How to Mix Your Own Bug Spray

I've had so many bugs in my garden like you can't imagine!  Ants, wormy like things, spider mites, leaf miners and mosquitoes.  It's crazy.  So whenever I don't spray my plants for a couple of days, they look like they've been under attack.   Before, I used basic soap solution to spray my plants (especially the underside of the leaves).  I've tried both bath soap and dish washing soap. The downside is the potential leaf burn.  In fact, I think that's how I killed my Hannah Leah (Mona Lavender Plecanthrus) and I think may be a reason why my big tomato looks burned out. Once in a while, I also add chili peppers to my spray. Lately though, I've added another component.  Vegetable oil is supposed to work.  But since I'm such a recycler, I tried using used cooking oil (fried chicken!).  Hahaha...I hope that's okay.  The bugs might enjoy eating my plants more if they have that KFC twist.  But guess what?  My sprayer has been acting up for a couple of months (limited spraying power).  I've tried to fix it.  But as soon as I added oil to my mix, it regained its spraying power.  Apparently, oil lubricates sprayers too. So for now, my home made bug spray consists of soap solution with chili pepper and a little oil. 

As a final point, apparently spider mites thrive on very dry environments.  Well, I've been trying to keep my plants dry because I've been trying to avoid root rot. Too wet...too dry...there's just no winning sometimes.

Know any good home made sprays?

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