About Herbal Pest Control

Herbal pest control is a way of controlling pests without the use of harsh and sometimes toxic chemicals.  When you have some natural herbal options available and you know what bugs they are effective against, you can gradually lessen your reliance on harsh chemical insecticides.

Here are some simple and effective herbal pest control remedies that can be used either in the home or in the garden.

• Neem Oil – Neem oil, which is harvested from the seed of the Neem tree in India, makes for a wonderful fungicide that is very effective at ridding an area of mildew and certain kinds of molds. Neem is also an insecticide, and is particularly effective against aphids, whiteflies, flea beetles, mites, Japanese beetles,  mealy bugs, scale, fungus gnats and gypsy moths.


• Spearmint, Peppermint and Basil Plants – all are known to repel aphids and ants. As an added bonus they also smell nice.


• Another way besides mint plants to form a barrier is to use cayenne pepper or cinnamon as a deterring barrier. Just sprinkle it where you want to keep the critters away from. Each insect is different, so you may have to resort to alternate substances (like garlic, which can be ground up and soaked in water to be used as an herbal barrier to bugs).


• Ground up rosemary leaves (ground until it’s a fine powder) can be sprinkled onto your pet or the bedding where it sleeps to keep fleas away.


• Cloves are a natural moth deterrent. They will especially be welcome to a home if you don’t like the smell of moth balls.