15 Most Effective Ways To Keep Bugs Out Of Your Garden

Everyone loves their garden and their plants and everyone wants to have healthy plants but the thing is it’s a challenge as there will be constant attack from bugs  no matter what plant it is and it becomes really becomes confusing on what solution to use to keep plants safe and healthy so, this question usually comes to mind.

What is the most effective ways to keep bugs out of my garden? The most effective ways are using diatomaceous earth, insecticides, garlic spray, neem oil spray, essential oils and some others.

Read through this article to know them all and use them properly

1. Diatomaceous Earth

It is a powder like substance that is actually made of fossilized remains of tiny aquatic animals which skeletons are made of silica. These fossilized skeletons have very sharp edges not harmful to human but definitely harmful to bugs and pests. When applied it makes holes on pests body and kills them rapidly. You can buy it online from Amazon. These are very effective against garden bugs. Just use it and see it’s effectiveness.

2. Insecticides

Insecticides are a type of pesticides which targets specific insects. If your garden has particular insects in numbers then you can buy insecticides for that and then spray it to kill that particular insect only.  Insecticides can be like ant killer insecticide, wasp killer killer insecticide etc. It also helps in stopping the development of the insects and kill them in larvae state thus stopping them from multiplying. It’s also the most widely used solution to keep bugs away from garden.

3. Pesticides

Pesticides are used to kill, repel  and control insects, it’s also effective against bacteria that can also damage plants. It is effective against wide range of insects like snails, moths, slugs and weed plants also. It works on the basis of touch, ingestion and instant death depending upon the concentration of the pesticide. It can kill immediately if high concentration is used or it can take weeks to kill if the concentration is diluted using water. You can choose the dilution depending upon the level of infestation. If the infestation is more then use more concentrated solution to get quick results and use less if there is less infestation also if you’re using more concentration it can increase your budget so keep that in mind and choose the dilution level.

4. Pyrethrin Insecticides

Pyrethrin is extracted from the flowers of the pyrethrum chrysanthemum plant  and it is used against a wide range of insects like aphids, cockroaches, flies, caterpillar, scale insects, beetles , wasps. This is relatively non toxic and evaporates from the plants once it kills the insects. Once used insects gets knocked down if the concentration is less and will kill if the concentration is more concentration. It works through contact. Once bugs comes in contact with it, it’s effects starts. Use Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO) to make it more effective (toxic and synthetic) Mix it in  small quantity with Pyrethrin Insecticides to see wonders.

5. Garlic Spray

Garlic is really effective against all sort of insects. Insects just hates the smell of garlic plus it’s anti bacterial and anti fungal. Here is how to make garlic spray

• Peel and crush 5 garlic and mix it with 500 ml of water.
• Keep the garlic inside the water for 7 hours so that the helpful ingredients get mixed with water properly.
• Then put this solution in a gallon of water to dilute it.
• Then spray it over your plants to get rid of bugs.
• Do it for 1-2 times a week to see great results.

Garlic spray is very strong and it will kill all kind of bugs which include helpful insects. So, only spray it on infested plants. It’s a simple solution but it’s very effective you can also use it in your houseplants to keep bugs sway and also reduce infestation. Spraying it directly over the infested area gives almost instant reduction from infestation and its is not at all harmful for your plants and for humans.

6. Use Lemon

Lemon can also be used as pesticide and it is really effective. Here is how to use it

• Cut a lemon in half. Grate the rind from the lemon.
• Start boiling water.
• When the water starts boiling put the lemons on the water.
• Then stop boiling it and let the water cool down along with the lemons for 24 hours.
• Put it in a sprayer and spray it over the insects directly.

7. Use Essential Oil

Essential Oil are very effective against garden bugs.

Here is how to make a pesticide made of essential oil :-

• Add 5-6 drops of any essential oil to 200 ml of water
• Put it in a sprayer and spray it over the plants
• Depending upon the infestation decide what essential oil to use here is the list
• Rosemary oil helps in repelling mosquitoes, flies, fleas.
• Thyme essential oil keeps biting insects away like ticks, chiggers and cockroaches.
• Peppermint oil kills spiders, ants, aphids, squash, beetles.

