Using eggshells as organic pest control is inexpensive, and easy! In this post, not only will I show you how to use eggshells in your garden, I will also show you exactly how to prepare them – including tips for cleaning and drying them, grinding them into powder, and storing the powder for later use.
The flea beetles have been worse than ever in my garden this summer, and the Japanese beetles are no fun either.
On top of that, the slugs have been turning my hostas into Swiss cheese (Ahhh, the joys of gardening).
I need all the help I can get fighting these and other destructive bugs in the garden organically.
Using Eggshells As Organic Pest Control
There is a well known organic pesticide called diatomaceous earth, which is basically the fossilized remains of creatures that are ground into a fine powder.
This works as a pesticide because it gets under the shells of beetles and acts like bits of glass to cut them up and kill them. Snails and slugs will also die if they slink across it.
Well guess what, ground eggshells can work the same way. I eat a lot of eggs, so I have plenty of eggshells.
Which means I can have the benefits of diatomaceous earth for free – Oh, and I’m all about free pest control!
How To Make Eggshell Powder For Your Garden
There are lots of uses for eggshells in the garden. So, whether you want to try using eggshells as organic pest control, or you plan to use it in other ways, the steps for making organic eggshell powder are the same.
Below I will show you how to prepare eggshells for garden use, and give you details of each of the steps.
The steps include cleaning and drying eggshells, grinding them into powder, how to use your eggshells as organic pest control, and how to store leftover eggshells or eggshell powder for later use in the garden.
How To Clean Eggshells
I get asked about the steps I use for cleaning eggshells before crushing them all the time. But the truth is, I don’t really fuss too much about this.
If there is yolk or a lot of egg whites left in the shells, I will give them a quick rinse with water before drying them.
But if they’re already fairly clean, I don’t bother taking the time to clean them. I’ve never had a problem with my eggshell powder stinking.
So, my advice on this would be… if your eggshells are dirty, then definitely rinse them with water before drying and crushing them.
Methods Of Drying Eggshells
You’ll definitely need to allow the eggshells to dry out before crushing them, so don’t skip this step.
There are a few methods you could use for drying eggshells. Just as with cleaning the eggshells, my method for drying them isn’t fancy here either.
I simply lay them out on a paper towel and leave them sitting on the counter for a few days.
If I have a lot of eggshells to dry and I don’t want to clutter up my counters, then I toss them into a paper bag in the pantry where they dry out in a few days.
If you choose to toss them into a paper bag like I do, just make sure you don’t stack the eggshells.
Toss each one in there loosely, otherwise they won’t dry as fast, and they might even start to mold or stink (I’ve never had this problem with mine, but some people have).
I’ve also heard of people putting their eggshells into the oven on low and drying them that way. But I’ve never tried this method, so I can’t speak to it.
How To Grind Eggshells Into Powder
Once the eggshells are completely dry they will be very brittle and break easily so you know they’re ready to be ground into powder. To grind eggshells into a powder, you can use a mini food chopper or a coffee grinder.
You’ll probably need to crush the eggshells up a bit before grinding them so you can fit more into the grinder at once.
I simply crush mine up in the paper bag or the paper towel quick before putting them into the grinder.
In my experience, the best grinder for eggshells is a coffee grinder. The coffee grinder does a great job of grinding the eggshells into a powder.
When I used my mini food chopper, I found that the shell pieces were larger than the ones I crushed in the coffee grinder.
The food chopper still grinds the eggshells, but the result isn’t as fine of a powder as you get with the coffee grinder.
So, if all you have is a mini food chopper, then you can try using that. Otherwise, I recommend getting yourself an inexpensive coffee grinder to use as your eggshell grinder.
How To Use Eggshells In The Garden
After the eggshells are ground into powder, you can take them out to the garden and use them right away. To use eggshells as organic pest control, sprinkle the powder directly onto the pest insect.
Here I’m using it on the destructive Japanese beetles. They really don’t like it, and will start to squirm and move around. It won’t kill them right away, and sometimes they will fly away, but they’ll die in time.
Related Post: Grapevine Beetle Information & Organic Control Tips
Be careful though, eggshells will kill any type of garden beetle – even beneficial ones. It’s best to sprinkle the eggshell powder directly on the specific pests you are trying to control.
I do not recommend sprinkling it all over your garden, or you could end up killing the good garden bugs by accident.
To use crushed eggshells for slugs, ants, and flea beetle control, sprinkle the eggshell powder around the base of the plant. Eggshell powder sprinkled around plants will need to be reapplied after a heavy rain.
Just be careful if you’re wearing dark pants, and don’t wipe your hands on your pants as you are spreading the eggshell powder (oops!). It can be a messy job.
Better yet, avoid the mess of spreading eggshell or diatomaceous earth powder by using a pest mini duster – awesome!
How To Store Eggshells For Garden Use
As long as they stay dry, you can store eggshells or eggshell powder for later use in the garden. Simply store your unused eggshell powder in a dry location.
