Mosquitoes are some of the vilest pests to invade your home and make life uncomfortable. They’re annoying, can cause pain, spread disease, and never seem to let up. However, this doesn’t have to be the case – and you can use the power of plants to compel them to stay away.
We’ve created a list of seven useful mosquito repellant plants that you can easily keep at home. Your place will look great, smell better, and be mosquito-free in no time. Let’s check out these anti-mosquito plants!
What Attracts Mosquitoes to Your Home?
There are a variety of things that can attract mosquitoes to your house, including:
- Water: Water is one of the key resources that attracts mosquitoes. Not only are they looking for drinking water, but also for a friendly place to lay their eggs. Some plants that carry too much water are prime attractions for mosquitoes as well. In general, try to have as little standing water as possible around your home.
- Organic Matter: Compost, certain floral scents, human sweat, mulch – pretty much any sort of strong odor that gives mosquitoes the impression there are warm bodies and water will certainly attract them. This is why knowing the best mosquito repellent plants is so important to counterbalance common attractors.
- Yard Debris: Mosquitoes are always looking for cool and dark sheltered spots. As a bonus, grass and compost piles will offer some moisture for them to hang out in. Making sure your yard clippings are properly sealed and any other plants are tidy will go a long way in repelling mosquitoes from your property.
- Blood: Mosquitoes feed on blood – and this means that people and animals are always appealing to this bloodthirsty insect. Especially in the heat of Arizona, they will be drawn to your yard or porch if there’s a consistent presence of people for them to feed on.
Mosquitoes are determined and will make life miserable if they swarm your home without restraint. Try to limit what attracts them around your property by employing the right preventative tactics to repelling mosquitoes.
Learn more about How to Control Mosquitos In and Around Your Home
Why Certain Plants Deter Mosquitoes
We’ve already highlighted that grass and certain plants can attract mosquitoes because they provide shade and moisture. So why do certain plants instead repel mosquitoes?
Certain oils, citrus scents, and herbs are natural repellents to mosquitoes. Most commonly, it’s the oils from the leaves in these plants that are deterrents to mosquitoes.
With that in mind, here are some plants to consider placing around your property to keep mosquitoes out of your home and yard.
Read More: 5 plants that repel pests in your home
Seven Plants that Deter Mosquitoes
These are just some of the many effective plants for mosquito control. We tried to list the most common and accessible ones so that you don’t have to be a master botanist to know what will work.
1. Citronella: Widely accepted as a go-to ingredient for natural mosquito repellents, citronella plants are highly potent. There are also perfumes and citronella essential oils which can be used in lieu of the actual plant.
2. Lemon Balm: Many citrus scents like lemon balm leaves repel mosquitoes. Lemon balm is an invasive species, so make sure to plant it in pots or containers.
3. Basil: Basil is one of our favorite multi-functional mosquito repellents. Keeping a basil plant in your yard or on your porch is a great decoration, perfect for plucking to eat later, and the leaves don’t even have to be crushed to repel mosquitoes.
4. Mint: Not only does mint smell delightful, you can use it as a balm to treat any bites that still might occur. Win win!
5. Sage: Sage is another versatile kitchen herb that can be used to keep mosquitoes at bay. If you burn sage in a fire, the scented smoke will repel mosquitoes.
6. Rosemary: Similar to sage, some crushed or chopped rosemary can do wonders for your mosquito woes. Toss it into your fire to double up on its repelling effect.
7. Citrosum: Citrosum is heavily marketed as a “mosquito repellant plant”, and it’s a good-looking perennial to go with it. A pot of it near your porch is a great way to balance out the plants that need to be activated in their respective ways. A common theme in many of the more oily-leaved plants is that they need to be crushed or burnt to release their scents. Keeping some of those along with other standing repellant plants is a great combination. Ultimately, if a mosquito infestation is too prevalent on your property, you still may want to consider getting professional pest control services for stronger long-term solutuions
Insectek is Arizona’s Best Mosquito Control Services
Mosquitoes can be a real problem in Arizona – but not with Insectek’s top-of-the-line mosquito control services. We have decades of experience keeping homes safe from pest infestations, and we can help create unique, long-term treatment plans that sometimes involve some minor decorating. Still not sure what is eating your plants? Check out our article on Aphids: the tiny bugs eating your plants!
If you’re looking to get next-level protection from mosquitoes this season, reach out to us today. One call could save you from the misery of countless bites every year!
