Say goodbye to mice, mosquitoes, and other insects in your garden with plants that naturally deter them.
Insects are vital for the ecosystem; however, these insects are very annoying and some of them can even cause serious health issues.
So, to keep them at bay, we rely on store-bought sprays and gels; however, a lot of them contain harmful ingredients, one of them being DEET. This neurotoxin may keep the insects away from you, but it’s not harmless to your health.
Plants are a much safer choice.
Having them in your outdoor garden can help you reduce the presence of annoying insects. This is a natural method so you can get rid of those unhealthy store-bought insect repellents full of toxins.
How Do Plants Work in Keeping Insects Away?
The smell of some flowers and herbs is a result of the distribution of small globules that have essential oils. These globules help in keeping insects at bay.
When the temperatures are high, the globules become volatile and evaporate the essential oils. For centuries, people have used the natural ability of plants to repel insects and it’s also a common practice today.
Plants have been our allies for centuries in controlling pests and insects so why stop using them now?- Let’s learn more about the eight best plants that will help you deter mice, mosquitoes, and other insects from your garden!
8 Best Plants to Reduce Presence of Mice, Mosquitoes, and Other Insects in Your Garden
Basil
Basil is the star plant when it comes to repelling insects. It works best against the flea beetle and the cabbage webworm.
It has four volatile compounds that also help keep mosquitoes away (citronellal, limonene, nerolidol, and estragole).
You can use fresh basil to prepare a DIY insect-repellent spray. Combine four ounces of boiled water with four to six ounces of fresh basil leaves.
Leave the mixture to steep for several hours before you take out the leaves and squeeze all of the moisture out of the leaves into the liquid.
Add four ounces of vodka to the basil water. Mix and close well. Keep it in the fridge and apply it as an insect repellent on your skin when you’re going outside.
Lavender
Lavender may be one of our favorite aromas out there; however, mosquitoes, flies, and other insects dislike it a lot!
In fact, insect repellents with lavender essential oils are praised as having 80.9 percent repellency against the mosquito species A. stephensi.
