Natural Mosquito Repellents - Mosquito Repellent Plants

Natural Mosquito Repellents

No one likes getting bitten by mosquitoes. It is a problem that many people face, especially in the summer months. Mosquito bites are itchy, annoying and can even carry diseases. Many gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts are often overrun by mosquitoes and look for solutions to this growing problem. While people do use commercial products and other mosquito repellents, many are looking for alternative solutions to their mosquito problems.

Catnip Plants

The problem with commercial mosquito repellents is that they may be harmful to children or to the environment. Spray on mosquito repellents can be uncomfortable and leave your skin feeling nasty. Mosquito torches don't really seem to work that well and other products can be really expensive to keep buying over time. These are common reasons as to why many people are turning to a more natural solution to keep mosquitoes at bay.

The first step to reducing the amount of mosquitoes that you have to deal with is to figure out why the mosquitoes are attracted in the first place. The number one thing that can attract mosquitoes is stagnant water. It is vital that there is no stagnant or sitting water around for mosquitoes to breed in. Once you have verified that there is no stagnant water you can move on to the next step, keeping the mosquitoes away.

How to Keep Mosquitoes Away

What a lot of people may not know is that there are certain plants that can't actually help keep mosquitoes away. This means you can keep them in your garden and have a natural and effective way to combat mosquitoes when needed. The way these plants work is through the compounds that can be found in them. These compounds need to be released for the plants to work and they can be released in a few ways. These include crushing, drying and infusing. After releasing the compounds in the plants you can then start utilizing them for mosquito repellent in the house, on the skin or on clothing.

What are the Best Mosquito Repellent Plants?

Although many plants have the ability to repel mosquitoes I am going to list the best and easiest ones to grow for yourself at home.

Citronella is the most popular mosquito repellent plant and is in many commercial products. It works very much like a candle repellent would. After applying citronella it will mask the scent of other attractants to mosquitoes and effectively "hide" you from them.

Horsement is a great option if you live in Texas or surrounding areas. It works much like citronella because it has a strong scent that will cover attractants of mosquitoes. The reason that it is great for Texas is because it is fast growing and extremely resistant to drought. It can easily grow in dry and sandy areas.

Catnip is universally known as a plant for cats. However, the plant also doubles as a very handy mosquito repellent. It is easily grown and does not take much work to get it growing. Studies have been conducted that show that catnip is up to 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than store bought products.

Natural Mosquito Repellents - Mosquito Repellent Plants