[greeneyes]

I use a spray made of garlic, onions, cayenne pepper and a couple of drops of dish washing liquid to combat bugs. I saw a bug right after I had made it and squirted it directly figuring I could slow it down till I could squash it. Instead it ran like crazy for a few seconds, then rolled over dead less than 30 seconds.

The smelly garlic and onions wards off some bugs and confuses others. The hot pepper discourages squirrels. I was able to get through most of the season just using this. When my last batch was used up, I was really busy and did not get a chance to make any more. That and the dog days of August led me to use a little sevin on my beans.

My main reason for gardening is to be able to eat food that is mostly pesticide free, or at least applied carefully. Not to mention the better flavor and nutrition.

Next time I will try to remember to try a quick mix of soap and water.

[rightly_dividing]

I knew that some peppers would ward off bugs, but have not tried that yet. I have thought that maybe put some hot pepper, onion, or maybe a little Tabasco in some water, boil it to extract the active ingrediants, then add some soap after it cools. Just an idea.

[Red_Devil 232]

The reason your garlic mix works is the sulphur compounds found in garlic. They are deadly to some insects. Rember the old time pump sprayers and sulphur dust?

[rightly_dividing]

I was surfing another subject on the net and saw a link to this and immediatly thought about this subject from last weeks thread. I hope this gives you some good ideas.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Natural-Pest-Control/