5 Amazing Indoor Mosquito Repellent Plants
If you are outdoors during the summer, mosquitoes may be a major annoyance, but they are much more bothersome when they make their way inside your home. Before you go for a can of chemical insect spray, consider planting a few strategically placed houseplants to deter mosquitoes from entering your home.
Mosquitoes are attracted to certain indoor plants, and these are the best.
There are various indoor plants that are effective in repelling mosquitoes, and many of them are simple enough to cultivate even for inexperienced gardeners. Here are seven things to think about while designing your home:
Citronella is number one on the list.
Citronella
This is by far the most well-known mosquito repellent, owing to the chemicals found in its leaves, which are often used as a component in commercial repellent products. It has a lovely lemon scent to it and is really effective in keeping mosquitoes away.
Because it is a tropical plant, it will flourish in warm temperatures and full sunlight. If you have particularly short days during the winter months, it may benefit from frequent fertilization and even a little amount of additional artificial light (see my instructions for growing plants with artificial light) during those months.
If you’re wanting to purchase citronella, you should be cautious while selecting the plants. There are a few species of scented geraniums that are referred to as mosquito plants or even citronella plants, and they are not the geraniums you’re searching for in this situation.
True citronella has leaves that are similar in appearance to thick grass and do not have large ripples on the edges.
The second arrangement is lavender flowers in a white vase.
You can maintain a few tiny pots of lavender inside to assist with the pests, but lavender is far more popular as an outdoor plant (and may be an excellent deterrent for undesirable species). It may be fussy, preferring as much sun as you can get your hands on as well as a location with enough of ventilation. You’ll need a nearby window with a consistent breeze to keep you comfortable.
Lavender has the potential to grow to be fairly huge under ideal circumstances. You should be prepared to re-pot this perennial in a bigger container as the years pass, or to divide it into smaller plants as it develops in size.
While French lavender is the simplest to grow inside, the English version has a richer perfume and is more difficult to grow outside (and therefore can be better at bug repelling).
More information on growing lavender may be found in my lavender care guide.
3 .Catnip Catnip plant is a kind of herb.
Catnip is a member of the mint family that grows fast and has a strong aroma that repels mosquitoes. It is a good deterrent for mosquitoes. Place your plants in a bright location, give them frequent waterings, and attempt to pinch off the blooms as they grow so that the plant will produce more leaves instead of more blossoms.
A catnip plant, like a lavender plant, may grow to be fairly huge over a few seasons, so be prepared to re-pot or split the plant when it becomes too large for its current location on your windowsill.
It goes without saying that if you have cats in the home, you’ll want to make sure your catnip plant is kept in a secure location, such as on a very high shelf or even in a hanging basket.
Mosquito repellent made from basil (number 4)
Basil is already a wonderful herb to have in the kitchen when it’s fresh, and now you can use it as an insect repellant as well. As is customary, place your potted basil in a brightly lit window since it requires a lot of light, and be sure to water it on a consistent basis.
Basil does not perform well in dry circumstances, but you don’t want to drown the plant’s roots with water either. The trick is to have soil that is both moist and well-draining.
Due to their preference for a warm atmosphere, they may not be the most suitable indoor houseplant if you live in a cold climate during the winter months. Aside from that, they should be able to flourish. You are welcome to pluck a few leaves every now and then for culinary purposes as well.
Rosemary is number five on the list.
In a window sill, rosemary and oregano are flourishing in pots.
Rosalina is another plant that may be used as a flavoring and has mosquito-repelling properties. Perhaps not the ideal option for a new gardener, but it is one that should be considered.
A location with as much sunshine as possible (even a grow light on occasion) is required, and you should be aware that it may be sensitive when it comes to watering.
If you are using a well-draining potting soil mix, water it only after the soil surface is completely dry to the touch. It might be sensitive to either an excessive amount or a lack of water.
Rosemary is also susceptible to powdery mildew, which necessitates a high level of air circulation around the plant in order to prevent it from setting in. As with lavender, try to place your plants in a shady spot where they will get enough of air circulation. You can even put up a small fan around your plants to help keep the air circulating.
Lemon Balm is number six on the list.
