?

[lirazel]

Anybody know what people historically did to keep bugs away from their gardens/crops back before we started poisoning everything? Or if there are any modern insecticides/insect repellents that someone could make themselves with only basic chemistry skills?

Comments

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

There are some employing peppers (in fact planting peppers and garlic can help pests in certain combos. Same goes for marigolds). And there are things like beer traps for slugs.

Yeah there are some organic non-toxic insecticides (not as successful, but they work... to a degree).

I don't remember web sites right off the bat but google could be your friend on this topic.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Pepper is a really good idea, thanks.

My google-fu wasn't really working as much as I'd like. I found lots of products you can buy and lots of home remedy type things for keeping away bugs indoors, but I haven't found as much on keeping them out of gardens that is stuff someone who can't buy existing products would be able to access.

[diebirchen.livejournal.com]

Soap.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Aha! I can now google how to use it in those circumstances--I needed some more concerete ideas to help me with googling. Thank you!

[idlewilds3.livejournal.com]

My aunt uses tea leaves (after finishing drinking her tea) to keep the little buggers away from her orchids.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Another good suggestion! Thank you!

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Check with your local Library for books like this by Jerry Baker. He was famous for old time recipes for gardeners.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Thank you so much!

[snickfic]

Ladybugs eat aphids! That's why you can buy bunches of ladybugs to put on your rose bushes or whatever.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I do love ladybugs! I wonder if there are certain ways you could attract them and then keep them around your garden to eat aphids? I will look into this. Thanks!

[mangofandango.livejournal.com]

My SIL uses crushed up egg shells to keep slugs off her gardens, and it seems to help. (I can't do that, because my kiddo is allergic to eggs...but if you're not, it's a fine choice. :)) You can also use sprays made with soap, hot peppers, and other stuff that doesn't taste good, and spritz the leaves (Google would be able to tell you exactly how to do this, I just have a vague idea that it's something people do. :)) We mostly only have deck plants due to space issues, but we like ordering a praying mantis egg sac or 3 around this time of year, so that they hatch in late May and help control pests on the plants and in the tree right next to our deck. You won't see them once you release them unless you look very carefully, but some do tend to hang around!

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Awesome! That's very helpful! Thank you so much!

[une-jonquille.livejournal.com]

Also I have used cinnamon in the past to repel ants.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I hadn't heard of that one!

[charliebnim.livejournal.com]

put sugar+ water on a plate near but not that near the crops... insects are supposed to go there instead of the crops (not sure this works tho)

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'll look into that!

[gillo]

Try Googling "companion plants" - there were lots of traditional pairings. Soap/detergent - I remember my father spraying the roses with that, using an old brass stirrup pump. Strong smells like citronella, too - still used in candles to deter mosquitoes.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Oh, awesome! These are all great--thank you!

[mollivanders.livejournal.com]

We used to leave a few tins of beer out in the garden during the summer - turns out bugs and slugs are NOT teetotalers. They also don't swim.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Fascinating! Hadn't heard that one before!

[unipala.livejournal.com]

hi bb this is prob late and all but i think i've heard most of the stuff that goes wrong in agriculture now is bc people keep planting the same crops on the same fields year after another. they used to be switched up, so there would be a different crop or plant in the same place each year, often one that required different things than the last and that was consumed by other bugs etc. it helped the soil recover so there wasn't as much erosion problems etc and also since it wasn't the same crop each year bugs and birds and stuff relying on a specific crop didn't get used to the place and there wasn't a huge chance for them to like form giant populations etc? idk i heard this somewhere sorry i don't have links for u :(( but it makes a lot of sense tho??

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

It did make sense and that's really, really interesting!