Mosquitoes and bugs are certainly irritating and harmful to health. It would be best if you got rid of them as soon as possible, but the chemicals in bug sprays available in the market can threaten your and your family’s health and the environment. Natural solutions are a great alternative that repels bugs and insects in and around your home.
Many plants such as mint and lavender ooze a calming fragrance for people but a repulsive smell for mosquitoes. Here are some plants that repel insects to help you prevent the blood-sucking creatures.
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Lavender
Lavender is a lovely purple-colored flowering plant having a calm and soothing scent. At the same time, it can deter mosquitoes naturally. An excellent mosquito repellant that you can grow indoors. You can keep it in a sunny window, the garden, or a flower bed to keep the bugs away. Lavender’s fragrance is so calming, keep it in one place, and your house will have a calming aroma throughout.
Peppermint
Many bugs detest the peppermint’s taste and smell, so planting it in your house is a beautiful way to keep them away. One more advantage of peppermint leaves is that they can be rubbed directly onto the skin to get a bite relief if you happen to get bitten. The refreshing minty smell makes a flavorful addition to your beverages and food.
Citronella
One of the largely common ingredients in many mosquito repellents is citronella. Several people don’t even know about citronella, this beautiful perennial with a strong aroma. This aroma masks other fragrances and keeps mosquitoes from being enticed to things around them. Citronella is a great choice, as it contains a much more intense aroma than different mosquito repellents. You can grow citronella in pots and keep it around a porch, or you can plant it in a garden bed. The best part of having citronella at home, it grows quickly, and its height can go up to five to six feet.
Catnip
One of the fantastic mosquito repellents is catnip. Researchers found that this is ten times more powerful than DEET, a common ingredient in various bug repellents. It’s easy to grow, and cats especially love to be around catnip.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm, popularly known as bee balm or horsemint, is an easy-growing plant for beginners, even if you don’t know anything about gardening. A fast-growing aggressive plant you can grow in a pot so that whenever you wish to move it to another place, it will be easier, and it doesn’t take over the garden. Lemon balm is a very adjustable plant, and it resists drought and thrives well even in the shade. Additionally, you can dry its leaves and use them in herbal tea to enhance the taste.
Geraniums
This is one of the most beautiful flowering plants and an excellent choice for a mosquito deterrent. The colorful blooms will spill over the side of the pot when planted in a hanging container. Geranium provides a beautiful visual structure and a pretty effective bug repellent. Geraniums don’t require excess water since their leaves can turn yellow, and plants can rot due to more water. This plant can bear dry soil but can’t survive in wet soil for long; hence it’s better to let the soil dry completely before watering it again. You can directly break the leaves and rub their oils onto the skin will provide tremendous effects on mosquitoes bites, plus you will smell good.
Basil
An instant and easy to grow mosquito repellent plant is basil. Basil is a delicious fresh herb that is quite handy, and you can add it to all your favorite preparations. The basil plant provides numerous health benefits, and at the same time, it helps eliminate mosquitoes naturally. Basil has a wide range of varieties, so it’s easier to experiment and get to know the best of them all. For example, lemon basil or cinnamon basil is quite effective in deterring mosquitoes and insects.
Conclusion
You can prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the yard; hence, removing the standing water is imperative. The plants above are easy to maintain and are beautiful additions to any garden. These simple and yet effective tips can be helpful to control mosquitoes in your home.
