Does Cinnamon Repel Roaches?
Several scents that appeal to most humans deter pests from going to a property. For instance, cinnamon may remind you of a warm, freshly baked apple pie or gooey sticky buns. However, you may question does cinnamon repel insects and roaches?
Does Cinnamon Repel Insects?
Certain insects are repulsed by cinnamon and will keep them away or cause them to vacate the area. It’s believed that the strong odor of the spice is what deters these insects from wanting to go near a place with cinnamon.
Keep in mind that you sprinkle a bit of cinnamon down, you can keep away a variety of pests, including the following:
- Ants
- Wasps
- Earwigs
- Mosquitoes
- Spiders
- Silverfish
- Fruitflies
- Flies
- Bedbugs
While you’re in the process of keeping away insects, you might also deter mice from coming around as well.
What Does Cinnamon Do to Roaches?
First and foremost, you should know that cinnamon doesn’t attract roaches. Additionally, while the cinnamon essential oil is toxic to certain insects, such as flies and fruitflies, cinnamon isn’t toxic to cockroaches. Instead, the cinnamon causes the cockroaches to leave an area. It will also deter cockroaches from coming to a place.
The scent of cinnamon is overwhelming, and cockroaches have a keen sense of smell. For one, the scent of cinnamon is overpowering to them. For two, they’re not fond of the smell in general.
How Do You Make Cinnamon Bug Spray?
Although you can sprinkle cinnamon or lay down a line of cinnamon to repel roaches and other bugs, another method is to make a cinnamon bug spray. Fortunately, if you like the scent of cinnamon, this prevention method is a good one. Plus, it’s non-toxic to cats and dogs. Additionally, cinnamon is safe to be around children. A cinnamon allergy is rare, and even if your child would ingest some, the worst that would happen is an upset stomach.
To make cinnamon bug spray, all you need is a spray bottle, cinnamon essential oil, and water. Fill the bottle with the desired amount of water. As a general rule, you should combine 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon essential oil for every four ounces of water.
Despite the mixture containing an oil, it won’t harm your clothing or upholstery when it’s diluted to this extent. You can even spray the mix on your skin, and it won’t harm you. However, when working with concentrated oil, it can irritate your skin if you come in direct contact with it.
What Smells Keep Roaches Away?
Besides cinnamon, you may wonder what other scents you can use to repel cockroaches. Bay leaves are one option. The leaves themselves don’t exude a strong enough odor to keep cockroaches at bay, though. You must crush the leaves to release the oils to make the aroma intense enough for this remedy.
Garlic will help keep your home roach-free. Ideally, you should use fresh, crushed cloves. The aroma may be too strong for you, though. Therefore, you could use garlic powder. With this remedy, it’s not the scent that keeps cockroaches away. Instead, it’s the chemical composition of the garlic.
You could also use peppermint oil to both ward off and kill cockroaches. The scent of the mint oil will make the cockroaches avoid the area. However, it may not be the scent itself; it could be because they can sense the oil is toxic to them. Moreover, peppermint oil contains menthone. This is a compound similar to menthol. It’s the substance in the oil that’s toxic to cockroaches.
You could also try putting coffee grounds in the unsealed areas of your home where roaches could enter. The scent of the grounds will keep them away. Plus, if they should happen to ingest any of the grounds, they’ll kill the nuisances due to the high acid content of the grounds.
When you disinfect with bleach or vinegar, you’ll also keep cockroaches away since the smell is strong. Whether you use a cleaner with a citrus scent or use actual oranges, limes, or lemons, you can also keep cockroaches away with citrus.
Certain other essential oils are known to keep roaches away as well, such as eucalyptus or oregano oil. The disease-riddle pests also hate citronella and lavender oil. The reason roaches dislike these essential oils is because the roaches breathe through tiny holes throughout their bodies. When a scent enters these tiny holes, insects will close the holes in an attempt to keep the scent out, suffocating themselves in the process.
Roaches are a problem you don’t want in your home because they can carry disease and are difficult to kill. Fortunately, cinnamon and various other fragrances can help protect your home from these nuisances.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5186743/
https://www.scienceworld.ca/stories/ever-wonder-about-cinnamon/
