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Essential oils to repel bugs

November 6, 2019 by A Stray Kitchen Leave a Comment

Using Essential oils to repel bugs is an easy and natural way to rid your home of all the creepy crawlies.

Come fall all the creepy crawlies and flying bugs try and invade my house. Spiders, flies, boxelders, fleas and stinkbugs all try to find a place inside my house to get cozy for the winter. I get it, they want to survive the winter and get away from the cold, but my house is not an option. At least in any of the living areas. They can have the corners of the attic or the unreachable space in the closet.

Using Essential Oils to Repel Bugs

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I understand the need for bugs and I encourage beneficial bugs out in my yard and I respect their space. But once they are in my house it's a different story. Being in my kitchen, bathroom or bedroom are immediate death sentences for anything with more than 4 legs. Other areas of the house may grant them a chance to be set free outside, but it entirely depends on my mood and the kind of bug it is.

If the bug in question touches me it usually ends up in several pieces or as a smear on whatever I hit it with. It's often a violent reaction that I cannot control. Like the giant house spider that crawled at me while I was doing laundry this morning. I know house spiders are harmless but that didn't stop me from crushing him repeatedly with a laundry basket. The sickening crunch was enough to make my skin crawl all morning.

There are the odd exceptions. Like the small spiders I allow in my windows to catch gnats and other little bugs. Or the daddy long leg spiders I allow every now and then to live in the lonely corners of the house. If they stay in their designated space they may stay and will likely be named. I once had a daddy long leg I named Ralphie who lived in the corner behind the bathroom trashcan.

They stay out of my living space and don't bother me. They usually move on once the gnats are gone, or sometimes the cats find them and they magically disappear.

How to Use Essential Oils to Repel Bugs

Because of my aversion to bugs I like to keep them to a minimum in the house. One way I do that is with essential oils.

Different oils repel different bugs, so there is not just one oil to use (but there are a few that get close). You'll want to experiment with oils to discover which ones the bugs in your area hate the most. The best way to use essential oils to repel bugs is to diffuse them in a diffuser or have a spray bottle of essential oils to cover all the bases.

  • To use a diffuser select 3-5 different oils from the list below (depending on which bugs you wish to repel) and put 2-3 drops of oil in the diffuser reservoir, fill with directed amount of water and then diffuse for a few hours every day.
  • You can also make a spray repellent by taking the selected oils and putting 5-8 drops each into a 2oz glass spray bottle. Top it off with water and shake it before spritzing on furniture, around doorways and windows and curtains.

The spray repellent is safe enough to use on yourself and loved ones if needed. Depending on which oils you choose you can also use them on your pets as well, just be sure to check out essential oils for dogs and essential oils for cats to make sure the oils you picked will be safe for your pet (Cats especially need to avoid direct contact with certain oils).

Now, let's get into which oils to use for which bugs!

The Best Essential oils to repel bugs

Here is a list of common bugs, and the best essential oils to repel them. You can download a handy printable version with all of these bugs and oils on one page too!

Our favorite essential oils to repel bugs on one easy to print page

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    Repelling Ants with Essential Oils

    To repel ants with essential oils, use the following

    Tea Tree, Peppermint, Geranium, Orange, Rosemary, Cinnamon, Lavender, Spearmint, Black pepper, Clove

    Repelling Bed bugs

    To repel bed bugs with essential oils, use the following

    Cinnamon, Clove, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Thyme, Tea Tree

    Repelling Boxelders

    To repel boxelders, use Peppermint and Spearmint oils

    Repelling Cockroaches with Essential Oils

    To repel cockroaches, use the following essential oils

    Cedarwood, Eucalyptus, Orange, Patchouli, Sandalwood

    Repelling Earwigs

    To repel earwigs with essential oils use - Eucalyptus, Cinnamon

    Repelling Fleas with Essential oil

    To repel fleas, use the following essential oils

    Cedarwood, Citronella, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Lemongrass, Lavender, Orange, Pine, Rosemary

    Fly Repellent with Essential Oils

    To repel flies, use the following essential oils:

    Lemongrass, Lavender, Geranium, Peppermint, Basil, Spearmint

    Lice Repellant with Essential Oils

    To repel lice, use the following essential oils

    Cedarwood, Patchouli, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Spearmint, Tea Tree

    Essential Oil Mosquito Repellant

    To repel mosquitos use the following essential oils

    Citronella, Peppermint, Lemon, Basil, Clove, Thyme, Lemongrass, Geranium

    Moth Repellant with Essential Oil

    Use the following essential oils to repel moths

    Lavender, Cedarwood, Peppermint, Spearmint, Orange, Citronella, Hyssop

    Deter Spiders with Essential Oils

    Not a fan of spiders? Use these essential oils to repel them

    Peppermint, Tea Tree, Orange, Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Spearmint

    Essential Oil Repellant for Stink bugs

    Use the following essential oils to deter stink bugs:

    Peppermint, Cinnamon, Spearmint

    Essential Oil Tick Repellant

    Use the following essential oils to repel ticks

    Rose, Geranium, Juniper, Thyme, Grapefruit, Cedarwood, Lemongrass, Oregano

    Essential Oil Wasp Repellant

    Use the following oils to repel wasps

    Cinnamon, Black pepper, Clove, Geranium, Lemongrass

    Essential oil Weevil Repellant

    To repel weevils, use the following essential oils

    Cedarwood, Patchouli, or Sandalwood

    Getting rid of bugs with essential oils

    There you have it, a good list of essential oils to use to get rid of bugs. Remember, you can use these blends in a diffuser, or dilute them in water to make a spray.

    Are there other oils that could be added to this list? I'm sure there are. This is a compilation of the most effective from my research and experience so far.

    I tend to make a blend of Cedarwood, Peppermint, Lavender, Rosemary, and Cinnamon.

    Cedarwood Essential Oil100% Pure & Natural Essential Oils Peppermint Essential Oil100% Pure & Natural Essential Oils
    Lavender Essential Oil - 5ml100% Pure & Natural Essential OilsRosemary Essential Oil100% Pure & Natural Essential Oils
    Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil100% Pure & Natural Essential OilsBug Away Neat100% Pure & Natural Essential Oils

    This seems the trick for my house, but you may not like the particular scents or have different bugs to battle. The Bug Away blend from Rocky Mountain oils contains Citronella, Cedarwood Atlas, Lavender, Lemongrass, and Thyme, which is a great way to defeat general bugs, and then you don't have to worry about mixing your own blends.

    For more about essential oils check out my essential oil page.

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