Birds are beautiful creatures, and they make the world enchanting and charming. But sometimes, they are a problem for homeowners with a gorgeous garden.
They have the capability to damage full blown flowers and eat away the seeds of newly planted soil. The good news is, you can create a homemade bird repellent spray to keep birds away.
In this post, we will explore a couple of homemade recipes that will keep the birds away from your garden. You can choose one, or try out all the methods.
Table of Contents
- Homemade Chili Pepper Bird Repellent Spray
- Homemade Peppermint Oil Bird Repellent Spray
- Homemade Cayenne Bird Repellent Spray
- Homemade Garlic Oil Bird Repellent Spray
- Homemade Vinegar Bird Repellent Spray
- Other Things That Can Repel Birds
- Conclusion
Homemade Chili Pepper Bird Repellent Spray
If you’re wondering “what can I spray to keep birds away?” then the answer is chili pepper. Birds despise the smell of this spice, but apply this DIY mixture only in places where your flowers are not sprouting. For example, spray the solution at the edges of your garden, or at the garden fences, if any.
Ingredients
- Chili pepper – 4 dozens
- Apple cider vinegar – 1/2 cup
- Large container
- Knife
- Spray bottle
- Water – 1 gallon
- Stirrer
- Chopping board
Procedure
- Cut the chili pepper using a sharp knife until it is sliced thin and small.
- Pour 1 gallon of water into a large container and mix in the chili pepper, and stir the mixture thoroughly.
- Leave the container with water and chili pepper under the sun for two to five days to achieve perfect fermentation.
- Once the solution is completely fermented, pour apple cider vinegar to the mixture, and mix well.
- Transfer the fermented chili pepper solution into the spray bottle, and cover the container.
- Label the sprayer accordingly.
- Start spraying the chili pepper solution around your garden.
- Reapply this DIY repellent spray every three to five days.
Homemade Peppermint Oil Bird Repellent Spray
Peppermint oil is an effective diy bird repellent spray to keep birds away. Birds detest this smell, and so they will surely stay away from your precious garden once they smell peppermint. And of course, with birds nowhere near your garden, you can fully enjoy your beautiful flowers all the time.
Ingredients
- Peppermint oil – 14 drops
- White vinegar – 1/2 cup
- Lemon oil – 14 drops
- Water – 1/2 cup
- Bowl
- Spray bottle
- Stirrer
Procedure
- Mix all the ingredients in a medium-sized jar.
- Stir the mixture thoroughly.
- Transfer the peppermint oil solution to a spray bottle. Keep any excess homemade spray repellent inside for later use.
- Label the sprayer accordingly to prevent accidental use.
- Spray the solution on your garden, but know that the smell will last for hours only.
- Reapply the spray solution during the early morning and later afternoon.
Homemade Cayenne Bird Repellent Spray
In order to create an effective DIY bird repellent spray using cayenne, simply gather all the ingredients and follow the instructions. Birds hate the smell of cayenne pepper, so concocting the mixture is effective.
Ingredients
- Cayenne pepper – 2 tablespoons
- Water – 1 gallon
- Liquid dish soap – 6 drops
- Big container
- Clean spray bottle
- Stirrer
- Chopping board
Procedure
- Fill the big container with water and mix in the liquid dish soap and cayenne pepper.
- Leave the mixed solution for about a day or two at the most.
- After a maximum of 48 hours, stir the cayenne pepper solution using a stirrer.
- Once thoroughly mixed, transfer some of the solution to a clean spray bottle. Leave the rest in the big container for future use.
- Label the sprayer to make sure that no one can confuse the sprayer with something else.
- Then use the spray to keep birds from nesting in your garden.
- Reapply the spray after one week.
Homemade Garlic Oil Bird Repellent Spray
Garlic has a pungent smell that repels birds. And the best thing is, this bird repellent homemade solution is non-toxic, so your plants will not be harmed. Plus, squirrels hate garlic oil, so this mixture can prevent them from stealing from your bird feeder and digging garden holes.
