12 Common Pests That Will Scurry Away After Catching The Smell Of This Kitchen Essential

Whether you're managing pests inside your home or around your yard and garden, they are a year-round issue. Waiting to treat a pest problem until it's a widespread or you have a severe infestation on your hands will take much more work and money to resolve. Dealing with it promptly or, better yet, preventing it altogether is the preferred route. This is where employing pest deterrents can help. One possible deterrent against some common pests may already be in your kitchen: garlic.

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a flowering plant that's also known for its pungent smell. It's not just humans that notice this scent — a variety of pests big and small do not care for the smell of garlic and might steer clear of it in plant, clove, or oil form. You might be able to deter garden pests naturally with this essential kitchen ingredient. Before you start planting garlic or placing cloves all around your property, there are a few caveats to be aware of. For one, garlic is not safe around some pets, such as cats, dogs, and horses. You should not use it in areas where they might be exposed to it or eat it. Also, while garlic oil sprays can be used on plants, these should be diluted to prevent phototoxicity. Finally, garlic should not be relied on as your only pest management option, especially for severe infestations.

Mosquitoes are a common pest that can spoil any warm weather activity. Before you resort to chemical deterrents, you may be able to use garlic to your advantage. It's possible to use garlic spray around your yard or garden to repel mosquitoes because they dislike its sulfur compounds. The pungent smell may keep these flying insects away for several days or weeks, but you will likely need to reapply after rainfall or irrigation.

Pill bugs, also known as roly-polys, aren't considered problematic in small numbers. However, infestations can occur around vegetable gardens and some of their other favorite plants, such as daisies, zinnias, and hostas. Pill bugs might be deterred naturally by planting garlic nearby vulnerable plants. Alternatively, using a garlic oil and water spray in your home at key entry points may work against pill bugs temporarily.

If you're seeing large holes in the leaves or flowers of your plants with no visible pest nearby, you could be dealing with slugs. These pests are easy to spot when you can catch them, but they tend to hide during the day to stop them drying out. You can try using a targeted garlic spray on the plants they're eating as a deterrent — add two tablespoons of garlic oil to five liters of water. Test it on a small area first to avoid phytotoxicity.

If you have an active cockroach infestation, it's always best to work with a pest control expert to remedy the problem. On the other hand, you may be able to use natural solutions, specifically garlic powder, to help prevent roach issues. Try sprinkling the spice around your home's entry points, such as near doors and windows, as well as inside cabinets and pantries.

Squirrels are fascinating rodents that can also wreak havoc around a yard and garden. They steal seeds, nuts, and berries. It can be challenging to deter squirrels — these natural acrobats easily find their way onto your property. Garlic is one unexpected scent that could be the key to keeping squirrels out of your garden, per anecdotal reports. They may leave garlic plants, gloves, and areas sprayed with garlic oil alone because they dislike the strong smell.

Aphids are tiny insects that aren't always harmful. When you're dealing with a large infestation, however, aphids can stunt plant growth. A garlic oil-containing insecticidal spray is one possible organic solution to a severe aphid problem. When going this route, spray the entire plant early or late in the day. Avoid using it if temperatures are expected to exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit within a few hours of applying the product.

Japanese beetles are invasive pests that can wreck a home garden. They're known to attack almost any plant, feasting on fruit, leaves, and flowers until the plant is destroyed. While these pests are notoriously difficult to control, you might consider growing garlic in your garden as part of a comprehensive Japanese beetle management strategy. The pungent smell may be effective in repelling them to some degree.

Ants purportedly don't care for garlic. Garlic is thought to mask their trails and confuse them, so ants will try to avoid the substance when they can. A 2022 study published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research International found the substance particularly effective for red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) workers. You can use garlic powder, garlic oil and water in a spray bottle, or whole cloves of garlic. Apply the product around entryways or inside cabinets as a way to help manage ant infestations.

Ticks hide out in tall grass and overgrown backyards. From there, they crawl onto any animal or human that brushes past them. One possible natural method of control is with garlic oil. These come in the form of sprays you apply directly on your lawn. Keep in mind, however, that these products are largely unregulated and are not designed for use on skin or clothes. Of course, tick bites can lead to serious health issues, so make sure you combine natural remedies with proven chemical repellents, like those containing  DEET.

As much as you might appreciate the beauty of deer, they can arguably be your worst nightmare when you have a garden. Hungry deer can easily destroy a number of different plants, but thankfully there are some they don't target as much as others. This includes pungent plants like garlic. Alternatively, garlic oil can be applied around plants to help save them from deer, though this method isn't appropriate for edible plants. Also, hungry deer might get desperate enough to eat any plants.

If you have a peach tree, you might know how prone this plant is to pest issues. Perhaps the most notorious is the peachtree borer, whose larvae damage a tree's roots and trunk. Unfortunately, seeing signs of these borers usually indicates irreversible tree damage. Garlic is a common veggie you should plant near your peach tree for a thriving garden. As a companion plant, garlic is thought to help deter peachtree borer — and other pests — thanks to its strong-smelling foliage.

It's important not to look over wild rabbits — they can occasionally be a nuisance in a garden by eating your plants. Exclusionary strategies like fencing are the best option for deterring hungry bunnies. However, you could also consider planting garlic (and other members of the allium family) as a garden border to bolster your prevention strategy. Garlic is toxic to these animals, and they instinctively know to avoid it. Another option is to spray garlic oil around your garden.