garlic cayenne spray for critters and bugs

Annie Kate

Chipmunks have eaten all our strawberries, stripped some of the melons and parsley, and probably also the newly emerging carrots. And, after our dogs died, I am concerned about wild rabbits. So I found this:

https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Garlic-Garden-Spray#aiinfo

So yesterday I bought lots of cheap garlic, a huge bag of cheap cayenne, and cooked up a batch; it has to steep for a bit yet and then I will strain it. And my husband bought me a 2 gallon sprayer so I can spray it easily.

With that sprayer I will look like a conventional gardener with pesticides etc and fit right in with the round-up-ready farming community we live in. 😉

Annie Kate

Also, while waiting for that to steep, I sprinkled cayenne on all the plants that the chipmunks like. Hopefully the plants will be safe, but I'm concerned about the chipmunks' mouths. Poor things, they won't know where to go with all that heat.

Michelle D

I really need to try this. All of my usual pest deterrents don't seem to be working this year. We are supposed to have rain here for the next several days. I will probably wait until it is dry conditions.

@Annie Kate please let us know how it works out for you.

Annie Kate

I sprayed it this morning. The chipmunks seem agitated. We have rain for the next several days, too, so I stored the rest of the spray in the fridge and plan to use it later.

It sure felt funny to be washing my new sprayer--I always associate sprayers with poisonous chemicals--in the kitchen sink!

My friend's husband buys garlic spray (with no cayenne) and uses it around his property line for ticks and mosquitoes. He dresses up in full protective gear and uses a big backpack sprayer to do a 4 foot wide swath.

annbeck62

I just bought a pound bag of cayenne to use to deter pests. Maybe I'll add some garlic too.

kbmbillups1

I like the garlic water spray. I used it all last summer. I made some cayenne pepper spray recently but I guess I got a little happy with it because it clogged up the sprayer. I buy the suet feeder squares with cayenne pepper in them so I know it keeps squirrels away! They are terrible and steal my bird feeder so I only use those hot suet squares now. I don't feel sorry for them at all. They have taken my bird feeder before and drug it into the woods!

Annie Kate

https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/comment/899483#Comment_899483

@kbmbillups1 I strained the steeped mixture through many layers of cheesecloth, so I suppose that's why my sprayer did not clog up.

Do the cayenne suet squares not bother the birds? I have never heard of them, but it would be a great thing. I'd mix the seeds with cayenne then, too.

kbmbillups1

No the birds can't taste the cayenne pepper. They happily eat it. I tired mixing it with the bird seed but it for the squirrels in my yard the seeds would have to be coated in cayenne! They are terrible!

Recently huge black birds the size of my cat have been coming to my suet feeder. Unfortunately they can eat the entire thing in no time.

Annie Kate

I've seen bird feeders surrounded by a 'cage' of wire netting that only allowed small birds in . That could solve both of your problems.