DIY Garlic Spray Will Kill Bugs

Would you like to put together an organic DIY garlic spray that will kill bugs? Garlic is toxic to bugs. It also helps keep bacteria and fungus from harming your plants.

Garlic spray will repel most small flying or crawling insects.

In DIY Garlic Spray Will Kill Bugs, you can put together natural ingredients to deter bugs in your garden

In particular, garlic spray will work against aphids, mites, caterpillars, armyworms, cutworms, beetles, slugs, mosquitoes, and flies.

Rodents also hate the scent of garlic, just an FYI.

Sulfur, a compound found in garlic cloves, is what makes it work so well against pests.

Garlic is a biennial usually grown as an annual. It boasts many antibiotic and pest preventive properties as well as many health benefits when consumed.

Garlic spray is made up of four ingredients:  garlic, mineral oil, dish soap and water. 

Someone holding shoots of garlic with roots ready to be planted in the ground.

Garlic Spray Ingredients:

  • 3 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 liter water (33.8 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon liquid dish washing soap

Directions:

  • Combine the garlic and vegetable oil and leave to soak overnight.
  • Strain and add to the water along with the liquid soap.
  • Spray regularly.

It would be wise to test your spray on a small hidden part of your plant. Wait a day or two to make sure it does not damage the leaves. If the plant yellows where you sprayed it, further dilute your garlic spray.

Bugs like to hide underneath leaves, so be sure to spray there as well as on the top and stems. 

Backyard tip: Garlic spray will also kill beneficial insects, so use wisely and test plants first.

In DIY Garlic Spray Will Kill Bugs, you can purchase garlic at the store or grow it in your garden

Beneficial Bugs:

  • Lady bug (or lady beetle)
  • Green lacewing
  • Praying mantis
  • Aphid predator
  • Bumblebee
  • Ground beetles
  • Hoverflies

I don’t like to use chemicals in my garden space. They are harmful to us and to the environment. There are many DIY organic approaches to deter insects that we can use in our gardens.

And they’re so much safer than chemicals.

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I'm Brenda, creator of Cozy Little House. I live with my cat, Ivy, who keeps me laughing. I graduated from journalism school with a degree in professional writing and won awards for feature writing. I practice gratitude and enjoy my solitude. The glass is always half-full.

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19 Comments

  1. I’ve always heard bugs don’t like lemon scented things either, so I’d use a lemon scented soap in your recipe.

  2. Totally going to try this! I love natural remedies. Thanks for the recipe.

  4. Thanks Brenda…surely worth a try now that we live in “buggieville” NC!!

  5. Nice recipe. I like to use organic remedies if I can. I like your new format a lot. I do check back later in the day to read the comments and I did like how you could just click on the comments. Have a nice evening.

  6. I did not know about this recipe. Thank you for sharing, Brenda!

    1. Insects and rodents don’t like the strong smell of herbs or the pungent smell of garlic. I have a big line of cinnamon across the window sill behind my chair due to ants. It won’t kill them. But they hate it and will turn around and go in the other direction.

  7. Thank you Brenda:-) I noticed aphids on my zinnias this morning and I sprayed them down w the hose (it was already too hot/late in the morning to apply a product to the leaves) and tomorrow morning early I was going to use a Neem oil spray which has helped w them in the past. It is a decent sized patch of zinnias w about 100 stems and each stem has quite a few large leaves – no wonder aphids like chewing on them:-) I see quite a few ladybugs on the zinnias right now, so I do hesitate to use this formula; that being said it is good to make and have – last year the aphids left the zinnias and went over to the hydrangeas. I also have a lot of bees in my yard, especially on my Landy Banks rose bush, so I have to be careful w certain products there as well. Aphids are the bain of my garden! I am in zone 8B (South GA) so our gardening has been in full swing for several months already. Have a great day!

      1. Yes zinnias are quite photogenic aren’t they? I grew this bunch (100+ stems) from seeds and they are almost 3′ tall now & starting to bloom – but those darn aphids!!

  8. I buy granulated garlic to feed to my horses to keep flies and ticks off. My guys haven’t had a tick in years but the flies are just relentless around their ankles. I use a homemade fly repellent using Avon Skin So Soft but it’s a bit expensive to make. I’ve been thinking about trying a very light mixture of garlic spray for them. I think I’ll try making up this recipe and try it on my own arm before putting it on them. I’d rather hurt myself than them! Their vet has advised taking them off pasture until the grass isn’t so green (and how long will THAT be?) because they’re exhibiting tender footedness so I’d really hate to make them any more grouchy than they are already.

  9. I see small mice from time to time on my patio scrounging around for crumbs left over by the squirrels and they’ll also look for any left-over raisins that the robins are devouring by the pound this time of year. I don’t like the smell of garlic, I have a not very pleasant reaction to it. Maybe I’m part bug??? I will try stashing a small garlic bulb underneath the steps and see if that does anything. I rarely see the mice but I’m sure they’re around. Your area may be in for some severe weather, stay safe!

    1. Mice hate the smell of mint too. They keep saying we’re going to have bad weather and it never seems to appear. I need the rain for my garden. I’ve got to figure out some way to rig a hose to one of my faucets since they’re not inclined to turn on the water sprinklers. It’s hard to carry that heavy hose so far and around a giant tree with roots that go partway across the sidewalk and on the other side toward the wall of my apartment.

      1. Brenda I just wanted to mention this – last year I replaced my hoses w flexible ones and I personally love them so much. They are super light and when not expanded take up almost no space at all (see pic the hose is in a pretty tiny bag). Below is a WalMart link similar to the ones I bought on Amazon last year.The link is for a 50′ hose and it also comes in 100′. These (flexible) hoses have made gardening so much simpler and enjoyable for me so I wanted to mention them to you 🙂
        https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garden-Hose-50FT-75FT-100FT-Water-Hose-Hose-with-10-Function-Spray-Nozzle/1774985984

  10. Great recipe. I have all of these ingredient’s so I can make some up today! THANKS!

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