Repel Mosquitoes Naturally with Plants

Is your yard and garden ready for outdoor activities the warmer weather and longer days make possible? More time outdoors often means more exposure to pesky mosquitoes, especially in the cool mornings and comfortable evenings.

Mosquito Control

Are you familiar with the growing trend to prevent and repel mosquitoes using fewer chemicals or no chemicals at all? Bug lights; bug zappers and setting up Bat habitats are just a few ideas of mosquito control that come to mind.  

Using common garden plants to repel mosquitoes is hardly a novel idea. As a result of the increased consumer interest in natural insect control, increasingly more plant varieties with mosquito repelling properties are available. Visit your local garden center and ask one of the garden experts on staff what plants they sell that will repel mosquitoes.

Plants that are known to repel mosquitoes are: Basil; Catnip; Citronella; Garlic; Geranium (lemon scented foliage); Lavender; Lemon Balm; Marigolds; Peppermint; and Rosemary.   As you can see by this list, many of the plants have culinary uses as well.

Even though these plants are repellent to mosquitoes, they won’t likely repel people. That being said, some of the plants on this list may be toxic to dogs and/or cats. Please verify pet safety with a reputable source before planting.   

It is will known that mosquitoes tend to lay their eggs on the surface of standing water. Eliminating standing water really does go a long way to control the mosquito population in your yard.