Gardeners urged to put a bar of soap in the yard this summer — and it’s not as strange as it sounds

With the weather warming up, you might have spotted an increase in seasonal bugs invading your backyard.

And if you’re growing beautiful plants or vegetable crops, it’s always disheartening when they’ve been eaten away, or destroyed by pests.

While the first instinct would be to get out the pest repellents, there is a rather unusual method that is just as effective.

In fact, this common cleaning staple found in most households, is easy to use and is far cheaper. More importantly, this can help to keep pests at bay, and protect your plants.

So what is this rather unusual pest repellent?

Use soap to repel pests

It seems that soap can do much more than just clean your skin and make you smell fresh.

According to experts, soap is a great, non-toxic repellent in the garden to deter common pests including aphids, slugs, and mealybugs. This is because such destructive bugs hate the sweet fragrance and soap residue, and will either kill bugs on contact, or keep them far away.

What’s more, the soap disrupts the outer coating of soft-bodied bugs, which will suffocate and dehydrate them, causing them to die.

Unlike chemical-laden repellents, soap is generally safe to use around young children and pets (although we recommend checking with the specific brand you choose to use), and won’t cause any harm to plant growth.

Simply place a bar of lightly fragranced soap near your plants in your yard, or rub a little soapy residue onto leaves to prevent them from being munched on.

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This gentle soap is made from plant-based cleansers without heavy perfumes, parabens or harmful additives. Making this safe to use around the home and yard.

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How to make a soap spray

Alternatively, you could make a DIY soap spray that you can easily use around the yard.

“Soap spray is a great way to stop pests from eating your plants and expanding their population in your home,” states Joshua Houston, our Pest Control Expert at Household Quotes.

“To make it, all you need is a spoonful of liquid soap and water mixed into a spray bottle. Every household should already have these items in their homes, and it treats; mealybugs, beetles, whiteflies and aphid infestations.

It works by blocking the pores that they use to breathe, which eradicates the pest problem without using chemicals that can cause long-term damage to your home and garden.”

So, if you want to make sure your yard and beautiful plants remain pest-free this summer, the humble bar of soap may work wonders.

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