Keeping unwanted visitors out of your home can be a challenge. Many insect repellants contain harsh chemicals or strong odors that you don’t want to hang around your home. Fortunately, experts say there might be a harmless solution to your bug problem in your spice cabinet. Read on to find out which spice works as a natural insect repellent and to find any signs that you are already dealing with an infestation. If you smell this in your bedroom, bed bugs can appear.
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Put away your sticky insect traps and stop spending money on insect repellent spray. Experts say that cinnamon can keep a wide variety of different creepy crawlers away. “Ground cinnamon is a natural repellent against carpenter ants and other insects that can run around the kitchen,” says the pest control expert Jordan Foster.
Cinnamon is considered a natural insect repellent because “insects and other pests don’t like the smell of cinnamon and don’t like the powdery texture,” explains the pest control expert Natalie Barrett. “You can use cinnamon in any indoor or outdoor setting as a protection against pest infestation.” According to Barrett, cinnamon not only scares off ants, but also cockroaches, spiders, fruit flies, rats, wasps, earwigs, silverfish, mosquitoes and even bed bugs. And for a crush that might get in your way, if you see this in your yard, you’re preparing for a bug invasion, USDA says.
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Foster suggests sprinkling some cinnamon in the kitchen to prevent cockroaches from multiplying. President of WikiLawn Lawn Care And Bailey recommends using cinnamon sticks as opposed to ground cinnamon, “because the sticks have a higher oil concentration and therefore a stronger smell”.
Bailey adds that if you want to increase effectiveness, you can microwave your sticks with about a tablespoon of water. Heat for 15 seconds or until scented. Many insects have a very keen sense of smell and a pungent odor. Cinnamon is a great deterrent. “If you don’t want raw cinnamon lying around your house, you can also try cinnamon essential oils or highly scented candles. And for dreaded bugs making a big return, those terrible bugs you forgot are coming back soon, warning Annihilator.
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Not only do insects dislike the smell of cinnamon, but the spice also contains eugenol, a chemical compound often found in other insect repellants. “Eugenol is a naturally occurring aromatic compound primarily derived from cloves and used as a flavoring. As a pesticide, it has many uses,” according to the New York State Integrated Pest Control Program at Cornell University. “The EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] Eugenol could be used as an active ingredient in pesticides with minimal risk due to its long exposure to humans and its safe use as a food ingredient. “Eugenol is also found in cloves, nutmeg, and basil. Sign up to your inbox for our daily newsletter.
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Giving out cinnamon could be a good trick to keep the bugs at bay until you find a more permanent solution, but you shouldn’t lean on it forever. Professional cleaner Nick Wilkesmann said that while cinnamon may keep the bugs out of certain areas, they’ll likely wander to a different part of the house without the off-putting smell. “It’s just not practical to use cinnamon everywhere,” he says. If you have a serious insect problem, it’s a good idea to call an exterminator. And for mistakes that will soon pop up in droves: If you live here, prepare for a severe insect infestation, warns expert.
