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Natural Bug Spray Recipe
There are a number of great herbs and oils that have a long history of use as bug repellants. One of the oldest herbal bug spray blends is part of herbal lore now, and is often called “vinegar of the four thieves.” Supposedly, grave robbers from the black plague were caught and offered their freedom if they revealed their secret of avoiding the illness. This herbal blend in vinegar is a stinky and supposedly effective option for driving away bugs, germs and pestilence of all kinds. Or so the story goes!
Ingredients:
- 1 32 ounce bottle of raw vinegar with the mother
- 2 tablespoons dried or 1/4 cup fresh sage
- 2 tablespoons dried or 1/4 cup fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons dried or 1/4 cup fresh lavender flowers
- 2 tablespoons dried or 1/4 cup fresh mint
- 4-8 cloves of minced garlic (optional for stinkiest potency)
Directions:
- Add dried or fresh herbs to a half gallon jar or divide between two quart jars.
- Cover herbs with vinegar, and seal with a plastic lid (vinegar will corrode the metal lids)
- Allow to steep at room temperature, shaking it as often as you remember for up to 4 weeks.
- Vinegar may be strained off and used as a spritz or dabbed on much sooner than that- as soon as you can smell the herbal scent.
- To use as a bug repellent, pour 1/4 cup into an 8 ounce spray bottle, and add 1/4 cup water. Shake and spritz as needed.