Tweet Pin It How to Get Rid of Pests Naturally with Mint Tea

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Bugs. Yuck. I'm a girl when it comes to pesky critters that are arthropodic in nature. I love the outdoors and don't mind getting my hands dirty, but I LOVE to come inside where it's critter free (; Don't get me wrong...I'm not one of those squealers who gets woozy at the sight of bugs, I just do an icky dance for a second and then take care of business.

Our previous apartment had roaches twice a year, only during the times when our complex would put down new mulch in the beddings. These weren't the little creepy, scurrying kind you see on those bug extermination commercials...these were the big kahunas resembling something created by the Syfy channel. Well...maybe not THAT bad, but they were big!

Only one roach would infiltrate our compound each fall and spring season, but one was enough for me! Other than those two times, we would be bug free for the rest of the year. The good thing is that we knew when and where to expect them. Our deck was on the first floor and surrounded by mulch...no doubt why we had a visitor twice a year. Each time we saw the gardening crew putting down new mulch, we knew to be on the lookout. I was tired of lying in wait and decided to take a proactive approach.

After studying aromatherapy for several years, I knew that mint essential oil could be used as a roach deterrent and that it's a primary ingredient in several non-toxic roach sprays. The roaches avoid it and when coated with it, they suffocate. I also knew that ants stay away from the stuff too which is why we never had ants in our pantry (we always had a large paper bag filled with dried mint that we used in recipes, to make teas and bath soaks).

I didn't have any mint essential oil, but decided to get creative with the dried mint on hand.

Here are the steps I took...

1. I filled several cotton muslin bags with the dried mint - using one bag to make a strong mint tea and setting the others aside.

2. A tea was brewed by steeping one of the stuffed muslin bags for 30 minutes.

3. After the tea was made, it was cooled and then poured into a spray bottle full strength.

4. Dry mint leaves were generously sprinkled all over the cement deck floor and the mint tea spray was used to liberally coat the door frame (I even sprayed the outside of the door for good measure).

5. Once that was done, the remaining muslin bags were placed along the threshold for added mint fragrance inside the home. Curtains covered this area, so it wasn't noticeable at all.

I thought this might work, but wasn't totally convinced.  And wouldn't you know it...we never had roaches again! Yes!!! So, if you're having roach or ant issues, turn to a natural option instead of a chemical one. The solution could be as close as brewing a cup of tea (;

Do you have any natural solutions for controlling pests that have worked for you?

{This post shared at The Chicken Chick}

With Gratitude,

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