. I puree them and I remove the pulp with a seave. That chili water concoction is what I spray to my plants to give the bugs away. Insects don't like capsaicin as it gives them a burning sensation. It is a very cheap and safe way to fight pest. Another cool way is to buy a poultry bird known as guinea fowl. They will eat all those pest and if they over populate you can eat these birds because they tasted like turkey.
We also grow mint to help ward off bugs and especially the mosquitoes. Just about the time that the front porch becomes warm enough to enjoy sitting outside and enjoying the sunshine, along comes the mosquitoes, and make it inhabitable. The mint does help some, and I also have mint plants growing in the garden to help keep insect pests from eating the vegetables and berries. Each spring, I divide up some of the larger mint plants, and then plant more starters. Since the mint will actually spread itself into larger clumps, eventually I hope to have it growing all over around the yard, and especially in the areas near the front and back porch. Another natural product that will kill bus is called diatomaceous earth. It is fossilized skeletons from tiny diatoms, and looks like plain white flour; but there are sharp edges that will cut an insect, and dehydrate and kill it. Bugs hate this stuff, but it is harmless to people and animals (always use food grade DE), and is even beneficial to the dirt.
