what plants repel mosquitoes and gnats

Lavender Highly appreciated for its pleasant fragrance and relaxing color, lavender is also included among the plants that repel flies, gnats, and mosquitoes or are said to have an insect-repelling effect, given its smell. While people like the way lavender smells, insects such as flies and mosquitoes dislike it.

Full Answer

What plants mosquitoes most afraid of?

• Elder. It is one of those plants whose juice and smell do not like bloodsuckers. ...
• Bird cherry. This smell is associated with the onset of spring. ...
• Conifers. ...
• Citronella and geranium.These two plants should be allocated in a separate group. ...
• Citrus fruits. ...
• Carbolic acid. ...
• Fish fat. ...
• Smoke. ...
• Soy sauce. ...

What plants do mosquitoes hate?

What Plants Does Mosquito Hate Most?

• Chrysanthemums –. Mosquito control is made possible with the help of this edible flower that is graced with a large variety of gold, purple, red, and white hues.
• Mosquito Plant –. The scented geranium which is well-known as the “mosquito plant” is a member of pelargonium family. ...
• Lemon Balm –. ...
• Citronella Grass –. ...

Does the mosquito plant really repel mosquitos?

The plant most commonly sold as the mosquito plant or citrosa is a lemon-scented geranium. The lemony-scented essential oils in the plant do have mosquito-repellent properties. But the scent is not produced by the plant just sitting in an area.

Do plants really eat insects?

Do plants really eat bugs? The Venus flytrap is a clever carnivorous plant that lures insects into its deadly chamber, captures them, eats them, and then expels them when finished. Ants, beetles, grasshoppers, flying insects, and even spiders are on the menu!

What plant keeps gnats away?

Plants that Repel Gnats. There is a handful that can keep gnats at bay, including geraniums, lemon thyme, lavender, and Mexican marigold. The wonderful thing about using plants is that not only do they look nice in your garden, but they will also help keep more than just gnats away.

What kind of plant keeps mosquitoes away?

Rosemary, thyme, & basil. Similar to lavender and marigolds, these fragrant herbs emit a smell on their own that works to keep mosquitoes away.

What smell do mosquitoes hate?

Mosquitoes hate the smell of lavender, citronella, clove, peppermint, basil, cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass and rosemary.

Do mosquito repelling plants really work?

Despite the claims made on “Mosquito Plants” (lemon-scented geranium or “citronella plant”) sold at big box stores, the plants themselves don't repel mosquitoes. It's the oil inside the leaves that have properties that can repel mosquitoes. You would have to crush the leaves to extract these oils.

How do I mosquito proof my yard?

Here are some steps you can take to mosquito-proof your yard.Plant Mosquito-Repelling Flowers. The most common and popular mosquito-repelling garden plant is the marigold. ... Eliminate Standing Water. ... Invite Bats Into Your Yard. ... Keep Your Gutters Clean. ... Treat Wet Areas. ... Spray & Trap. ... Use Repellent Devices.

How do you keep mosquitoes out of your backyard?

Prune Hedges and Mow the Yard to Reduce Shade Mosquitoes like shade to escape the midday heat. Hedges, bushes, and tall grass provide shade that shelters mosquitoes. They need a place to get out of the heat and sun during the day, so the fewer shaded areas they find, the less they'll congregate in your yard.

How do I keep mosquitoes off my patio naturally?

1. Get Rid of Standing WaterFix the Drainage. It's easy to empty out water that collects on your deck. ... Treat Standing Water. ... Clear Out Clogged Gutters. ... Install a Fan (or Two) ... Plant Mosquito Repellent Plants. ... Mow the Lawn. ... Burn Some Incense. ... Attract Birds and Bats.More items...•

How do I control mosquitoes in my yard?

5 ways to get rid of mosquitoes in your yardFree from debris. As long as you have places for them to play hide and seek, mosquitoes won't want to leave. ... Dethatch. A similar line of treatment for mosquitoes is dethatching. ... Clear standing water. ... Add mosquito-repelling plants to your landscape. ... Apply an insecticide.

What herbs repel mosquitoes?

Thyme rounds out the list of savory herbs that repel mosquitoes. Plant thyme between stepping stones in the garden, where your steps will crush some leaves and release the mosquito-repelling oils.

How long does lantana oil protect you from mosquitoes?

In fact, this oil preparation protected from mosquitoes for an average of two hours, with no adverse effects to humans. What a bonus that lantana flowers are so easy to grow in warm sunny locales, and attract butterflies as well. Continue to 9 of 12 below. 09 of 12.

What is the name of the plant that attracts songbirds?

