Peppermint oil as a wasp-killing agent
May. 7th, 2013 10:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfsLet's not kid ourselves here. Pure peppermint oil, despite the GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) statement on the Peppermint Oil MSDS, is a fairly powerful irritant and mild corrosive. It's still a nasty chemical when concentrated, and it can do a lot of damage to sensitive tissues.
But it smells nice. And it's gotta be better than phenthrin or tetramethrin.
Which is why my wasp-nest killing spray of choice is 1 oz of peppermint oil, 4 oz of Dr. Bronner's soap (peppermint or plain), and water to fill a spray bottle to 16 oz. The soap helps keep the oil in suspension. As night falls, it gets cooler and the wasps get sluggish. Get as far away as your spray bottle can reach from your target (I use a pretty heavy-duty one with a ten-foot range), shake the bottle gently (you want it mixed, but not frothy), then hit the nest until you've soaked the paper and run like hell. You will kill most of them, seriously injure and piss off a few (hence the running), and they'll never be able to return to that nest again.
It's about double the cost of Raid Wasp & Hornet Killer, and it doesn't come with the same guarantees, but I definitely prefer my solution over theirs.
But it smells nice. And it's gotta be better than phenthrin or tetramethrin.
Which is why my wasp-nest killing spray of choice is 1 oz of peppermint oil, 4 oz of Dr. Bronner's soap (peppermint or plain), and water to fill a spray bottle to 16 oz. The soap helps keep the oil in suspension. As night falls, it gets cooler and the wasps get sluggish. Get as far away as your spray bottle can reach from your target (I use a pretty heavy-duty one with a ten-foot range), shake the bottle gently (you want it mixed, but not frothy), then hit the nest until you've soaked the paper and run like hell. You will kill most of them, seriously injure and piss off a few (hence the running), and they'll never be able to return to that nest again.
It's about double the cost of Raid Wasp & Hornet Killer, and it doesn't come with the same guarantees, but I definitely prefer my solution over theirs.
