Mosquito-Repelling Plants For Your Home

Are you a mosquito magnet? It’s been scientifically proven that these pesky insects simply prefer some people more than others!

It’s thought that blood type, genes, metabolism, exercise, shirt color and even drinking beer can impact your attractiveness to mosquitoes.

It’s safe to say that they are unwelcome guests in any home - not only do they cause uncomfortable, unsightly bumps, they have any been known to carry diseases that can infect both humans and your pets.

If you’re one of the unlucky few with the dreaded “sweet blood”, fear not - there are many simple steps you can take to make mosquito season more bearable.

You can grow these plants to naturally repel unwanted insects from your home!

Citronella

The smell of citronella will probably remind you of an aussie barbeque - and for good reason!

Citronella oil is one of the very best natural mosquito repellants around, as it masks human scents that they find attractive (like carbon dioxide and lactic acid).

You can either keep the plant around your entertaining areas, or use citronella burners for a more concentrated effect.

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is a close relative to citronella, making it a fantastic insect repellant! Put this plant near seating areas to experience some relief.

Marigold

Marigold contains pyrethrum, which features widely in insect repellents. Mosquitos and other bugs find the smell quite repulsive.

French marigolds can also kill nematodes and repel whiteflies, although they might attract spider mites and snails.

Rosemary

Rosemary's naturally strong scent helps to keep mosquitoes, cabbage moths and carrot flies away. Luckily, they love a hot, dry climate and will happily thrive through an Australian summer if taken care of correctly.

Peppermint

Peppermint makes a wonderful addition to any garden. Not only is this fresh herb useful in a variety of dishes, it contains a high concentration of natural pesticides like pulegone.

If you do happen to get bitten however, peppermint leaves can actually provide some relief as a consolation.

Pelargonium

Another plant with a similar mosquito-repelling fragrance as citronella.

Catnip

Your cat might love this plant, but the mosquitos won’t! Containing nepetalactone oil, it works as an effective mosquito repellant. Catnip also helps to deter weevils, ants, aphids and some beetles!

Basil

It turns out the versatile spaghetti topper has a variety of uses outside of the kitchen! Basil can help to repel mosquitoes, flies and thrips.

Scented Geraniums

Not only do they add some beautiful colour to your garden, scented geraniums (particularly lemon scented) have been shown to repel mosquitos. They can be grown quite easily in pots to decorate your entertaining spaces with.

In addition to using the plants listed above, there are steps you should take to prevent mosquitos.

They LOVE stagnant water, and will lay their eggs by the hundreds in even a small handful of water, so make sure you aren’t offering them a breeding ground in your garden.