15 Simple Natural Pest Control Ideas That Really Work!

Are you tired of finding insects every time you turn around or swatting at mosquitoes when you want to be outside on a warm evening? If you’re wondering how to get rid of bugs, I have the perfect solution for you today. The best part? Each of these natural pest control remedies is safe and made with common ingredients easily found at your local grocery store. Or better yet, in your pantry! Keep bugs away, the natural way!

Along with the warmer weather comes lots of bugs – ticks, fleas, roaches – of all varieties. Eww! Ouch! They can get into your house, your food, or even bite you. If you are like me and mosquitoes LOVE you, you know exactly what I mean!

15 Clever Natural Pest Control Methods That Keep Bugs Away

Wondering how to get rid of bugs (safely)? I have the answers! Each of the 15 natural repellants and ideas I’m showing you today uses ingredients you probably already have around your house.

These ideas are safe – and more importantly – they work.

Bonus: You won’t be smelling any harsh chemicals from insecticides and these methods are generally safe around children and pets. ? Way to protect the environment and yourself!

1. DIY All Natural Pest Spray

Catnip, witch hazel, and other essential oils are combined to make a DIY bug repellent spray that keeps mosquitoes, ants, and other pesky insects away while you enjoy the outdoors. This natural insect repellant really works! And, what’s better than a multi-purpose bug spray is one that smells amazing and costs less than $1 per bottle to make. You can tell those pesky little things to BUG OFF!

2. Epsom Salts To Keep Vegetable Pests Away Naturally

Seeing that there are so many benefits to using natural pest control solutions other than environmental protection, beats me why anyone would want to buy those expensive, foul-smelling, environmentally destructive pesticides! Use Epsom salts to deter snails and slugs around your garden plant while it fertilizes and helps your plants grow. Show me a pesticide that doubles as fertilizer.

You can also create a simple and safe spray solution for your lawn that deters insects without damaging your grass. Let your plant grow bug-free!

3. Homemade Non-Toxic Ant Poison

Make an all-natural ant poison in just two minutes using corn syrup and borax. It is all-natural but not safe or eco-friendly so you might want to keep this ant poison out of reach for children and explore more eco-friendly ways to get rid of sugar ants.

Tip: The poison will dry out in a day or two, so for continued use, reapply more poison every couple of days.

I so need to do this, because we get ants every spring, especially in the gutters and the patio!

4. Get Rid of Spiders With Natural Oils

Does it creep you out to find spiders crawling around your house? Keep them at bay with this simple hack. I personally get the heeby-jeebies, and my kids REALLY freak out. In the past, I’ve killed them and gone about my merry way. Now, I prefer to let them live – just not inside my house!

Keep spiders away from your house with peppermint essential oil. Reapply the spray once a week and say bye to our 8-legged friends! It sounds crazy, but it works. One perk to this ‘spider spray’ is that it smells amazing. It can double as a natural house spray and a spider repellant. You therefore never have to buy air freshener again.

spray bottle lying on a table with leaves of fresh peppermint

5. Ladybugs – Cute And A Natural Pest Control!

Are your garden shrubs overrun with aphids, ants, or mites? Ladybugs are BENEFICIAL for your garden because they kill unwanted garden pests. Introduce ladybugs into your garden to get them under control (couldn’t be more natural!). Finally, bugs that don’t eat your marigolds, chrysanthemums, or any plants, are safe for kids to play with and are totes adorable!

6. Natural Pest Control For Keeping Mosquitoes Away

Ugh. When you are THAT person who mosquitoes love to feast on, being outside can go from being fun to miserable in 30 seconds flat. Add sage to a fire when you’re entertaining to keep mosquitoes away from the party. Burning sage smells amazing and gives the fireplace a homely scent but mosquitoes hate it! A win/win? Party On!

hand putting fresh sage sprigs on a hot charcoal grill

7. DIY Citronella Candles

Recycle tin cans to make your own citronella candles to keep those tiny, annoying mosquitoes away. It’s easier than you’d think! Plus, since these candles are quick and easy to make, you can make a batch of them to spread all around your yard so you can enjoy those warm summer evenings (and cocktails or mocktails) in peace.

