D-limonene is a compound found in oranges and lemons that can be found in its peel and zest. It is an effective insect repellent. D-limonene is found in many commercial eco-friendly insect repellants as well as a component in many citrus essential oils.
According to chef and garden expert Laura Ritterman, pests are repelled by the smell of citrus that lives on your leftover peel, and thus deters them. 'Orange peels are great for your garden, as they can help to add nutrients to your soil – aiding in the growth and maintenance of your plants,' Laura explains.
Use orange peel spray on your plants
'Spray this every 3-4 days to get rid of pests like slugs, aphids, ants, whiteflies, and fruit flies – and to keep them away,' Kevin says.
Some fruit flies may be attracted to ripe oranges due to their sweet smell and taste, but other than that, oranges are not a likely target for most bugs.
Many insects such as roaches, ants and silverfish do not care for the scent of orange oil and will avoid it. Placing bits of orange peel or zest around the garden repels flies and mosquitoes. Rubbing orange peel on the skin is a home remedy for preventing mosquito bites.
Keep insects away with peppermint oil. Before you reach for the chemical-laden bug spray and store-bought insect repellents, there's a natural solution you can try—peppermint. Insects hate peppermint.
Boric acid Some people find this to be the best option to kill roaches. Boric acid can work too, the only downside is that sometimes roaches will go away as soon as they smell boric acid.
If you have oranges at home and you tend to throw the peels, better stop doing it, especially if you have spiders at home. Orange peels help in repelling spiders, and it will not cost you much. The crawling insect is not friends with citrus scents, and it can be the most effective solution for your problem.
Nootkatone is a naturally occurring organic compound found in grapefruit peels. This compound like D-limonene is also quite against insects specifically mosquitoes and ticks.
Rats and mice feed on a variety of fruits including oranges, avocados, peaches, lemon, and figs. They are fond of walnuts, almonds, and peanut butter. All fallen fruit and nuts should be regularly removed and discarded in the trash. Rodents also feed on bird seed, snails, garden vegetables and dog droppings.
You may love the smell of fresh citrus, but cockroaches hate the scent. That means you can use citrus scented cleaners in your kitchen and bathroom to chase any lingering roaches away. You can also keep a few citrus peels around your home in strategic places.
It's easy to keep spiders away using natural products. These eight-legged creatures hate the smell of citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges. They also don't like peppermint oils, tea tree oils, eucalyptus, and vinegar. Using any of these around your home will keep spiders away.
However, be we urban or rural dwellers, we are not the only creatures that enjoy the ripe fruit hanging on our trees. Rattus rattus, the naked-tailed roof rat, a nonnative but ubiquitous local resident, has a fondness for many of our backyard fruits with a special affinity for oranges.
Eating garlic has proven to scare off the bugs! The only problem is the bugs might not be the only thing you scare off. Garlic, like onions, is made out of a sulfur component that bugs run from. Adding a little to your food each day may be helpful, especially when you are cooking outside!
Scale Insects
A variety of scale insect species feed on orange trees—including the Florida red, California red, and citrus snow scale. Don't be fooled by this armored pest's microscopic size. These orange tree pests present some of the greatest threats to your trees.
A food-safe way to get rid of ants is to use citrus, like lemons, oranges or grapefruit. D-limonene, the acidic oil found in the peels, oil is toxic to ants (so it will kill them on contact) and it messes up their trail, so live ones won't be able to find the food source.
What Smells Keep Spiders Away? Many odorous plants will do a great job of keeping spiders away. Citrus, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Peppermint, you name it — if it has a strong smell, it likely comes from one of the many plants that spiders hate.
Mosquitoes hate the smell of lavender, citronella, clove, peppermint, basil, cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass and rosemary. They also hate smells such as smoke, for further insight, see our exploration on, does smoke keep mosquitoes away?
Many insects are averse to citrus smells, but drawn to sugar. That's why you want to stick to only using the peels — the juice of the orange could attract more insects than the citrus can repel! Simply rub the peel on spaces you think insects might be invading, such as a windowsill or cabinet.
Grape arbors (the supports between grapevines) provide really great support systems for spider webs—they're perfect for cobweb-building spiders like the black widow—and the grapes make great hiding places.
What Smell Attracts Spiders? The stinky smell of sweaty socks might repulse humans, but scientists now find it enthralls mosquitoes and spiders. The odor apparently helps the creatures hunt down their victims — the mosquitoes want to feed on people, while the spiders prefer to devour the mosquitoes.
Plants provide cover that helps to protect spiders from predators, so perhaps the colour green makes spiders feel safe even when they are out in the open. By contrast, spiders seem to hate the colour blue, especially light blue.
Sprinkle boric acid in areas the roaches frequent; when they walk through it, it sticks to them. They later ingest the boric acid, which then kills them. When using boric acid, be sure to limit your exposure; don't place it anywhere that children or pets might find it, as it's toxic when ingested.
Cockroach predators include mammals, avians, amphibians and other reptiles. For example, hedgehogs will eat roaches. Joining the roach à la mode dinner party are geckos, skinks and other species of lizards, frogs, turtles, some types of birds and even rats and mice.
Sugar. Sugar is by far the most attractive substance to a cockroach. They love sugar and can smell it from anywhere. This means you'll want to keep your sugar containers, fruits, and other sweeteners sealed in air-tight containers that are up off the floor.