Tea bags make more than just a great cuppa, they can also be a fantastic way to rid your garden of irritating pests like snails, slugs, bugs and many kinds of vermin
If your garden is being plagued by irritating pests this spring, then burying your tea bags in the soil can be an effective way to banish them for good.
As the days get longer and lighter, more of us are spending time in our gardens. Gardening is a popular British pastime and can be a fantastic way to get outside, soak up the vitamin D and become more in tune with nature. Plus, planting fruits, flowers and veg will help make your house feel more like a home. Unfortunately, it’s also the time of year when many common pests begin to make more frequent appearances. These include slugs and creepy insects like mealybugs, thrips and blackflies.
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More than chewing up your precious plants, these nuisances also risk spreading nasty diseases and mould. An infestation of mealybugs can lead to a build of black sooty mould on leaves, which gradually deprives them of light.
Slugs can be surprisingly dangerous. Smaller slugs can be hard to miss on plants like lettuce leaves. This means if you accidentally ingest one, you risk contracting the nightmarish rat lungworm.
Rat lungworm is a parasite that can infect humans. In extreme cases, it can lead to brain inflammation – also known as meningitis. If left untreated, it can cause severe long-term damage and even be deadly.
Rodents pose an even greater issue. Rats can chew through many different kinds of plants, as well as contaminate the surrounding soil with their droppings.
They also carry many unpleasant diseases, like salmonella, typhoid and rat tapeworm. Humans can contract some of these viruses if they are bitten by a rat or by coming into contact with their droppings.
While pesticides are a tempting option, they can be incredibly damaging to the environment. Using them also poses a risk of killing other kinds of wildlife that aren’t harming your plants.
That’s where tea bags come in. According to experts, this is because many bugs and rodents don’t like the smell of peppermint, lemon or cinnamon – which are commonly used in many types of tea.
According to the Art of Tea: “Teabags have been known to keep pests from damaging and destroying your plants. Simply bury the teabags in your garden and the smell will keep pests and rodents at bay.” They added: “Using steeped teabags as a DIY pest repellent is both a cost-effective and all-natural alternative to sprays that you might find at the market.” It’s also a very cheap method of pest control. You can pick up a pack of Peppermint Infusion from Sainsbury’s for a bargain 95p.
