natural bug repellents 🪴

with summertime drawing near, I’m preparing for the influx of pesky insects like mosquitoes, flies, wasps, etc. as well as any other mites and insects that might be a bother to my plants and pets.

below i’ve listed some plants that work well as fresh, natural repellents :D

Mint

Rosemary

peppermint/spearmint*

repels:

flies cabbage moths carrot flies mosquitoes

repels:

moths fleas ants aphids spiders mosquitoes

*note~ peppermint is a hybrid of spearmint and watermint. Spearmint is mild, containing up to 0.05% - 1% menthol, while peppermint is sharp in smell and flavor, containing up to 40% menthol. fresh peppermint is stronger than spearmint and may work better as a repellent!

Catnip*

Lavender

repels:

repels:

mosquitoes flies cockroaches spiders ticks

mosquitoes flies fleas

*note~ it’s suggested Catnip is just as effective as N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, also known as DEET - a chemical found in synthetic repellents. :)

last note!

last note!

while these plants work well, it’s actually not the act of growing them that repels these pests. it’s the oils inside the plants that act as repellents. extracted oils in larger quantities tend to work better, but this can also be much more harsh and can even act as irritants to you and your pets, similarly to synthetic chemical repellents! though it may not be as effective, growing fresh plants offers a more consistent, gentler alternative! :)

(I have a cat who loves eating what he cannot have, and while some plants can still be toxic to animals, they are typically not as harmful as pesticides)