5. Use Rubbing Alcohol

I put this in a spray bottle and sprits my plants with it whenever I spot Aphids trying to make a home. The common type that most people purchase has 70 percent isopropyl, but I find that the 90 percent works better.

4. Make Hot Pepper Soap

Blend up a clove of garlic, a tablespoon of vegetable oil soap, a hot pepper, and a little more than a cup of water. This spray can be used on all parts of the plant. The oil from the pepper in this solution easily sticks to skin. It’s common for people to touch their face or eyes and not know they have the hot pepper oil on their fingers. This can be a very unpleasant experience!

3. Get Help from Other Plants

Believe it or not, there are actually plants that can help to keep harmful bugs out of the garden. Chives and leeks keep away carrot flies, garlic deters Japanese beetles and aphids, marigolds keep nematodes at bay, and thyme repels cabbage worms. There are also many other useful plants besides these few.

2. Hand Pick Big Bugs

While it may seem like an awful lot of work, there is always the option to pick off large destructive bugs by hand. This will ensure you got them, instead of using a spray and hoping you got them all. For smaller bugs, this method isn’t very feasible.

1. Put down Mulch

Mulch isn’t only for keeping weeds out of the garden. Most beetles find straw to be a deterrent and will find someone else’s garden to munch on. Straw will also attract spiders, which are excellent at pest control.

Some of these methods may not be secrets to you, but I hope you were able to pick up at least one new bug deterring technique. Do you have a method that you find works the best for your plants? Please share any techniques you’ve heard of or tried out that worked for you.

Top Photo Credit: crookrw