This trick for natural pest control can be used alongside other tips here, like this one.

8. Goodbye Wasps!

Wasps may be useful pollinators in their own right, but their stings hurt! Get rid of wasps naturally with a few drops of clove, geranium, and lemongrass essential oils, dish soap, and water. Blend and place in a spray bottle as a natural wasp deterrent.

Now they can happily live…elsewhere.

For an even more natural solution, try planting wasp-repellant plants around your home. Plants such as spearmint, thyme, eucalyptus, and citronella are not only helpful to you but will also deter those stingy little insects.

image of wasp nest up in the corner of a deck

9. DIY Paraffin Candles To Light Up Your Space and Keep The Bugs Away

This idea is so easy! Spot the mason jars? Don’t we just love projects that help us upcycle stuff AND make our spaces pretty?

Use mason jars and citronella torch fuel to make these beautiful lanterns that keep bugs away. They add nice lighting and atmosphere to summer evenings, too! The best part, the fuel is safe, non-toxic, and extremely versatile!

10. Wasps Begone!

Here’s another trick for wasps using vinegar, sugar, and salt. This homemade wasp trap works well without harming bees (the vinegar keeps bees away). Sadly, this natural pest control method actually kills wasps. You might want to go with a more wasp-friendly alternative because wasps are good for pollination.

A DIY wasp trap sitting on a ledge with a tree in the background

11. No More Silverfish

Even though it’s comforting to know that these buggers don’t cause any real harm to a person or home, it still unnerves me to find one scurrying in the house (they’re FAST!).

Deter them by using water, baking soda, and honey to create a sticky surface to get rid of silverfish in tight spaces. Simply mix equal parts of the ingredients then apply the mixture to small cardboard that can fit in a tight space, i.e, behind your books on your bookshelf. The mixture will kill any silverfish that comes wandering.

You could also dilute cedar oil with water and spray the solution in cracks and crevices. The smell of cedar is toxic to silverfish and the regular application creates a barrier to re-entry. Plus, imagine your house smelling like the forests of Lebanon all through?

12. Alternative Mosquito Repellent

Don’t like using DEET? Me neither. When you run out of DIY natural bug spray or need a little extra boost, Cool Mint Listerine can serve as a bug spray in a pinch. You’ll have to reapply it more often than traditional sprays, though.

We also know how to make your own DIY Mosquito Repellent Bracelets that really works!

spray bottle and bottle of Listerine on a table next to each other

13. Get Rid of Fruit Flies With This Easy-To-Make Natural Pest Control

If you’ve ever suffered through a fruit fly outbreak, you know how hard those suckers are to get rid of. Plus, they multiply faster than you can say “quick like a bunny”. Use supplies you already have to create a fruit fly trap that works like a charm.

Supplies:

A jar
A sheet of paper
Apple cider vinegar
Liquid dish detergent

What’s Next:

Pour 2/3 of a cup of apple cider vinegar into the jar
Add a squirt (or two) of dish detergent to the jar and swirl the mixture around for a good mix
Make a cone out of the paper and stick it in the jar. Don’t let it touch the liquid mixture.
Watch like an evil queen as the flies fly to their demise. Haha! (or not)

Jar with paper funneled out of the top and fruit fly trap solution in the bottom

14. Repel House Flies – A Natural Pest Control Method The World Needs

Want to enjoy your food without flies disturbing you? They hate the smell of cloves and lemons. Combine the two to repel house flies. The flies may not like it, but you will. And, your house will smell amazing!

This natural pest control idea works effectively on house flies but you can use it to deter other fly species that might be less affected by lemons and cloves.

Halved lemons with cloves pushed into the fruit

15. Natural Pest Control – Herb Insect Deterrent Bundles

Herbs like lavender, mint, and sage deter mosquitoes. Grow some in your yard! Add some peppermint to keep off wasps as well. You’re welcome!

Then, bundle and burn them whenever you want to deter mosquitoes. The burning herbs emit an earthy scent that people often feel comforting but mosquitoes hate. They also hate the smoke that the burning herbs create – win/win!