Plants That Repel Mosquitoes

In warm climatic conditions, specially in India, mosquitoes can be a real menace, not only causing discomfort but also spreading deadly diseases. Now you already know many ways to tackle the mosquito menace, including using coils and creams and chemical sprays. But if you have some gardening space, how about the fending off the nasty mosquitoes the natural way, by growing some mosquito repelling plants? Simply growing these plants won’t make much difference though, unless their leaves are crushed and left around to release the strong odor that these plants possess.

1. Citronella
Most mosquito repellants contain citronella oil. So instead of getting a mosquito repellant, it might be a good idea to grow the plant itself. Citronella is a kind of grass that grows to about 5-6 feet height and may not always be feasible to grow in a household. Also, since they are not very nice to look at (it’s a grass after all) it would be better to plant them behind other plants that need to be shown off. To heighten the effect of citronella odor, some of it’s leaves can be crushed. Citronella is also sold in the market in pots. However make sure it’s true citronella and not some other plant that smells like it.

 

2. Horsemint

This is another plant that also repels mosquitoes much the same way as citronella. Horsemint, also known as Beebalm, is a plant that grows well in dry sandy soil and grows up to about 2-3 feet in height. As its name suggests, it can also attract bees and butterflies. Its leaves are also used to make herbal tea.

 

 

 

3. Catnip

Catnip is a herb of the mint family. It is widespread in Europe and North America. It is quite known for it’s reaction on cats (hence the name). Some cats start playing with the plant the moment they are given these plants but soon they lose interest and move away. However, the oil extracted from this plant is also a very strong mosquito repellant.

 

 

 

4. Marigold

Marigold, commonly used in garlands in India, have a distinctive smell that, apparently, mosquitoes find offensive. Pyrethrum, a compound used in many insect repellants is present in marigold. Marigold grows well in full sunlight and can be either planted in the open or in pots and containers that can be placed at the entrance of doors and on window sill from where that can have access of the bright sunlight.

 

 

5. Floss Flowers

These flowers, also known as Ageratum contain coumarin, which is used in mosquito repellants. Floss Flowers are bright with a tinge of violet color and grow 8-18 inches in height. Again the leaves of this plant can be crushed to release strong odor that can be effective in repelling mosquitoes.

 

 

 

6. Lavender

Oil from lavender plant has mosquito repelling properties and is used in commercially produced mosquito repellents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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