I keep mine on a shelf in my garage, it doesn’t matter if it freezes in the winter. You could also keep them in a pantry or even the fridge or freezer if you would rather.
There are many uses for eggshells in the garden. They’re great for the health of your garden, and they add calcium to the soil. Simply toss them into the compost bin, or add the powder directly to your garden beds.
Be sure to try using eggshells as organic pest control in your garden too, and see if it works for you! Don’t worry, if you don’t have access to eggshells, you can buy diatomaceous earth for pretty cheap too.
Recommended Reading
- Bug-Free Organic Gardening: Controlling Pest Insects without Chemicals
- The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control
- The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook
More Info About Garden Pest Control
- Natural Garden Pest Control Remedies And Recipes
- How To Use Japanese Beetle Traps
- All About Ladybugs & Why They’re Good For Your Garden
Have you tried using eggshells as organic pest control in your garden? Share your tips and experience in the comments below.
Mark Welborn says
Amy, after I saw this tip last year to use powdered egg shells to combat Japanese Beetles, I saved every single egg shell from ever single egg my family ate. I rinse them out briefly so they dry faster, place them on a paper towel, and slide the paper towel over the glass cook top burner (still warm but not hot enough to burn the paper towel) I just used to cook the eggs. They dry in a few minutes and then get tossed into a recycled ice cream plastic tub. a few minutes in the oven would work as well, but set a timer! Burned egg shells woud ruin the house! When the tub is full I put the shells into the food processor to grind them to a powder. I used to use a small electric coffee grinder, but it only ground up a few shells at a time. The food processor can handle much, much more. I store them in ziplock bags, ready to dust the garden.
I have several pounds of ground egg shells for my annual effort. So far this year I have used them on my tomato and potato plants (these were destroyed last year, but are strong and healthy this year). This evening I wet down my small apple trees and dusted them as well. The Japanese Beetles LOVE apple tree leaves! Wetting down the plants helps the shell dust to stick to the plant. Light rain does not seem to remove the egg shell dust, but heavy rain certainly does. The egg shells keep the slugs away from my potato plants as well.
Another resource for egg shells might be your local diner or breakfast place. My local eatery said they just throw them out, but if I pick them up at the end of the day, they will save them for me. They go through dozens of eggs a day. I could probably double my annual effort in just a week or two. I’m going to try this out this coming week. I’m going to drop off some sealed containers to make their job easier.
Mark
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome, thanks so much for sharing your experience and tips for preparing your eggshells and using them in the garden!! I also love your tip about how to get free eggshells. I knew that coffee shops would save used coffee grounds with you, but never thought to ask restaurants to save eggshells! Brilliant!
Emily says
I usually have trouble with Japanese beetles devouring my roses, and I also eat a lot of eggs, so I am definitely going to try this! I’ve got some eggshells waiting to go into my compost now; looks like I’ll be turning them into powder instead 😉
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome! Good luck, hope it works for you!
Nicole @ The Professional Mom Project says
Great tip thank you! I tried using eggshells on my veggie garden last year but didn’t realize I had to grind them up so they weren’t that effective. Now I know and I’ll try it again this year. What do you use to keep squirrels away from your veggies?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Great! I have tried using a product called squirrel stopper with some success. It keeps them off the bird feeders, but you have to keep reapplying. Knock on wood, but I’ve only had problems with them digging in my dirt, so I haven’t had to worry about them in the garden yet. If they’re bugging a specific plant of yours, you could surround it with chicken wire. Not pretty, but that’s what I do to keep the rabbits from destroying some of my plants.
Michelle Vincent says
I have been adding crushed up egg shells to my raised bed vegetable garden for years. This year I got six chickens and have been crushing the shells with a mortar and pestle and putting the tiny pieces into the vegetables I now feed for added treats instead of putting them into my compost pile. After I crack an egg for people consumption I place the shells on my kitchen counter for three days and then put them into a quart sized canning jar. As the jar fills I smash the egg shells down with a knife or the handle of a hammer and I continue adding more shells until the jar is full of coarsley ground shells. When the quart jar gets full of crushed egg shells, I take my mortar and pestle and crush them finer, but not to a powder. I put these finer ground shells into a clean parmesan container with holes in the lid. I always have ground up shells available for the garden and for adding to the feed of the chickens. When I have used all the DE that I bought for mite and flea control for the chickens I will try the egg shells instead. But, will I have enough egg shells for all of the new and old uses? Thanks for all of your gardening tips.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome, thanks for sharing all the ways you use eggshells in your garden! So many great uses!
Carol Davis Allen says
l have very sandy soil ( about 90% sand and 10% dirt) will the egg shells kill ants in your garden, l can’t really find any thing that works to kill the ands.
Amy Andrychowicz says
I haven’t tried using eggshells on ants before, but you could give it a try. Ants aren’t a bad bug to have in your garden, but can become pests when there are a ton of them. Are they causing issues in your garden?