Choose what essential oil to use depending upon infestation.

8. Use Rubbing Alcohol

Put some rubbing alcohol in a sprayer and put it all over your plants that will kill the bugs and will also protect your plants from infestation. You can also add 100 ml of water in 200 ml of rubbing alcohol to dilute it and then spray.

To make sure the alcohol is not causing any harm to your plants spray the solution on a plants and leave it for 2 days if everything is okay then spray it on every plants. Rubbing alcohol works on varied form of bugs. One solution for multiple bugs.

9. Put Up Physical Barrier

You can cover pest susceptible plants with floating row cover. This is really simple and effective way to keep all sort of pests away. It is made of lightweight fabric that rests on top of plants or on a wire. When these cover gets covered with pests then just shake the row cover and throw pests away it’s that simple, then again put back the cover. This works wonderfully throughout the season and you don’t even have to spray insecticides or pesticides but do remember to remove the cover during pollination time because you need some good bugs to keep the plants growing and to keep it healthy.

10. Plant Some Bug Repelling Plants

Yes, there are bugs repelling plants. Plants like Onion plants, marigold plants, lavender oil plants, garlic herb are good repellents for bugs. Just plant one or two of these plants around your main plant and you can see no infestation at all. These are very strong repellents and is harmless to your main plants and will also keep bugs away. These are also good for your environment. Your garden will flourish if you just plant these bugs repelling plants around. If you see infestation around some plants then just plant any of these plant around it and you’ll see infestation going away quickly. This is the cheapest and the safest way to protect your plants.

11. Use Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide is an alternative to chemical sprays and it is actually beneficial for your plants. It can be used to control, fungal diseases like powdery mildew or can be used against insects like spider mites, archids and other small insects. Here is how to use it :-

• Buy 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
• Put it in a sprayer and spray the soil properly after digging for plant holes. This will stop most small insects from attacking your plants and will ensure healthy growth of your plants
• For spraying it in plants spray a little amount and wait for 3 days to check whether it’s effecting the plant in a negative way or not. If it is effecting it in negative way (usually doesn’t happen) then don’t use it.
• If it doesn’t then spray the leaves, the branches.
• Spray it once per week to protect your plants from getting attacked by small bugs and insects.

12. Use Beer

Beer is effective against slugs so, if you have slug problem then just follow these steps to get rid of slugs. It works like magic and it’s really simple. Slugs like beer as much as human do so it works like magic.

• Fill a bowl with beer
• Keep it near the plant where you see slug infestation.
• Keep the bowl overnight and you’ll see slugs inside the bowl.
• Throw away slugs in morning.
• Place multiple bowls if you have too much slug infestation or if slugs are infesting in different areas.

This technique attracts slugs which are only few feet away so you have to place different bowls if they are around your whole garden.

13. Use Neem Oil

Neem oil are natural oil that are really beneficial for your plants and it doesn’t have any side effects. Along with the ability to repel bugs it is really healthy for your plants. Its is said to be effective against 200 species of bugs which means basically it is effective against all forms sorts of garden bugs. By using neem oil you can keep bugs out of your garden. Here is how to use it :-

• Mix 20 ml of neem oil with 200 ml of water
• Put it in a sprayer and spray it all over your plants
• If there is infestation, spray it directly over the infestation and that will kill the bugs.
• Spray it once a week to keep your plants safe from infestation.

You can also use it as prevention so spray it in baby plants also. It is highly effective when sprayed on young plants. It’s effects can last upto 22 days when sprayed on young plants.

14. Mix Soap And Oil

The mixture of soap and oil really works well against garden bugs. Here is how to make the solution

• Mix 150 ml of vegetable oil with 50 ml of liquid soap and make the solution.
• Mix it well
• Pour it in sprayer and spray it over the infested plants.
• Spray it once a week.

