Rainy season has just started in my part of the world. One of the biggest problems we have during this season is the emergence of breeding sites for mosquitoes which in turn brings out the problem of Dengue fever. This is why I make sure that we remove all possible breeding sites of mosquitoes in our backyard and throw all accumulated stagnant water after every rain. I have to make my home safe from mosquitoes especially for my child. I learned that there are plants which also help in repelling mosquitoes from your backyard. One of them is lemongrass which I am now trying to propagate so I would have more of them in my backyard. How about you guys, do you also have mosquito problems and do you also have plants that help repel them?
I usually see the plant vendor with his cart every weekend in the market (he was there this Saturday morning). One of his best-selling plant is the citronella which looks like lemon grass. In fact, it smells like lemon grass although a bit stronger. That odor repels mosquitoes and other insects, the vendor said. He advises to place the citronella plant by the doorway so the mosquitoes wouldn't enter the house. We have lemon grass around the house and I think it has the same effect as citronella for mosquitoes are not rampant here unlike in our neighbor's house.
Yes I have heard that citonella grass is great for keeping mosquitos away. I buy citronella candles to use on our patio and they do a great job of keeping the mosquitos away. I've also read that catmint is suppose to better than DEET at repelling mosquitos. Certain herbs are excellent at keeping the mosquitos away. Rosemary and basil. They are dual purpose plants. Grow a great looking herbs and keep those nasty bugs away. I'm thinking of planting them both this summer in my herb garden. Finally lavender is also effective. I love the smell of lavender and grow it in my front garden. It's quite pretty and grows easily in my climate.
Our city is actually on heightened alert right now because of the high prevalence of Dengue fever among residents that's why I'm taking a lot of extra precaution for my family especially for my kid. I'm planning on propagating more lemongrass and buying some citronella to add to my garden. Right now we're keen on applying a whole lot of mosquito repellant lotion to keep those flies away.
We have some lemon grass growing out in front of the house; but it is probably too far away to help with the mosquitoes that come around in the evenings. I have read that mint is also supposed to deter mosquitoes, and i do have that planted close around all sides of the porch; but so far, it has not seemed to stop the mosquitoes at all. We have been using a citronella candle, and that helps, plus we have one of those electric bug-killers that electrocutes them when they go close to it. I am not sure if even that attracts the mosquitoes to kill them, though. However, my husband had a sore knee where he had twisted it, and he used some Icy-hot on the knee to ease the pain. He said that is was also keeping the mosquitoes away from him; so that is also a possibility. I think that it has mint, and maybe wintergreen and eucalyptus in it, and I like that smell. I get mosquitoes when Iam out working in the yard if I forget to wear repellant, so it seems like they are not concerned with any of the plants that are growing and supposed to deter them.
I think it's also nice to put pots of mosquito repellant plants of your choice near windows and doors to prevent mosquitoes from entering your household. So far, I have noticed a significant decrease in mosquitoes flying around our yard when I planted lemon grass and citronella.
Tne neem plant is considered to be a very effective mosquito repellant. The oil made extracted from the neem tree may be applied to the skin and the mosquito will keep away, another method is to burn the neem leaves and the smoke will repel the mosquitoes.
I have lemon balm plants growing in my backyard and two in my front yard! I also grow a lot of garlic and I've found that every time I'm ready to harvest, I have no mosquitoes. So, I would also recommend growing some garlic especially for cooking, but you could also chop up some and sprinkle around your house and yard, if you don't mind the smell. If you don't mind the smell, but don't want to grow your own, just buy a large jar of chopped garlic and do the same.
some people say catnip is mosquito repellent plant, however, I have not tried this. I also hear that lemon grass plant can ward off mosquito. I am also yet to try this method.However, in my observation marigold plant is a natural mosquito repellent. Don't expect marigold to ward off every single mosquito,however, it is natural mosquito repellent for sure.
Wow, that sound fab! I mean, we use these citronella infused wrist bands that we get from a local pharmacy, and they work brilliantly. I never thought to look up citronella and lemongrass plants because it just never entered my head. But I imagine they'd be a lot more effective than my wrist bands. Our rainy season is coming up, so it might be time to investigate. thanks so much, @gracer
I have always heard that citronella works, and I have tried some of the candles. They can be a little pricey. I think it would be much more economical (and probably much more efficient as well) to grow some plants in your yard instead of relying on the candles. I will have to give this a try. I never heard of the wrist bands, but that's interesting too. Those would be great when you're out and about, away from home and need mosquito protection. I would much prefer wearing a band over using a spray repellent, so thanks for the tip, Lush. I'll have to see if I can locate some nearby or order some.
I didn't know there were plants that repeled mosquitoes. but many people do use citronella oils in torches and candles. THey supposedly repel mosquitos. In our area, the bigger concern is ticks, as they can cause lime disease, and since this is a wooded area, there are plenty around. Does anyone know of any kind of plants that repel ticks? I would love to hear about those!
