Thread: Caterpillars eating my garden!

Here's a recipe I found on the net for killing bugs and caterpillars. I haven't tried it but it's mostly natural products, so fairly non-toxic. There's more information specifically pertaining to caterpillars on the site as well.

Garlic fire spray is the stuff of legend. There are many recipes, but they consist of some or all of the following: garlic, chilli peppers, soap, vegetable oil, kerosene and water. Don't leave home without a concoction of this. Depending on its strength it will slay dragons and ants (must have dragons if we mention legends)!

The brew I use at the moment is very effective and goes like this:

• 2-3 garlic bulbs (about 6-10 cloves per bulb)
• 6 large or 12 smaller hot chilli peppers (any variety will do, or if unavailable try 1-2 tablespoon hot chilli powder)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 squirts of liquid detergent (approximately 1 dessertspoonful)
• 7 cups water (Use about 2-3 cups in the blender, and top up with the rest later)

Put the whole lot into a blender and vitamize well, then strain through muslin, a coffee filter or similar. Pour what you need into a spray bottle for use and keep the rest in jars with lids on in a cupboard or on a shelf somewhere, well labeled. Experiment with it if necessary and check for results or any damage to young plants. If it fixes the problem and your plants are happy, you've got the perfect mix, but if there's still a few biggie pests, albeit struggling, then lower the water dilution rate or change the ingredient quantities slightly.

Lovely garlicky, pongy stuff, but the smell dissipates quickly once it's been sprayed around. This garlic fire mixture needs to be re-sprayed frequently, such as after rain and dew. It's best to spray every few days until there's no sign of pests, then about every week to 10 days for any eggs or larvae that may have hatched out.

Uses for this natural garden pest control are unlimited. Because it has oil and dishwashing liquid in it, it sticks to plants as well as suffocating pests such as scale and mealy bug. It will kill ants, aphids, caterpillars, grubs, bugs and just about anything small.

Organic Garden Pest Control

Natasha, we've just had a terrible caterpillar problem. They were eating our grass and our front garden was too far gone for the grass to regenerate so it all had to be replaced. We've also had caterpillars (different variety) in the palm trees which left them a little unsightly. The man who sprayed for the grass caterpillars used a chemical spray. I didn't ask him to use the spray Matsaleh gave the recipe for but should have. It works well for me and I've tried on a number of different plants. It works well in the veggie garden. It worked for the caterpillars in the palm trees. It works for aphids on our water lilies. I like it because it is organic, safe for our pets and us, and it works.