Does The Smell Of Cinnamon Keep Bugs Away?

Cinnamon is a common component in our kitchens, bathrooms, and anywhere fragrance and a spicy aroma are desired.

The smell of cinnamon in baked goods, candles, air fresheners, and various other multi-purpose products reaffirms its popularity and likely availability for home dwellers everywhere. Even better, you can find this spice as a cinnamon stick, ground cinnamon, and even a cinnamon essential oil.

Best of all, cinnamon doesn’t just make your home smell like a bakery in the fall, but it also has distinct properties that can keep all manner of pests away.

Cinnamon sticks, cinnamon powder, and drops of cinnamon oil in a spray bottle are natural, safe, and effective repellent options. Read on to find out why you need this natural bug repellent in your life now. 

Why Does Cinnamon Repel Bugs?

Along with other popular oils that act as natural insect repellents, like peppermint oil and tea tree oil, the active ingredient in cinnamon essential oil, eugenol, has a strong scent.

Since most insects and larger pests find food and communicate through scents and odors, cinnamon’s pungent smell acts as a natural repellent and confuses pests. Regular applications can protect you well against unwanted visitors. 

Ground cinnamon sticks and premade powdered cinnamon have an unpleasant powdered texture that bugs like cockroaches and ants will not cross. When combined with other powders like diatomaceous earth, these natural dustings kill pests like mosquito eggs and work as a major repellent to carpenter ants and other kitchen pests. 

Does Cinnamon Attract Any Insects?

Cinnamon will not attract insects as they act to avoid cinnamon extract at all costs, and it also repels rodents and other mammals that find food with their noses.

Since placing cinnamon all over the house can be tricky and downright impractical, it is likely that applying cinnamon can cause a pest migration which may look like it is attracting them.

When pests avoid one area of the home, say the kitchen or bathroom, because of an ingredient like cinnamon, they may try to hide nearby in closets or in walls to have access when the smell begins to retreat. 

Although you may see larger concentrations of insects after placing cinnamon down as a repellent, you are likely actually seeing the pests bunch up as the population has grown larger than a comfortable habitat allows.

This is a good time to add other pest control approaches for harmful pests like insecticides, and hopefully, you can wipe them all out in one go. Afterward, you should see that the essence of cinnamon can keep bugs at bay and prevent creepy crawlers from entering your home. 

Forms of Cinnamon and Their Uses

Cinnamon is derived from the bark of a tree and utilized as a piece of cinnamon stick, strong cinnamon bark oil, or ground-up powder. Each of these forms of cinnamon can be used to fight pests, and the benefits of cinnamon in the air and around your home will quickly become apparent.

Either by making a spray, adding a handful of cinnamon sticks to hot water, or dusting the fragrant spice around thresholds, this household food ingredient can stop a pest infestation and prevent future household pests from ever coming around.

Form of Cinnamon	Use	Effects
Cinnamon Bark/Stick	Good for steeping, fumigating the air, and longer during outdoor and entryway protection	You can create a cinnamon solution by steeping the sticks in hot water and then using that as a spray for direct control method; cinnamon sticks outdoors will not blow away and can dry out and still be pungent even after being exposed to water, allowing them to provide better protection than ground powder; An airborne dose of cinnamon sticks in hot water can deter flies and mosquitos helping you to naturally prevent these pests in summer
Ground/Powdered Cinnamon	The efficacy of cinnamon powder depends on its freshness and how often it is reapplied; placing fresh powder every couple of days can keep coverage constant and repel pests, or a past of cinnamon powder can be made to stick to common pest crawl spaces	Since cinnamon is often found in the kitchen, sprinkling this spice in kitchen cabinets, under appliances on kitchen counters, and underneath the kitchen sink can greatly reduce pests in these areas
Cinnamon Essential Oil	This is the easiest way to make a high-powered pest control spray that can kill bugs on contact and repel them for a period of time afterward, it is simple to add a few drops of cinnamon essential oil to a spray bottle of water and apply it liberally wherever pests can be found	Direct contact with the cinnamon spray will kill common pests like ants and even larger ones like German cockroaches if at a high enough concentration; otherwise, the strong lingering scent will keep the area bug free as long as the aroma remains
Cinnamon Combination	Like most plant based-repellents using a combination of different forms of the plant parts yields better results than only using one type, and cinnamon is no exception when combined into a cinnamon spray with cinnamon oils mixed with cinnamon stick dilution resulting in a potent natural pest control method	A solution made from different cinnamon forms, including a paste with powder, oil, and stick dilution, will result in the strongest pest control strategy for annoying pests and can be applied anywhere and as often as needed with very little effort or cost for you

What Are the Steps to Make Cinnamon Bug Spray?

If you want to make a cinnamon bug spray, you are in luck as it is very easy to do with a huge margin of error. Cinnamon will not harm most surfaces and isn’t really dangerous to people or pets unless actively ingested in large quantities or sprayed directly in the eyes.

So mix up your best bug-bashing batch and follow the tips below to make your very own cinnamon bug spray today. 

Get a Form of Cinnamon

Procure cinnamon sticks, powder, or essential oil if you do not already have some. You can pick up cinnamon sticks and powder in the spice aisles of most supermarkets, whereas the essential oil will likely be found with aromatics and candles.

Any type of cinnamon can be sued to make a bug spray, so if you already have one type on hand, you do not need to rush out or shop Amazon to buy another form. 

Decide How to Apply

If you will be attacking bugs directly with the intent to kill the contact, you will need to formulate a different concoction than if you are only trying to keep bugs from entering an area. The highest concentration comes from mixing essential oils with water to make a strong spray.

Lower concentrations with strong odors can be achieved by boiling the cinnamon sticks and using the resulting water or dissolving cinnamon in hot water and using it to repel and protect.

Prepare the Application

Add the correct amount of cinnamon extract to your carrier liquid, most likely water, in your preferred applicator. A spray bottle can be used to hit a broad area, and other methods like a dropper can be utilized to hit small holes or nests for ants and other boring insects.

If you are going to be going after pests in general, a strong spray that is easy to apply will be your best friend and prevent finger cramps. 

Apply Thoroughly

Spray the solution until the area smells strongly of cinnamon and any existing bugs have been coated. Once the application is complete, you can leave the area until the cinnamon particles settle to prevent eye and sinus irritation. Return when the air is calm and reapply or clean up based on your pest control tasks. 

Monitor and Adjust

If the concentration is inadequate, you may need to remake the spray at higher levels.

If you can, try mixing forms together to increase the potency. You can use water that has cinnamon sticks steeping in it, combined with dissolved powder and essential oil, to make a strong concoction that is sure to mess up pests and keep them out of your space. 

Reapply as Needed

When you have had successful results controlling pests with your bug spray, you can continue to apply it regularly to prevent pests and nasty bugs from coming back. You can also proceed to other areas where pests are present and start to expand your control efforts until you are free of intruders once and for all.

Always keep some cinnamon on hand to keep bugs away.