Pests That Will Scurry Away If You Use A Little Clove Oil

Fighting pests in your home and yard is a way of life. It can be incredibly frustrating when bugs start creeping into your garden, and even worse once they take over inside your four walls. Thankfully, there is one particular essential oil that's a great pest control option because it deters so many different critters. You don't need dozens of sprays, chemicals, or niche products when you can just rely on a little clove oil.

Clove is one of those essential oils that help you keep various types of pests at bay. It deters problematic animals thanks to eugenol, which is toxic. It also has a strong smell that repulses many other kinds of pests. Because of this, it's a great option to remove dozens of annoying insects and keep them far from your home and yard. If you have problems with ants, snakes, mosquitoes, cockroaches, or stink bugs, then keeping some clove oil around will definitely come in handy.

While it isn't necessarily toxic to pets unless they ingest a lot, proper dilution and using only a small amount are key to keeping pests away while ensuring you and your loved ones are safe. Adding more for a stronger mix may sound like a better option, but it isn't needed and will only hurt your household without being more effective against your pests.

For ants, a spray is the most effective. All you need is about 10 drops of clove oil per cup of water, mixed in a bottle. To keep them out of your yard, spray around where you regularly see them and potential places they could be coming in. If there are just one or two obvious areas where these ants are breaking into your home, you can also put a couple of drops of clove oil onto a cotton ball and place that right by the entrance. It will only kill ants if they come into direct contact with it; however, clove oil works at deterring ants by blocking scent trails.

It's worth mentioning that while this might work to repel some stray ants, it won't completely eliminate colonies. If you have a particularly determined group trying to make a home in or next to your house, you might need something heavier-duty. But if you can catch stray ants when they start appearing, diluted clove oil in some water can help them consider a different place to set up shop. You can also combine clove oil with other natural ways to get rid of ants for maximum effectiveness.

Additionally, you want to make sure that whatever is drawing them into your home is less enticing than the clove oil is bothersome. They may be looking for food or moisture. Before going to bed, make sure to close your trash can or throw out the bags and pick up any food.

Unfortunately, while clove oil does repel snakes, it's not as effective as one might hope. For it to work effectively, it has to be sprayed directly onto a snake. If done very carefully, it can also be heated up to fumigate a space and drive out snakes, but it doesn't necessarily work at keeping them away. However, it doesn't hurt to try. If you want to try and scare off snakes — or at least slow them down when it comes to them entering your yard — using a spray around the perimeter and applying it regularly might be a way to keep snakes out of your yard. Use one part clove oil, one part sodium lauryl sulfate, and 98 parts water in a spray mixture.

For a potentially more effective solution, you could also consider adding a bit of cinnamon. These natural ingredients, mixed and diffused indoors, have been known to repel snakes. You can also spray it around the border of your house or yard. You can mist snakes directly with the oils; however, you need to make sure the snake has plenty of space, as they will quickly try and flee, and you don't want to be in their way when they do.

Clove oil isn't always recommended as a mosquito repellent. This is because it works best when applied to your skin undiluted. However, clove oil can lead to some health issues if it's not diluted before putting it on the skin. By the time you have it at a safe level, it's not as useful against mosquitoes anymore.

Thankfully, there are other ways you can potentially use clove oil to keep away pesky mosquitoes. Instead of using it directly on your skin as a repellent, consider adding it to a mister or a diffuser. Add a few drops to your machine's water and put it in the area where you'll be sitting and hoping to keep away mosquitoes. Depending on how large your diffuser is, 10 to 15 drops should be perfect. If these bugs are getting into your home and causing problems, you can also place a few drops of oil on cotton swabs and set them around your windows and entranceways to get the best effect. You'll need to swap out the cotton swabs quite regularly, since the clove oil will only remain potent enough to repel for a few hours at a time.

Cockroach infestations are no joke. Once they get into your home, these pests are painfully hard to get rid of without filling up every room with dangerous chemicals. They're not just gross — they can be bad for your health. Thankfully, if you catch them early, you can try natural methods to get rid of them, such as using essential oils.

Like with other insects, clove oil works best when sprayed directly onto the cockroach. You can make a small bottle to keep around with you to spray any pesky bugs that are nearby. However, you can also use it as a way to entice the insects to find somewhere new to reside. The strong smell can help block the pheromones that cockroaches use to communicate. After diluting, hit areas where you come across the insects the most. Try to find out where they are getting in from as well, and spray that space heavily. Stuff cotton balls with a few drops of clove oil into cracks and openings as well to keep more from coming in and taking over your home.

However, you need to be careful focusing just on problem areas. If you eliminate them from only one space, they're likely to simply move to another room, worsening the problem rather than reducing it. In fact, aiming for a narrow approach is one of the common mistakes that make it harder to get rid of cockroaches. Instead, focus on removing them from your whole house at once.

The Journal of Applied Entomology published a study showing that certain essential oils, including clove, can repel stink bugs of any life stage. Though they are not dangerous to people, they are incredibly problematic, not only because of their smell but also due to the invasive nature of some species and their ability to destroy plants. Thankfully, clove oil can help with getting rid of them, especially in the house. Like the rest of the insects, direct spray, humidifiers, and cotton balls dabbed with the oil all work well at keeping them out of your home. You can also put some around your plants that regularly get attacked. However, clove oil can repel beneficial insects and harm other animals, so it's a good idea to use it sparingly.

Combine it with additional methods for the best results and to reduce the damage the oil does to beneficial insects. Garlic and mint are just two examples of other natural products that can repel stink bugs. Another effective method is to fill a dish with soap and water in a dark room and put a light directly over the trap.