Fresh lemon balm in a tiny container
Once again, the lemon is victorious. In addition to being a nice addition to your houseplant collection, lemon balm has a citrus aroma that will prevent mosquitoes as well as other insects. This plant, which is related to mint, is rather simple to cultivate.
It will thrive in a sunny window, but it will not need the high amounts of light like basil or citronella do, which may make it a more manageable plant to care for.
Any flower buds that appear on the plant should be pinched off immediately to preserve the plant in peak foliage condition. The leaves will lose their pungent perfume if you allow them to blossom and grow to seed, and they will no longer be effective as a mosquito repellent.
If the lemon balm is developing properly, it may grow to be fairly enormous. Another approach to make use of this plant is to harvest a few leaves to dry for lemon tea, which also has the added benefit of keeping the plant from becoming overgrown.
7. Pennyroyal, often known as the European pennyroyal
Our last plant recommendation is a bit more difficult to find. Pennyroyal has lovely purple blossoms and is available in both an American and a European variety, depending on where you live. Both are effective, although the European kind is somewhat superior in terms of insect management.
They would benefit with a lot of sunlight, but they will be OK with indirect light as well. The low-growing and trailing nature of pennyroyal makes it an excellent option for hanging baskets if you have the available space.
Pennyroyal is a plant that some herbalists use to make tea, although it is not recommended for pregnant women to consume. Aside from that, there are no concerns about toxicity.
Placement
It goes without saying that you’ll have to maintain your plants in the finest locations you can find that provide the appropriate quantity of light or temperature for your indoor plants. Apart from that, you’ll want to maintain these plants in places of your house where mosquitoes are most likely to make an entry, such as the kitchen or bathroom.
It won’t do much good to have a nice lavender plant in an empty spare bedroom if mosquitoes are coming into the kitchen below via the open door.
Keep your plants near openings that are often used to prevent them from buzzing in as people enter and depart. Bedrooms and general living spaces are the next locations where they should be placed in order to keep them out of the rest of the room.
It’s important to remember that these plants simply serve to repel mosquitoes; they will not kill the insects.
Put an end to attracting them.
The number of mosquitoes in and around your home will decrease if you avoid the activities that attract them in the first place. Mosquitoes, in contrast to other types of houseflies, are not drawn to food or rubbish that may be present in your home. As a result, keeping things tidy will have little effect in this situation.
Dark hues, body heat, and a variety of smells are all appealing to them (including perfumes, lotions and even strong body odor).
Obviously, these aren’t items that are going to attract mosquitoes into your home directly, but if you’re outside in dark clothing and wearing perfume, you’re going to carry mosquitoes into your house with you every time you come back inside.
Even while not all mosquito species behave in the same way, mosquitoes are often most active around twilight and into the evening hours. If you’re opening the doors too often or attracting them, you should be extra cautious at this point.
Other Suggestions
Mosquitoes are not just a nuisance, but they also pose a health danger, particularly as the frequency of insect-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus, Zika virus, and even malaria continues to rise. Making the effort to keep your house and yard mosquito-free will certainly pay dividends in time and money in the road.
- The most important measure you can do to safeguard your home is to install tight window screens on all of your windows and exposed vents.
- The next step would be to remove as much stagnant or standing water from your yard as you possibly can before moving on. Mosquitoes deposit their eggs in this location, which may result in massive population booms surrounding the home once they reach adulthood.
- Mosquito breeding grounds include open water barrels, ornamental ponds, and kiddy pools that have not been used in a long while. Drain pools or other containers when they are not in use, and consider adding caps or screens to areas where you are unable to drain.
- A small solar-powered “bubbler” might be used to keep water circulating in a pond long enough to inhibit insect growth without jeopardizing the water feature’s aesthetic appeal. Mosquitoes will not deposit eggs in flowing water because the water is too turbid. These might be a more natural alternative to chemical pesticides when it comes to treating a pond.
- It is dependent on where you live, but mosquitoes are very much a seasonal issue, with their numbers peaking throughout the summer and sometimes in the late spring if the weather is warm enough.
- They also need the water provided by spring rains in order for overwintering eggs to develop. These are the times of year when you should make sure you have healthy plants in your home to keep the mosquitoes away.
- Consequently, by using a few of these fragrant plants and making a few easy alterations around the home, you may enjoy a more mosquito-free summer without resorting to chemical sprays.