Ingredients
- Garlic – 8 cloves
- Olive oil – 2 cups
- Glass jar
- Spray bottle
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Stirrer
- Small open containers
Procedure
- Peel the garlic and crush them using a knife and chopping board.
- Put the crushed garlic inside the glass jar and mix in the olive oil. And mix the solution using a stirrer.
- Once thoroughly mixed, cover the jar and leave it inside the fridge for about five days.
- Once the garlic oil solution is done, transfer it to a spray bottle or put the solution in small containers.
- Place the small containers that are filled with garlic oil around your garden or spray the garlic oil repellent spray on your garden and plants.
- Use this DIY bird repellent again after a week.
Homemade Vinegar Bird Repellent Spray
Vinegar is a home item that is very useful in many ways. And one of the great uses of vinegar is to act as an efficacious bird spray repellent. The good news is, vinegar is not harmful to your plants, so you can use it everyday without harming your garden.
Ingredients
- White vinegar – 1/2 cup
- Water – 1/2 cup
- Spray bottle
Procedure
- Combine water and vinegar in a clean spray bottle.
- Shake the mixture thoroughly.
- Label the homemade vinegar bird repellent spray.
- Start spraying the vinegar and water solution to your plants and whole garden.
- Spray daily without worrying about the health of your plants.
Other Things That Can Repel Birds
There is no doubt about it – the five homemade bird repellent recipes we featured here are the best solutions for keeping birds away. But aside from the DIY repellent sprays, there are also other methods of ensuring that birds stay away from your garden.
- Shiny Items – Birds are deterred by shiny and reflective items such as small mirrors, CDs, aluminum foil, and other items that can reflect light. If you hang these objects around your garden, then the birds will be too scared to come.
- Huge Balls – Large, colorful garden balls scare birds because they believe them to be eyes. These balls can be used also for decoration purposes, which adds beauty to your garden. You can hang these round balls on your fence, trees, and anywhere near your plants.
- Shaped Animal Statues – Birds are afraid of a few predator animals such as owls and cats. Of course, you cannot keep cats in your garden since they can ruin your plants. The best solution is to purchase shaped owls and cats in cement or plastic and place them along your garden to keep birds away.
- Bird Spikes – These long rods are designed to deter birds, and they are crafted using plastic cans or tins. The bird spikes are injected to the soil in the garden, or attached to the garden fences. However, extreme caution is needed when you tend to your garden since you may get injured with the needle-like spikes.
- Baking Soda – Birds dislike the feel of baking soda on their feet. And so it is ideal to sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on your garden.
- Scarecrow – For decades, scarecrows have been successful in scaring birds away. So get your own makeshift sentry, and install it in your garden. However, make sure to change the location of the scarecrow every few days.
- Butterfly Netting – An effective method to keep the birds away is to put a butterfly netting above your garden. Opt for a UV-resistant product for longer usage. This option is a bit pricey, but definitely worth it.
Indeed, there are many ways to deter birds from your garden. As a nature lover, you may feel bad about driving birds away, but your garden is too special to not protect it.
Birds attack plants because they need to feed, but if you give birds the space and food that they need, they would not harm your garden anymore.
With that said, you can install a bird feeder somewhere in your garden, so the birds will have enough food. They will no longer bother you, since they know where to get seeds for feeding.
Conclusion
We have featured the most popular homemade bird repellent spray recipes in this post. Without spending too much money on chemically-manufactured repellent sprays, you can shoo birds away from your garden. The materials are easy to acquire, and the steps are easy to follow. Plus, the resulting solution will not hurt your garden in any way.
Do you use any homemade bird repellent spray to keep birds away? We love to hear from you, so feel free to leave your comments. And kindly share this post with your friends.
Before you go, don’t forget checking other articles that related to methods to get birds out:
- How to stop birds from flying into windows?
- 12 effective methods to keep birds from eating grass seed
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Clinton Atkins
George and I became friends after a birdwatching trip with our new group. And we have been enjoying every adventure together. When he told me the idea of establishing a site that shares our experiences and fun, I immediately agreed. After trials and errors, here we have Thayerbirding.
