Cedar Oil for Japanese Beetles?

Cedar oil is one of several natural oils that can be used as a non-toxic Japanese beetle repellent. It won’t kill the beetles, but they are averse to the smell of cedar oil and will generally move away from it.

There are several drawbacks to using cedar oil, or any other oil for that matter, for outdoor insect control. For one, it’s usually difficult to cover all the foliage that you need to protect, especially if you have tall trees.

Also, the oil is quickly washed away any time it rains so you will find yourself having to constantly reapply. Cedar oil is also more expensive than many forms of beetle control.

On the other hand, Cedar oil is 100% natural and is less harsh than other options. You don’t have to worry about it killing other insects in your garden besides the beetles that you are targeting. Plus, it also smells nice :-).

Neem oil is another alternative to Cedar oil that you might want to take a look at and both work equally well.

I tend to think that the natural oils are generally not the best choice, unless you have a very small area that you need to cover. Think a very small garden or a few plants or something like that.

Other than that, I would really recommend using more traditional forms of insect killer. If you’re trying to keep it all-natural, there are a few really good organic options of Japanese beetle control available. One of those would have a longer-lasting and more profound effect on a beetle infestation.