The tiny white flowers of Callicarpa americana aren't much to look at, but the vibrant magenta berry clusters make this small shrub stand out in the landscape. Beautyberry plants are a member of the Lamiaceae family, which includes many mints. The fragrant oils released by crushing the leaves of the beautyberry repel mosquitos, and the berries often last long into the winter to attract and feed songbirds and small mammals.

What is the name of the plant with white flowers?

American Beautyberry. cstar55/Getty Images. The tiny white flowers of Callicarpa americana aren't much to look at, but the vibrant magenta berry clusters make this small shrub stand out in the landscape. Beautyberry plants are a member of the Lamiaceae family, which includes many mints.

Is fennel good for mosquitoes?

Fennel plants are often left out of the herb garden in favor of more compact plants, but fennel plants have multiple uses in addition to their mosquito repellent properties: the feathery plants are as ornamental as any tall garden grass, the chopped leaves are delicious in salads and soups, and the leaves host swallowtail butterfly caterpillars in the garden. Bronze fennel is especially lovely in the back of the border, will self-seed to produce a handsome colony for the following season.

Does Cymbopogon citratus smell like lemons?

Somehow, the natural oils in Cymbopogon citratus manage to smell like real lemons, only better. Lemongrass is a staple in Asian cooking, and its delicate fragrance lends a citrus note to some perfumes as well. Lemongrass is a tender plant, and won't survive the winter below zone 8, but it grows quickly in container culture. Coarsely chop the strappy leaves of this plant and strew them around your deck during your next gathering, both for mosquito repelling power and for the pleasing aroma.

Does mint repel mosquitoes?

Grow this and you can achieve that perfect mint mojito, and then sip it outdoors without the buzzkill of mosquitoes. All types of mint plants repel mosquitoes, and there are more varieties than you thought: explore the subtle differences between spearmint and peppermint, or marvel at just how much the chocolate mint plant smells like a candy dish. All mints grow and spread like wildfire, so harvest them with abandon in your pursuit to banish mosquitoes.

What is the best plant for mosquitoes?

This mosquito-repelling plant is commonly known as wild bergamot and horsemint. Bee balm will bring many pollinators to your garden like bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. This plant is commonly used in jellies, tea and as a delicious garnish for salads and other dishes.

What is the best edging plant for vegetable gardens?

Marigolds are popular edging plants for vegetable gardens. These annual flowers have a strong fragrance and taste great in any salad, soup or herb butter due to their light and citrusy taste. Marigolds contain pyrethrum, a compound used in many repellants and sometimes referred to as “nature’s insecticide.”

What is rosemary good for?

You can also toss some rosemary in a fire for an aromatic insect repellent (just keep close to the smoke). Rosemary oil has great benefits for skin and hair, too.

What is the scent of citronella?

Citronella is commonly found in mosquito repellents and candles. The strong scent from citronella masks the smell of other attractants (like the smell of carbon dioxide). This large plant is normally found in planters but can also thrive in gardens in areas with no frost. Citronella is a low maintenance plant, meaning you’ll be able to repel mosquitoes with little work at all. Variations of this plant name and plants in the same family include citronella grass and citrosum.

Is peppermint oil a good repellent for mosquitoes?

This fast-grower can easily invade your garden if left unchecked, but it’s not as invasive as other plants in the mint family. Peppermint oil is not only great for repelling mosquitoes, but can also help with relieving discomfort from itchy mosquito bites.

Is lemon balm invasive?

Keep in mind that lemon balm is an invasive species and can take over your garden bed if planted there. This ornamental plant tastes great in soups and other dishes in addition to fighting off pesky mosquitos!

Does lavender tea keep mosquitoes away?

In addition to being a great tea ingredient, lavender can also keep away other flying pests. There are many varieties of lavender, and one may grow better in your climate area than another.

What plants repel flies?

Lavender. Highly appreciated for its pleasant fragrance and relaxing color, lavender is also included among the plants that repel flies, gnats, and mosquitoes or are said to have an insect-repelling effect, given its smell. While people like the way lavender smells, insects such as flies and mosquitoes dislike it.

How can plants repel mosquitoes and other insects?

Keeping mosquitoes away is not only a matter of comfort but also of health , considering the various mosquito-borne diseases. That’s why keeping them away gains even greater importance.

What is the best mosquito repellent?

Floss flowers. When prospecting the market for mosquito and bug repellants, you will see that many products contain coumarin, which is a chemical compound found in floss flowers. These flowers won’t just add to your garden’s or patio’s beauty but should also help you repel mosquitoes.

What are alliums good for?

Alliums are said to keep not only mosquitoes away but also other insects, such as aphids, carrot flies, and cabbage worms. What’s more, they will also add to your garden’s aesthetics, and they prove to be of help when planted around other plants, including tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots.

How to get rid of mosquitoes from mint?

