Summer is a wonderful time of year with outdoor activities plenty. Unfortunately summer also can mean pesky bugs that can be quite irritating. One of the most common, the mosquito, can not only be extremely irritating but can also carry harmful diseases.
It’s definitely in our best interests to keep them away; thankfully there is a natural and easy way to keep them at bay. As it turns out many plants have properties that actually keep mosquitoes, as well as other bugs, away. The 4 plants below are excellent choices that you can grow today to keep Mosquitoes Away.
How Does a Plant Keep Mosquitos Away?
In general, the plants aroma confuses the the senses of the mosquitos. The scents of the plants mask the usual scents that mosquitos use to find prey. This is similar to how commercial, chemical bug sprays work, but without the harmful chemicals.
For this reason, all the plants on this list are generally very scent heavy. They are all very aromatic and provide strong scents to confuse the mosquitos. It’s important to note that this is just a small sample of bug repelling plants, there are many others that will do the same. They are all likely to be very aromatic as well.
Basil
Basil is not only a delicious cooking herb, but has also been shown to keep mosquitos away. Placing this herb near a sunny window or on the patio and enjoy both a wonderful aroma as well as providing some anti-mosquitoe properties. The basil scent has been shown to confuse the senses of the mosquito which can stop it from feeding on you.
If you already have some basil it’s easy to grow more from cuttings. Check out our article on that. Growing from cuttings is a cheap and easy way to grow more basil.
Thyme
This beautiful herb grows best in sunny locations. It makes excellent decoration along garden paths, or even in a small basket on a window. It’s advised to slightly bruise the leaves to release the aroma which contains the repellent properties. Like the basil, it’s the chemicals that produce the Thymes aroma that repel the pesky mosquitos. You can also bruise the thyme and run it on your yourself to create a natural repellant on the go.
For more info on growing thyme check out our article.
Peppermint
Peppermint is another very aromatic herb. It’s been known to grow quickly and take over gardens, so it’s usually best to plant in containers. This makes excellent for indoor planting, and in terms of space to smell it is one of the best bangs for your buck. Its aroma can quickly fill a room, which is good for repellant purposes. You can also take the leaves and spread them around other plants of the garden as they also have been shown to prevent other types of pests that can damage plants. Just be careful that you watch the plant as its quick growth can easily overwhelm other plants.
Sage
Another very aromatic plant is the sage. While great for cooking, it is also great at keeping mosquitoes and other bugs away. A little different from the other plants on this list, the best way to elicit the bug repellent properties from sage is to burn it. Placing a little bit of sage in a bonfire is a fantastic way to keep the bugs at bay. It also adds an excellent scent to the fire, a nice bonus for those who dislike the smell of bonfire smoke.
Keep in mind these are only a couple of the many plants with replant properties. There are many other varieties of plants out there that will do the same, so there if the above doesn’t interest you keep looking! It’s also important to know that none of these are foolproof, in general commercial bug repellants are more effective. You do however get the added benefit that all the above plants are completely natural and don’t come with harmful chemicals, so it’s a tradeoff either way.
If you’re interested in picking up any of these plants, each one above is linked to amazon for sale. These are affiliate links, and a portion of each sale goes back to us to help us to continue to put out content.
