Since critters pop up a lot in the forum, I decided to get organized and give them a page. We had been talking about the gnats that invade wet house plant soil, fresh fruit and the compost collector, so here's a couple of tips. We can keep a twig of cracked bay leaves next to the compost-collection bucket, to keep them away. But I imagine that just shoos them off to go rooting around somewhere else in the house to breed. ack. So I have a more cunning plan Baldric. But it’s so bizarre, that I feel the need to post a pic of it. The black dots are the remains of the nasty gnats.



A little pot of Drosea, or ‘octopus plant’, also known as a ‘sundew’, does them in completely. It was looking hungry today, so I took it to a spot in the garden where some white flies had come to feed. Within a few hours, the little carnivore looked like it had been inside of a shaky snow globe.

O.K.or how about a quick spray of Orange Oil once or twice a day to keep the gnats away?? It is Organic or even better leave you citus peeling in the bucket of Kitchen scraps.....Oh, I forgot you and Gail don't cook???

So.... an orange a day keeps the gnats away! Lady Jane tries to eat one every day so as to have peelings for her flowerbeds. Someone told her it would keep the neighbor's cats from 'littering' up the beds. She isn't yet convinced. Now dead bodies are pretty convincing! There were some mosquitos glued to its leaves tonight. Could use about 50 more plants to take care of enough of them! right ?

About the compost stuff, when it gets left on the porch until 'someone' takes it down to the pile,,, the anglewinged butterflies come to it for a snack. I hear they are fond of old fruit, but mine seem to like tea leaves just as much!

I spray this potted thrip-invested daylily on the lower patio everyday with orange oil, it never ends. Getting sick of the smell! DE also needed constant applications there without putting an end to it all.

and about the kitchen thing David ... Oranges don't need cooking ;-l

True, Maggie, but they do require a trip to the grocery store...another thing I avoid. For that reason alone, my husband never has to worry about ME getting rid of HIM. He'll buy ANYTHING at the grocery store, so I rarely have to go. Lucky me!

I love the dead gnats lying pix! It looks like it's as much fun as pouring salt on a slug to watch it shrivel and die! Such satisfaction for a gardener. When I get a batch of gnats in the house, I sprinkle baking soda on top of the soil of my potted plants. David, have you found an inexpensive source for your orange oil or are you making your own?

Gail, NO and No to your questions....Orange Oil is not cheap!! and to make my own.....I am to lazy!!!

Speaking of orange oil, do any of you use it for cleaning anything? It's supposed to be "economical" because you dilute it so much for cleaning, but I've found that I just use more because I like the way it smells and, psychologically, I know it's mostly water and feel the need to really use a lot! I have kinda mixed feelings about its cleaning abilities, but I don't clean anything often enough to be considered an "expert."

I have a friend who has used it on her carpets indoors when her big dog had fleas. She said she had already bombed the house (she's not quite organic, despite my efforts) and the fleas just acted as though they enjoyed it. The only thing that worked was spraying all the carpets with an orange oil mixture!

I have made my own orange oil before. . . kept all citrus peels for months in a big baggie in freezer, then when I had enough I soaked them in water for a few days, then poured the liquid on a fire ant pile. I swear they just looked at me as though I were stupid and then went about their business. I haven't made my own since.

I guess the orange peels need to be distilled to separate the oil for a potent enough fire ant bomb. Since it takes so much bulk to extract a small ratio of oil, that would explain its high price.
But I have great news guys, about that pot of thrip infested daylily - I've been squirting *dead* bugs !!! I hosed it down after griping about it - and so far, no new ones! The diluted orange oil seems to have worked after all - although the DE did not, earlier this year. Gee, didn't think to take their vitals.

Here's an update on the orange oil. The dilution I was using on the patio daylily had been mixed up in a plastic spray bottle, last summer. I was complaining about being sick of the smell, and now I know why. It had 'gone off' - not a horrible smell, just not as pleasant as it should be. A fresh batch is once again enjoyable to use. I wonder if it had lost potency as well?

Maggie, was it mixed with anything else or just diluted orange oil?

Ya know, it was made so along ago that I don't remember. Yet, I can't imagine what I would put in with it, on purpose. It was a new, not recycled spray bottle, so I know there wasn't any residue from previous contents. But I have been wondering if the plastic reacted with the acid of the orange oil, after all those months. Sounds possible?

Considering I did smell what was in the spray bottle!!!! I vote that it was a mixture of Old Orange Oil(that the sun had baked all Summer long) and essence of Plastic spray bottle....Man, was that smell ever ripe??? I think I can still smell it right now??

Yep Dave, I'm thinking it would have made as good a bug deterrent as garlic spray! And isn't it strange how the containers get 'sucked in' until the lid is opened. I can't decide how else to describe that, but even the plastic bottles on store shelves do it. Anyone know what's going on in there?

I have used orange oil this past year to control mosquitos in public areas during outdoor events at my business. I spray shrubs, grass and plants, avoiding blossoms so as not to harm butterflies. I've been very satisfied with the results. I haven't tried it for gnats, but I will. It is also a great room freshener when a few drops are put into steaming water.

Hi Alice, thanks for that tip. I will def try it next year. My garden will smell like an orange grove!

Since I posted the above gripe about some O oil plastic bottles seeming to melt, I spoke with Marshall Grain folks in Ft. Worth about it. They too had had that problem with some they'd had bottled for the store. Turns out the bottling co. did not use the type of plastic that was specified on the order, and sure enough - the shipment began leaking as the o oil degraded the cheaper plastic. Now we know why it seemed like some o oils melt plastic bottles and some do not -The proof is in plastic :-}