What are the insect repellent plants?
- Basil
- Lavender
- Mint
- Chives
- Rosemary
- Citronella Grass
- Lemon Grass
If you notice a lot of annoying insects in your home, you may not really need to call your local pest control to take care of them for you. You can resort to nature in order to repel some common household pests. Most of these plants have multiple uses apart from being good insect repellents. Let’s take a look at some of the best plants to repel pesky pests.
Basil
This is by far, one of the easiest plants to grow. You could leave the seeds or saplings unattended and let nature take care of the growth of your basil. Commonly used as an ingredient for cooking, basil is known to be delicious for many recipes. It improves the taste of many meals.
Its smell is a delight to people. The same can never be said for bugs. The basils strong scent keeps many bugs away; especially mosquitoes and flies. Keeping a pot of basil in your kitchen area will keep your kitchen pest-free. Without even having to crush the leaves, the pungent scent of the leaves and the oil in the plant deter household pests. It’s said that basil was used in ancient times to keep common pests away.
Lavender
A lavender’s soothing aroma is commonly used to help induce sleep. Humans enjoy the comforting smell of lavender but common household pests seem to hate it. Lavender oil is used topically to ward off mosquitoes. Lavender is popularly used as an essential oil which is extracted from the leaves of the plant.
Having the plant around can also deter pests extensively so you should consider hanging some lavender leaves around your house. You could leave some in your closet to keep moths away. If you have pets in your home, this plant could be useful to ward off fleas. Your home will not only smell pleasant; it will also be pest free.
Mint
This herb is also very easy to plant and it also grows and spreads at a rapid rate. That’s why it’s best to keep them in pots if you plan on planting your own mint herbs. Unlike most herbs, the aromatic properties of the plant are not only found in its leaves, they’re present in every part of the mint herb.
Mint is a very popular plant to repel mosquitoes. In fact, you could make your own mosquito repellent by extracting the oil and combining it with some apple cider vinegar and vodka. You could also leave pots that are strategically placed around your house to prevent any pest invasion.
Chives
Chives are usually used to garnish salads, soups, and enhance the flavor of many fish dishes. Chives can easily be grown, even those without gardening experience can successfully grow their own chives. Not only does this plant make your food taste good, they also help keep pests away and attract an assortment of beneficial insects to aid you in exterminating pests.
It’s interesting how pests hate the smell of this plant while beneficial insects love it. You could plant these around your garden to keep many pests away. Don’t worry if you have to plant them far from your front door, there will be other insects that are attracted to chives that can handle invading pests.
Rosemary
Rosemary is another plant on our list that is great for food and works well as a pest repellent. The smell of rosemary attracts humans and helps enhance the taste of various dishes. You could literally put rosemary in any dish and I bet it would taste awesome.
But this pungent smell is hated by flies and mosquitoes. Plant a bunch of rosemary’s around your house to maximize its insect repellent properties. You could even opt for a free pest inspection and your pest control services may be impressed with pest-free your house is.
Citronella Grass
Citronella grass is by far, one of the best plants to keep if you want to keep mosquitoes away. Commonly used as an ornamental plant to make your garden look good, repelling mosquitoes is one of the things that it excels at. The plant’s leaves can be crushed and the oils that it secretes could be applied to the skin in order to keep pesky mosquitoes away from you. This insect repellent wonder plant is a mosquito pest control on its own. So feel free to decorate your garden with some citronella grass.
Lemon grass
Lemon grass is the cousin of citronella grass. They both look similar and grow almost identically. The main difference is that lemon grass is often used to flavor dishes and can also be used as an anti-inflammatory medicine. The attractive aroma of lemon grass leads many to use the oils of the plant as perfumes.
What is it that makes lemon grass repel pests? It contains the same oils that citronella has. The natural oil that repels mosquitos can also be used on the skin. But simply having the plant around will keep mosquitoes away from your home.
Key Takeaway
Sometimes, you can resort to nature to take care of things. When it comes to pest control, there are some plants that can keep your home free of some annoying insects. Many of which have multiple purposes which can enhance your own household. Planting these plants around your home can help you save money from constantly purchasing insect repellents.