You can extract mint oil and combine it with apple cider vinegar and a bit of vodka to make a mosquito repellent.

How to make basil spray for eyes?

Put the basil leaves into a container and then pour the boiling water over them. Let them steep for a few hours, then remove them, and squeeze out their moisture. Add the vodka to this water-basil mixture and store it in the refrigerator. Apply this spray when going outdoors but make sure to avoid your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Does lavender repel mosquitoes?

While people like the way lavender smells, insects such as flies and mosquitoes dislike it. If you want to try this natural solution, make sure you place lavender bouquets indoors to keep house flies away and plant it in sunny areas of your garden. Lavender oil is also used in natural mosquito repellents.

What is the best insect repellent for a garden?

Beautiful and bushy flowers fight off a bevy of bugs that can overtake a garden. Chrysanthemums ( Chrysanthemum morifolium) contain pyrethrum , which is an effective insect repellent. Used in commercial insecticidal sprays, it can kill both flying and jumping insects as well as the creepy crawlers that try to travel too close to the surrounding healthy plants.

What is the best plant to protect plants from flying insects?

They protect plants and people from flying pests that pick up on its strong scent. Geraniums repel leafhoppers, beetles, mosquitoes and aphids. A particular geranium, the Pelargonium citrosum, is often used to repel mosquitoes in areas where they are a prevalent pest.

What is the best plant to kill nematodes?

The French marigold ( Tagetes patula) kills nematodes and deters whiteflies. The golden Mexican marigold ( Tagetes erecta) is a sprawling evergreen shrub with foliage that emits a strong aroma that repels gnats, cabbage moths and white flies. Marigolds in general will deter rabbits and mosquitoes from your outdoor areas.

What is the best plant to use to repel roaches?

Use the leaves indoors to repel roaches from pantries and other food storage areas. Best in USDA zones 7 to 10. Sage ( Salvia officinalis) – This perennial plant grows best in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 8 and is best in landscaped raised beds or planters. It can be used as a base for homemade bug repellent.

What insects are attracted to gobble?

Attracting Prey to Gobble Pests. Planting particular types of flowers and bushes in your yard or patio can invite beneficial insects to prey on aphids, mites and ants. These include: Praying mantis – consumes gnats, caterpillars, mites, aphids and cabbage worms.

What is a good companion for a vegetable garden?

Nasturtiums ( Tropaeolum spp.) are a good companion for vegetable gardens. They don’t interfere with the soil or other growing needs of fruit-producing plants while working to keep flying insects from making a home in the tall tomato branches or sweet pea vines above this ground covering plant.

What is the scent of petunias?

Petunias come in many colors and can be planted in raised beds, borders or containers. They have a licoricelike scent that they emit that repels bugs whenever a pet brushes by them or the wind picks up.

What to use to keep mosquitoes away from plants?

Try lemon thyme or lemon balm. Lemon balm is in the mint family, so confine it to a pot to keep it from spreading crazily. Lemon-scented geraniums are often marketed as “mosquito plants,” but there’s little evidence that they have much of an effect. Stick to the other citrus-scented plants instead. Lavender has a strong scent ...

What herb repels flies?

Basil is another culinary herb that does double duty by repelling flies and mosquitoes, too. It’s one of the most pungent herbs that is known to be effective. Peppermint exudes a strong fragrance that ants, mosquitoes, and even mice don’t like. Grow it in a pot to contain its rampant growth.

What is the best way to keep mosquitoes away from my house?

Lemon grass has proven mosquito-repelling abilities. Since it is hardy only in tropical zones, plant yours in a pot and bring it inside when the temperatures drop if you intend to keep it over the winter.#N#While we are on the topic of lemon, there are a couple other plants with a strong, citrus fragrance that will keep bugs at bay. Try lemon thyme or lemon balm. Lemon balm is in the mint family, so confine it to a pot to keep it from spreading crazily.#N#Lemon-scented geraniums are often marketed as “mosquito plants,” but there’s little evidence that they have much of an effect. Stick to the other citrus-scented plants instead. 1 While we are on the topic of lemon, there are a couple other plants with a strong, citrus fragrance that will keep bugs at bay. Try lemon thyme or lemon balm. Lemon balm is in the mint family, so confine it to a pot to keep it from spreading crazily. 2 Lemon-scented geraniums are often marketed as “mosquito plants,” but there’s little evidence that they have much of an effect. Stick to the other citrus-scented plants instead.

How to keep bugs out of your house?

Lavender has a strong scent that repels moths, flies, fleas, and mosquitoes. Use it fresh or dry some of the flowers to hang around the house or put in with your clothing to keep bugs out. Here’s how to make lavendar sachets. Garlic keeps away more than vampires.

How far away can mosquitoes be?

