Plants That Repel Mosquitoes
As the summer months start to arrive around America, this brings along with its activities that we all enjoy. Whether it be beach days, BBQ's or long walks in the woods and green areas, the fun can often be cut short by one of humanity's greatest nemesis; the average mosquito. If you don't feel comfortable using chemical bug spray, you may opt for something more natural to help rid your home of mosquitoes.
Plants have been used for hundreds, if not thousands of years, to keep mosquitos at bay around your garden and your home. Plants such as lavender, basil, lemongrass, rosemary, and citronella are among the best plants to help repel mosquitos from your home and garden area.
This article will discuss the best plants to grow around your home and garden to help repel uninvited mosquitos. So keep reading! We have everything you need to know about repelling mosquitoes.
Published: October 13, 2022.
Why Are Mosquitoes Attracted To Humans
If you've ever wondered why mosquitoes are attracted to humans, it usually has nothing to do with how sweet you are as a person, not with how your blood tastes. In fact, humans give off multiple aromas that these little flying blood-suckers just cannot resist.
For the most part, mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide that's released from our breaths, as well as the soup of nutrients and compounds that are released whenever we sweat. On top of this, mosquitoes just can't keep themselves away from warm bodies, so we, as humans, end up being their optimal food source.
Plants Can Repel Mosquitoes Around Your Home
Plants can be a great alternative to the tens of chemical-filled bug sprays that you may invest in during the mosquito season. Plants such as citronella, mint, and lavender release scents that humans are attracted to, yet, they can also help repel mosquitoes that come in their droves.
We will look at around 15 plants that will help keep your home and garden area relatively mosquito free; if not, they will undoubtedly help repel these uninvited guests. Some of these plants will even work better if they are rubbed on your skin; however, this isn't the case for all of them.
It's a good idea to place the following plants in areas around your home where you, your family, and guests will usually be. This may be a seating area, the kitchen, and doorways around the home.
15 Plants That Repel Mosquitos
Here is a list of 15 plants that you can grow in your garden and place in pots around your home to ensure that the summer months are enjoyable as the mosquitoes are kept at bay:
1. Lemongrass
Lemongrass, also known as lemon verbena, is a plant that will give off pleasant aromas when planted around your home and in the garden. Lemongrass is also one of the best mosquito repellents as it contains an oil known as citral.
Citral is one of the main ingredients in many mosquito repellents, whether they be commercially made chemical repellents or homemade repellents. Thus, planting this atomic plant around your home in a pot will undoubtedly help repel unwanted mosquitoes.
Note: If you're a pregnant woman or a new mom, you should be wary of this plant, however, as it is known to cause birth defects. So keep it in the pot, and stay away from using it as a culinary herb.
2. Citronella
Citronella is one of the more commonly used mosquito repellents found in both sprays and candles. It comes in multiple varieties, such as citronella grass and citrosum. The strong scent released from citronella plants and candles will mask the smell of carbon dioxide that attracts mosquitoes.
This plant can grow well outside in planters and pots as long as there is no frost. It's a plant that requires very little maintenance apart from scheduled watering; thus, it's the perfect plant to place around your home and in the garden to keep the mosquitoes away from your living areas.
3. Basil
Basil is a herb that's famous around the world as an Italian cooking herb that's often added to pizzas and pasta, yet did you know it's also an excellent mosquito repellent? Thus when growing it, it's a two-for-one deal. This tasty herb is easy to grow and has multiple uses.
The basil plant emits an aroma that helps to keep the number of mosquitoes in the area down; thus, you don't have to crush the leaves of the basil plant or prepare them in a special way. Basil is also known to be toxic to the larvae of mosquitoes.
Thus, you can place the plants around an area of standing water, stopping them, which should reduce the number of mosquito eggs.
4. Lavender
Lavender is one of the most beautiful plants on the list and is often considered one of the best plants to grow in your garden. The smell alone is enough of a reason to grow this plant, but they are also excellent mosquito repellents.
This plant can calm your mind after a long day, be used in teas, and keep mosquitoes away; it will also rid the area of multiple other flying pests. When it comes to planting lavender, be sure to check out its many varieties to find out which one will be the best for your area.
5. Catnip
Catnip is a great plant to grow in both planter pots and garden beds and contains a compound known as nepetalactone. This is the famous compound that cats are infatuated with, whereas mosquitoes, on the other hand, can't stand it.
Nepetalactone is one of the best mosquito repellents on the planet and is often regarded as stronger than any leading chemical repellent. Thus, if you're having a significant mosquito problem, then this is the plant to grow around your home.
The only catch with catnip is that you may have a few neighbor cats who may come and play or roll in it in your garden. However, when you weigh up the options, I'd imagine cats beat a swarm of mosquitoes every time.
6. Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is known as a plant that is great for taking away your stress. Its aroma, whether it be from a plant in a pot or burning oil, is soothing to humans. It's also an excellent bug repellent and keeps mosquitoes away from you and your home.
When growing this plant around your home, it's best to keep it in a pot if you're someone who likes the idea of minimal gardening. If planted in a bed, it can quickly spread and take over a large portion of the garden.
7. Rosemary
Rosemary is a popular herb used in numerous culinary dishes. Yet, when planted in the garden, it can also keep away a wide variety of pests and insects, including the common mosquito.
If you have friends over for a BBQ and you want to ensure that the mosquitoes are kept at bay, light a small fire or place some rosemary in your chimenea, and it will produce an atomic mosquito repellent. Rosemary can also be made into oil and used around the home to repel any home-invading mosquitoes.
8. Bee Balm
Bee balm is a great plant to grow in your garden as it brings pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies to your garden, and it's great at repelling mosquitoes. It has a strong incense-like fragrance that masks the smell of the hosts that mosquitoes are attracted to.
On top of keeping away the mosquitoes, it's an excellent plant for honey farmers, and from the harvested plant, you can make a multitude of delicious things, including jellies, salads, and teas, and you can use it in food dishes.
9. Garlic
Garlic is a great plant to grow and use in your fight against mosquitoes, as it has a pungent smell they hate to be around. You can eat garlic, which will give you a mild repellent, whereas if you rub it on a few places on your skin, it will help repel them with greater intensity.
When it comes to squeezing the oil on your skin or eating a whole garlic clove, just remember that while it may keep the mosquitoes at bay, it will also keep your friends away.
10. Floss Flower
Floss flower is a great option to grow in your garden, and it has beautiful blue flowers which will give any garden a little life. This plant contains coumarin, a chemical known to repel mosquitoes from hovering around your home.
Floss flowers are great plants for placing in pots or garden beds and placed in areas where mosquitoes tend to hang around. You should remember, however, that this plant is toxic if humans or pets ingest it.
11. Marigold
Marigolds are a popular garden plant usually placed around the edge of growing vegetables. These flowers can be used in salads, soups, or made into herb butter and have a great fragrance to accompany their looks.
These flowers are also great for repelling mosquitoes as they contain a compound called pyrethrum, which has been used in many store-bought repellents. This compound is also known as nature's insecticide.
12. Sage
Sage is known as a spiritual cleansing plant that's been used in multiple cultures around the world to get rid of negative energy and, in some cases, evil spirits. But sage is also a great plant to grow if you have an excess amount of mosquitoes around your home.
If you dry out the sage and throw it in a fire in your back garden or a fire pit, it will emit an atomic smoke that is both pleasant and great for getting the mosquitoes at bay. You can also burn these dried leaves around your home, keeping it almost mosquito free.
13. Peppermint
Peppermint is a great plant to grow in your garden, and while it can spread throughout your beds if left to grow wild, it's not as invasive as other members of the mint family. When rubbed on your skin or used as an oil, peppermint will repel mosquitoes from biting you.
If you do end up with multiple bites from mosquitoes and they are forcing you to scratch continuously and making you uncomfortable, you can rub a little bit of peppermint on these bites, and it should give you some relief.
14. Pennyroyal
Pennyroyal is one of the best natural mosquito repellents and will keep away multiple other pests, such as fleas and flies. While it is a strong repellent, it should never be used in high amounts, as when too much oil is absorbed into the skin, it can be toxic to humans, especially children and animals.
If you want to use pennyroyal as a mosquito repellent, you should carry a little of it in your pockets or plant it in pots around your home to keep the mosquitoes at bay.
15. Scented Geranium
Scented Geranium is a plant with a great lemon scent and will help keep mosquitoes and multiple other pests at your home and in the garden at bay. It can be planted directly into the ground or in pots that can be placed around the garden and at home.
These plants have a beautiful bloom and come in numerous colors, giving you lovely decorations for your garden and a great alternative to keeping mosquitoes at bay around your home.
Keeping Mosquitoes At Bay
Keeping mosquitoes at bay isn't always as complicated as people make it out to be. Growing the correct plants and placing them around your home is just one of the simple steps that can help you home and garden these pests.
On top of this, you should ensure that stagnant water is always kept under control and cleared, as this will attract hordes of mosquitoes and other pests. If you cannot get rid of the water, it should be replaced with fresh water regularly.
Conclusion
So, now that you know, there are at least 15 plants that can help you on your quest to repel as many mosquitoes from your home as possible. Thus, you can ditch those overpriced chemical-filled sprays from the pharmacy.
Follow the simple steps laid out in this article, have some fun growing plants in your garden, and in no time, you'll have an arsenal worthy of repelling an army of mosquitoes.