The oil will help the soap to stick to bugs body and will kill them. It is effective against soft body insects like mites, aphids.

You can store this solution in a container and it will effective upto 3 months.

15. Use Peppermint

You know how strong peppermints are so using it against garden bugs can be very useful. Here is how to do make the spray :-

• Mix 2 tablespoon of peppermint spray with 200 ml of water
• Put it in a sprayer and spray it over your plants or directly over the infested area and you’ll see the result immediately.
• Spray it twice a week to keep your plants safe.

Since, its a natural product it’s not harmful to plants and it’s very effective.

There are also sudden times when you’ll see some plants have been infected to an extent that it can’t be saved no matter what you do in those cases you may not be able to do something to save that plant but you can definitely save other plants that are in close proximity to that plant. Just use the any one of these or a mixture of these solutions and you can literally keep your garden free from harmful bugs and save all other plants.

My Recommendation On How To Use This Article

Choosing from all of these ways can get confusing so here are my recommendations.

• Lets say if you’re using insecticides as the main choice then you can just spray insecticide and pesticides whenever you feel there is too much infestation. The effects of insecticides and pesticides remains for many days. So, till then you don’t need to do anything else. Do, remember insecticides and pesticides are  chemically made and can be harmful to humans so use it carefully..
• If you’re thinking to use natural ways to get rid of bugs then you can use neem oil, essential oils, lemon spray to keep bugs away. It can be hardwork but it’s good for your plants and is also good for you. You need to look for infested plants individually and then spray these natural made pesticides so, that’s why it can be time consuming.
• If you’re having slugs problem then use beer. Beer is a lot less time consuming since you can target the areas where there is more infestation and just keep the beer and you don’t have to work yourself to keep slugs away. Beer will attract slugs and will kill them.

Some Additional Information That You Should Know

During heavy infestation it is always better to spray all of your plants with strong insecticides as it is the fastest way to kill dangerous bugs but it also kills good bugs and during pollination time it is better to avoid using insecticides and pesticides as it will kill the helpful bugs that is very necessary for your plants survival and also for the ecosystem. You can use other ways mentioned in this article during pollination times that will keep bugs away. They are all very effective.

Fertilizers And It’s Effects

Along with these solutions you need to also use proper fertilizers and  water to keep your plants healthy. Without these two elements it will be difficult for your plant to survive no matter what you do. You need to check the soil occasionally to know whether there is sufficient fertilizer or not. Sometimes due to fertilizer problem you’ll see increase in bug infestation. If that happens then you should immediately change the fertilizer all together. Don’t check by spraying insecticides or pesticides as it can solve the problem temporarily but the infestation will again increase once effect of insecticides and pesticide are gone. So, without thinking put your efforts in changing the fertilizer if that happens before it’s too late. You’ll see your plants turning yellow, losing it’s green glow and leaves may start falling if that happens then check the fertilizer and if you find some problem in it immediately change it.

Climate Change Effects

Due to climate change infestation can also increase if you feel like the infestation is not decreasing then use the above mentioned ways to get proper result. These bugs often disappears after that particular season is over but during the season they can cause sufficient harm to your plants so you need to make sure your plants are properly taken care of.

Dangerous Effects Of Flying Bugs And How To Get Rid Of Them

There are also flying bugs that can also totally destroy your plants and it’s a little difficult to get rid of flying bugs attack. So, the best way to get rid of them is to note the time when the attack is high and then use any one or mixture of the solutions to get rid of them. You can also personally go and spray insecticides and pesticides over their group of those flying insects to get rid of them. This is often often done by many people and it’s very effective. You can use natural ways that are also effective. If you can’t spray the natural solution directly over flying bugs then just spray the solutions over the plants and whenever those bugs comes in contact with the plants they will perish.

The conclusion is both chemical and natural ways are very effective you choose what you want to use and how comfortable you are using it then use it accordingly.