Gabrielle LaTora, an agricultural entomologist who serves as an agriculture and natural resources agent with UGA Cooperative Extension, spoke with Better Homes & Gardens about the value of citrus peels as a natural pest repellant.
Can gardeners use citrus peels to keep bugs away? The short answer is no.
“There’s not much scientific evidence that [citrus peels] repel insect pests,” LaTora said.
While the essential oils and extracts distilled from citrus peels are effective at repelling insects ranging from carpenter ants to cockroaches, these compounds only work when applied in high concentrations, much higher than what is present in the peel itself.
“This means that your discarded orange peels are probably not potent enough to have much of a repellent effect,” LaTora said. “There is a brief window where the oils in the peels are evaporating and entering the air around the plants, but they are not concentrated enough to have much of a repellant effect. They just fade too fast and become so diluted in the air that they’re not going to deter insects.”
But citrus peels do have value. Like any food scraps or other organic material, citrus peels add nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil that benefit plants’ health.
“The key is that citrus peels should be balanced with other materials and fully composted before adding them to the garden to get the most benefits,” she said.