No Bad Bugs
This is a different approach than our Squash bug solution. You can read that article here – Squash Bugs and Ways to Deal with Them. That approach works well for more than just Squash bugs, so give this recipe and that one a try to see what works for your garden! You might also like some of our solutions detailed in Heirloom Tomato Growing Tips that shows several methods of deflecting insects, nematodes and blight, mildew and other assorted fungi that love our tomatoes.
It needs to be mentioned that spending time in your garden and getting to know who lives there is extremely valuable, as then you’ll know when some shady character moves in. You might still be taken by surprise when you discover a colony of insects chomping on your squash, tomatillo or tomato plants; but you’ll know with certainty that they weren’t there last night or the morning before. This knowledge is valuable, as this helps in choosing which methods to use and how aggressive to apply them.
Here is another recipe for a broad-based insect repellent for your garden. This is a pretty concentrated recipe, so test spray a small area before soaking the whole garden. You can always dilute it with more water if you find it is too aggressive for your plants. The concentrate dilutes with anywhere from a quart to a gallon of water. If your bugs are really difficult and numerous, dilute with a quart of water. Use a gallon if the unwanted critters are just starting to show up!
Home Garden Bug Solution 
- 1 onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbs Tabasco sauce or other hot pepper sauce
- 1 tsp liquid soap
- Cut up onion and garlic, put into blender with water and puree.
- Strain solids out, combine liquid with remainder of ingredients.
- Spray on top and underside of leaves and anywhere else damaging bugs are found.
Recipe Tip! To make even more aggressive, add 1 tsp of Cayenne or crushed red chili flakes to blender mixture.
This will chase off all bugs that it comes in contact with, so be sure to use sparingly and only on areas that are showing undesirable insects. Once you see a reduction in the insect population or an increase in plant health, reduce the amount and number of times the bug solution is applied.
You say this works with all bugs, but grasshoppers seem to defy all the non toxic ways I have tried. Have you noticed whether this works on hoppers for you? I am at my wits end with hoppers and short of letting the chickens in the garden, I’m about ready to scream.
Carolyn, I’ve seen several farmers in Nebraska use a milk solution to drive away soft bodied insects. They use 3-5 gallons per acre. For a home gardener, a 20% milk solution (2 cups of milk to 8 cups of water) foliar sprayed every couple of days works well for some gardeners. Whole milk works best, but any milk will do. The sugars in the milk act as a pesticide for soft bodied insects. Otherwise, try the Squash Bug recipe for its smothering effects.
How much water should one start with for your bug spray?
Sorry about that, Linda! I corrected it. It should be a dilution of anywhere from a quart of water for really tenacious bugs to a gallon for milder infestations.
I see it’s an old post, but I thought I would reply to Carolyn anyhow…
I live in the Northeast and have not had any problems with grasshoppers, I have read about people using “kaolin clay” or “Surround WP” to control grasshoppers. It is an organic item that coats the leaves with a white film and confuses the grasshoppers.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Chris!