How to naturally deter bugs without harming kids
Pests like bees and flies near house shrubs can be safely discouraged without resorting to harmful chemical products. Using non-toxic methods allows homeowners to protect their plants while keeping children safe from dangerous residues.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
- This comes up 214.4× more often in r/gardening than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Leaving the insects alone if they are just bees and fliesDid this help you?
- 2Identifying the specific types of insects before taking actionDid this help you?
- 3using live traps followed by euthanasia or giving them to a local falconerDid this help you?
- 4using a suppressed air rifle to reduce noiseDid this help you?
- 5Using Squirrel Stopper from Home DepotDid this help you?
- 6Applying cayenne pepperDid this help you?
- 7Using a pellet gunDid this help you?
- 8Using live traps (Wilco squirrel traps) baited with chicken scratchDid this help you?
- 9Using natural remedies like soapy water, peppermint oil, and lemongrass oil sprayDid this help you?
- 10Waiting for sprays to dry completely before allowing pets in the areaDid this help you?
- 11Sealing potential entry points to prevent pests from getting insideDid this help you?
- 12Using professional botanical products like Essentria ICPro or Ecovia ECDid this help you?
- 13Sprinkling diatomaceous earthDid this help you?
- 14Spraying plants with BTDid this help you?
- 15Putting down slug pelletsDid this help you?
- 16Setting rat traps outDid this help you?
- 17Installing physical barriers like nettingDid this help you?
- 18Using light row coversDid this help you?
- 19spraying plants with water and dish soapDid this help you?
- 20wiping or squishing the pests by handDid this help you?
- 21buying ladybugs from a hardware store to eat themDid this help you?
- 22letting natural predators like lacewings handle themDid this help you?
- 23waiting for winter freezing temperatures to kill them naturallyDid this help you?
- 24Building a wooden frame with mesh stapled to it and placing it over the plantDid this help you?
- 25Using a mesh enclosure that covers the topDid this help you?
- 26Applying capsaicin spray, though it requires constant reapplication and is less reliableDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Help!! Our broccoli has been getting absolutely demolished by something every night and we can’t figure out what it is.”source ↗
“We have had diatomaceous earth sprinkled around, sprayed with BT, and have slug pellets down, rat traps out but still getting hit with something.”source ↗
“They're EVERYWHERE. I am so disgusted. Please help before I give up and get a flamethrower”source ↗
“I keep moving the ladybug babies over to them when I find em, but I've never seen this many aphids in my garden before”source ↗
“Just did, but I could swear they all kept moving... do they die slowly with this method? Is pink Dawn sufficient?”source ↗
“I have still some lemon left. How to protect from... squirrel, rabbit..”source ↗
“How can I naturally deter bugs without damaging these? We have kids so preferably without harmful products.”source ↗
“Any serious, legitimate recommendations/solutions besides cayenne pepper and/or pellet gun? That’s all I’ve seen online but looking for safer solution as we have dogs and don’t want them exposed to the pepper.”source ↗
“I am not a gun owner, and have very little experience here.”source ↗
“Is it safe to be shooting an air rifle in my back yard here? Both of my neighbors have kids.”source ↗
“Would you recommend getting an air rifle? Also how would you be executing these rodents, if you think an air rifle is not a good choice?”source ↗
“I’d like to spray an actual pesticide that will kill them, as they are getting in the house and dive-bombing my face with alarming accuracy.”source ↗
“I’m concerned as we have dogs and a cat that regularly are on the deck area where the stink bugs are the worst. What can I use that won’t be harmful to the pets?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 17How to stop chipmunks from digging holes near your foundation
- 2How to stop weeds between fences and sheds without chemicals
- 3How to keep spiders off your porch without killing them
- 4How to stop rabbits from digging up your yard
- 2How to keep bugs away from front porch light
- 17How to keep palmetto bugs from coming upstairs from the attic