Plants that repel mosquitoes

[george]

Are there any plants that keep mosquitoes away naturally? My apartment complex is spraying pesticides to ensure that the pool and BBQ patio are mosquito free, but I wonder if they could get the same effect by using different types of grass in the common areas or using mosquito repellent flowers in the planters that circle the pool.

[fleurdelys]

I heard that catnip is good a herb in repelling mosquitoes. The essential oil that's extracted from the plant is said to be more effective than DEET (according to this article).

A few old timers in my pop's hometown said the nymph tree is good, but I haven't seen any articles talking about it.

[Luna]

Eucalyptus is good too. The plant itself is a strong water drainer, thus removing the chances of mosquitoes breeding in shallow water that gets pooled in the soil. Plus, the extracted oil is also a good insect repellant.

[cosmic_girl]

I found this article online. It lists down plants that are good mosquito repellants. That should probably be a good starting point for your research as well.

[ladybug]

Neem trees are good insect repellants as well as citronella which you can easily plant in your backyard.

[fleurdelys]

Originally Posted by ladybug

Neem trees are good insect repellants as well as citronella which you can easily plant in your backyard.

Neem trees, not nymph! Haha, thanks. That's why I couldn't find any info about it when I was searching online!

[gardengirl]

There are several plants that repel mosquitoes. These include: Citronella grass, catnip, rosemary, and marigolds.

Many of us have heard of using citronella oil burning in candles or lanterns to keep mosquitoes away.

Catnip also produces an oil and some people say it is up to ten times better than DEET when it comes to repelling mosquitoes.

Rosemary produces mosquito repelling oil. Both catnip and rosemary can be grown in pots that you set out each summer.

Marigolds have a smell that repels insects (and maybe people too!). Marigolds are easy to grow annuals that you can put directly into your garden

If you aren't opposed to bats, they are little mosquito devouring machines. You'll need to put up a few bat houses to attract them but once they're in your yard you should notice a big difference in the number of mosquitoes bothering you.

[cosmic_girl]

Originally Posted by fleurdelys

I heard that catnip is good a herb in repelling mosquitoes. The essential oil that's extracted from the plant is said to be more effective than DEET (according to this article).

Wow, that's pretty interesting about catnip. Didn't know about this study.

Citronella's good too. I'd like to know if these plants should be planted, or if it's ok to have them as cut plants, like branches of the eucalyptus or the catnip itself, place them in pots or vases... will they work?

[cococrab]

Originally Posted by Luna

Eucalyptus is good too. The plant itself is a strong water drainer, thus removing the chances of mosquitoes breeding in shallow water that gets pooled in the soil. Plus, the extracted oil is also a good insect repellant.

My sister planted eucalyptus tree in their backyard. It was still small then and it got tall now. When dry leaves fall she burns them and the smoke repelled the mosquitoes..

[starcandy]

^ that's good! I think I'll try that. My neighbor has one and I can easily ask for some branches from him. You can never be too careful with mosquitoes. You don't know what diseases they can bring, aside from malaria or hepatitis

[sakura]

Question, are the plants themselves enough to drive the mosquitoes away? I read somewhere that it's not the plants themselves that do so, but the essential oils that comes from the plant. Once the oil is extracted, you can use that to make the repellant.

Any other ideas?

[starcandy]

Yes, I heard that somewhere too. You have to crush a few of the plant's leaves to release the fragrance so that it'll be more effective in repelling the mosquitoes.

I did find this recipe online for making your own insect repellant. Using 2 cups of catnip leaves or 1 cup of rosemary leaves, remove the stems & crush the leaves. Place them in a clean jar, fill it with 3/2 cup of rice vinegar or vodka. For oils, use 3/4 cup of almond or jojoba. Stir it at least once a day, and let it sit for a few weeks. Strain the mixture to remove the leaves and that's it.

[fleurdelys]

One website I visited says that Thai Lemon Grass is an effective mosquito repellant. They just let it grow wild, trim it when it's too big and use it for cooking as well. They also used the stalk and rubbed it directly on their skin to effectively repel mosquitoes, but they also extracted some oils so they can carry the solution along.

You can read for yourself about that here.

[fireflies]

Originally Posted by sakura

Question, are the plants themselves enough to drive the mosquitoes away? I read somewhere that it's not the plants themselves that do so, but the essential oils that comes from the plant. Once the oil is extracted, you can use that to make the repellant.

Any other ideas?

Yes, for Citronella, Catnip and Rosemary, it's their oil that is being used as mosquito repellant. Citronella's oil is burned under candles to let the scent repel mosquitoes. Catnip's and rosemary's oil is applied to the skin.

You can also try burning a bit of rosemary or sage, it's smoke also works well.

[honeylemon]

Some resources would also include basil, fennel, garlic, lemon ironwood, lavender, spearmint, pennyroyal, southernwood and 'Mozzie Buster' pelargonium on the list of mosquito repelling plants. The last being able to give strong lemon scent that keeps mosquitoes away. You can hang bunches of the leaves from a tree or better plant them near your children's play areas. You can also do the same with the leaves of fennel and lemon ironwood.

[rosiethumb]

Originally Posted by george

Are there any plants that keep mosquitoes away naturally? My apartment complex is spraying pesticides to ensure that the pool and BBQ patio are mosquito free, but I wonder if they could get the same effect by using different types of grass in the common areas or using mosquito repellent flowers in the planters that circle the pool.

I guess you have really lots of mosquitoes around. have you tried inspecting for possible breeding and nesting places of mosquitoes? Try and perhaps you can spot stagnant water, or containers with water that can be good breeding places. If these places are present, then spraying pesticides and mosquito repellent plants will be useless.

Be careful. Mosquitoes can be carriers of a lot of diseases.

[sakura]

I agree with Rosie. Aside from finding ways to repel the existing mosquitoes. It's also good to prevent them from breeding in the first place.

[cosmic_girl]

Mosquitoes need water so they can pass through their life stages. Stagnant or any standing water is the ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes so it's best to get rid of anything that collects water. If you have any rain barrels or containers for your garden's irrigation, make sure they're tightly covered to prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs. They can lay eggs & hatch within two days.

Check that water drains properly in your house. Regularly empty containers of water. Even when watering your plants, make sure that they get absorbed by the soil completely.

So far, my research tells me that the best plant for repelling mosquitoes is catnip.

[george]

I've been using Marigolds to repel predators from my potatoes and tomatoes - those suckers are really hardy! Thanks for the info that they work on mosquitoes too - I'll try them out with some eucalyptus and catnip reinforcement.

[arianne]

A friend suggested lemon balm, as it's pretty low maintenance and smells wonderful. Burning a few stems is said to effectively drive away mosquitoes.