They can be attracted from as far as 100 feet away. Luckily, the scents of mint, fruit, and even chocolate can block the receptors that the bugs use to find us.

What are the diseases that mosquitoes carry?

Mosquitoes are more than a nuisance, too, as there are many mosquito-borne diseases out there, including viruses such as West Nile, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and Dengue.

How can I keep mosquitoes out of my yard?

One of the most effective things you can do to cut the mosquito population down is to eliminate any standing water where their larvae may be living.

What plants keep bugs out of the garden?

Alliums. Beautiful tall alliums will keep insects out of your vegetable garden. Toshihiro Gomo [CC BY 2.0]/Flickr. Plants in the Allium family, such as the dramatic Allium giganteum which has flower heads that adorn stalks up to six feet tall, are regarded as a broad-spectrum natural insecticide.

How to keep mosquitoes away from plants?

Plants can be grown in containers on a patio and shaped into ornamental pyramids, grown in herb gardens or planted in landscaped beds, where some varieties can grow quite large. Rosemary's oils are as delicious to home cooks who use herbs as they are unpleasant to many insects. The plant itself and its cuttings are effective repellents. You can make a simple repellent spray by boiling one quart of dried rosemary in a quart of water for 20 to 30 minutes and then straining the liquid into a container at least a half-gallon in size that contains a quart of cool water. Put a cap on the combined liquid and store it in the refrigerator. Add the repellent to small squirt bottles as needed when going outdoors . Discard the remaining repellent in the refrigerator when it no longer has a strong telltale smell of rosemary.

How to use basil to repel mosquitoes?

Basil is delicious in salads, in many pork and chicken recipes and with a variety of soups. Basil also improves the flavors of certain vegetables, include tomatoes, peppers and asparagus. You also can use fresh basil to make an insect repellent spray. A simple recipe calls for pouring four ounces of boiling water into a container holding four to six ounces of clean, fresh basil leaves (stems can be attached), letting the leaves steep for several hours, removing the leaves and squeezing all of the leaves' moisture into the mixture. Then thoroughly mix four ounces of (cheap!) vodka with the basil-water mixture. Store in the refrigerator and apply as a spray when going outdoors. Be sure to keep the spray away from your eyes, nose and mouth.

What plants are good for alliums?

4  Plants that will benefit from the proximity of alliums include tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi and carrots. They also will keep aphids off rose bushes. Alliums include small-growing herbs such as chives ...

How to keep mosquitoes down?

One of the best things people can do to hold down mosquito populations, she advises, is to eliminate any standing water, which is where mosquitoes breed.

What plants repel leafhoppers?

Geraniums can repel leafhoppers and other types of insects. 4  One type of geranium, Pelargonium citrosum, is known as the Mosquito Repellent Plant. When in bloom, they have pretty flowers with a lemon-like fragrance that can help keep bugs at bay. These plants grow fast and like sunny, dry climates.

Why do herbs smell?

The smell from fragrant herbs is the result of the distribution of tiny globules that contain oils. High temperatures, for example, can cause the globules to become volatile, evaporating the essential oils and turning them into vapors, Pennisi says.

What is the best way to repel gnats?

Another one of the natural gnat repellents that you can easily make yourself is a homemade sticky trap. A homemade sticky gnat trap is a natural home remedy for gnats.

How to get rid of gnats in plastic wrap?

Using a toothpick, make several small holes in the plastic wrap. Place the gnat trap in any area around your home where you have a gnat infestation to get rid of them.

How to make a gnat trap with vinegar?

DIY Apple Cider Vinegar Gnat Trap. Place the vinegar, sugar, and dish soap in the jar, then pour the water in the jar, being sure to mix well. Cover the opening of the container with the plastic wrap and use the rubber band to secure it in place. Ensure that the plastic wrap is stretched tight over the opening.

What does a Mexican marigold smell like?

The Mexican marigold produces clusters of cream-colored and yellow flowers, and the foliage has a musty odor that gnats and other flying insects dislike.

What are the two types of gnats?

While there are two common types of gnats, fruit flies and fungus gnats, but there are several other types that can infest your home and yard. While most of these gnats are harmless, the very presence of these tiny, pesky insects can leave you feeling a bit twitchy.

Why is it important to control non-biting gnats?

Controlling the non-biting gnats outdoors is often needed because their outside breeding and developmental sources tend to produce large populations of the annoying pest that will eventually get inside if the proper precautions aren’t made.

Does Neem oil kill aphids?

Neem oil is another excellent repellent for gnats and will also kill aphids. Neem oil works to disrupt the gnat insect’s ability to lay eggs, as well as disrupting the development of their larvae. This natural neem oil spray is safe to use around plants, but strong enough to eliminate the gnat larvae. tb1234.