June says
Will the crushed shells work for squash bugs…they are disgusting and quick. Just planted my tomatoes, peppers and zucchini. I will crush the shells I have and use around these new plants to give them a boost.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes! Here’s a post I wrote about all the ways I fight squash bugs in my garden… How to Control Squash Bugs Organically
Carolyn says
I also use egg shells in my garden. When I get a bowl of egg shells I pop them into the microwave for a minute or two and then crush them. That way I dont have to wait for all of them to dry enough to be crushed.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Great tip about drying eggshells, thanks for sharing!
Robin says
I wonder if eggshell powder would deter tomato hornworms? those things give me the creeps, and they can do so much damage so fast.
meanwhile, I have a dozen shells to pull out of the top of my compost, to dry and crush…my tomatoes and peppers will be happy. (all my veggies, really)
Amy Andrychowicz says
I’ve never tried it on tomato hornworms, but it might work. I say try sprinkling the eggshell powder directly on the hornworms and see if it works. 🙂
Linda Lockyer says
I have been having quite a time with aphids and ants destroying my scarlet runner bean blossoms and have been saving eggshells for composting. I had heard eggshells could be ground up to repel insects, so today I ground them fine in a coffee grinder, and I powdered it on those nasty ants & aphids. The ants went into a tizzy! Thanks for the great information. I’m going to put it at the base of my tomato and zucchini plants, too.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Great! It’s not the ants that are destroying the flowers, it’s the aphids. Ants are known to bring aphids to plants so that they can feed off the sweet dew that’s created as a bi-product of the aphids feeding on plants. The eggshells won’t harm the aphids, unfortunately. But soapy water works great. Here’s more information about getting rid of aphids… How To Get Rid Of Aphids On Plants
Melissa says
is this safe for butterflies, earthworms and bees?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Eggshells are actually good for earthworms and the soil. Definitely be careful using it around bees and butterflies though. It’s best to use it only on the pest insect you’re targeting.
Cindy Thompson says
Is this harmful to pets? I have two yorkies…I would like to use the powdered eggs around my host garden!!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Not that I know of. I’ve had people tell me they use it to kill fleas on their pets. But, I am not a Veterinarian so I would definitely recommend you check with your pets vet before using eggshells in your garden if you’re concerned your dogs will get into it.
Burro says
We have Chihuahuas, did you find out if the eggshells are okay with tiny dog paws?
Susie Richardson says
Sooooo happy to be putting together natural solutions for my garden. I hate using chemical pesticides and fertilizers. I don’t have the time to mix…compute instructions on how to convert to which container to dispense, and then deal with the potential hazards chemicals can cause. Appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks for your contribution about using eggshells instead.
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome!
Virginia says
I have been told that this may work for scorpions in Arizona. Does it work or is it because it kills the beetles that the scorpions feed off of?Thanks for the info.
Amy Andrychowicz says
It works because it gets under their hard outer shell and cuts them up and kills them. Sounds really nasty, but it’s effective. I’ve never tried using eggshells for killing scorpions though, we don’t have scorpions here in MN. Would be worth a try though.
m.holloway says
I have been using ground fine eggshells to feed back to my chickens for 3 years now. Not only does it strengthen the eggshells, but it stops the hens from eating the eggs. Also I have noticed that when a hen has chicks, they encourage the chicks to eat the powdered shells. I am so happy to learn that I can use them as an insecticide. And that it stops blossom end rot on tomatoes and peppers. I am planning to do as advised for them this year and also to do it for my melons. I have a hard time getting my melons to reach maturity due to blossom end rot. fingers crossed! m
Amy Andrychowicz says
Oh wow, that is very interesting about the chickens! Eggshells are beneficial in so many ways! I hope the added calcium will help with your melons too. Also, make sure to water the melon plants consistently. Inconsistent watering is another factor in blossom end rot. Good luck!
Barb says
I’ve been using egg shells in the garden for the past two years. I keep an empty #10 can in the warming oven of my wood cookstove and throw all my eggshells into the can as I use them. They dry quickly in the warming oven, then I grind them to a powder in the blender. I put a Tbsp of the powder at the base of tomato, eggplant, and pepper plants and water it in. It’s amazing! The plants grow big and tall and I’ve not had any problem with blossom-end rot since I started this. I haven’t tried the powder on pests, though, but I certainly will this year! Thanks for the information.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome! I do the same thing with my tomatoes and peppers. You’re welcome, I hope the eggshells work as pest control for you as well.
Jennifer says
I can’t wait to try this! I’ve heard about it possibly used in chicken coop dusting eggshell powder to keep mites and pests away, and as long as they’re ground up, how are the ladies to know, eh?? 😉 Regardless of results w/ chickens, I’m starting a bag right now for the garden!!!! Thanks!!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Cool, thanks for adding that tip!
shana vaughn says
Thanks for the tip! We are starting a garden this spring and I want it to be completely organic and pesticide free!
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome!