Mosquitoes are very annoying. In this time outdoors, you might have to deal with these insects flying around you, your family, and your guests. Most of us use chemical-laden sprays and repellents which aren’t always the best ways to deal with these insect pests. Also, the use of chemical pesticides can harm wildlife and kill useful pollinators. So, what can we do?
Luckily, there are a few natural and non-toxic remedies that can help repel and avoid mosquitoes in your house and backyard. Some of these methods can make your garden look beautiful, by adding some fragrant plants, or wildlife-attracting features.
Learn to know more about the ways to get rid of mosquitoes naturally in the garden.
Plant Natural Repellents in the Garden
Many plants act as natural mosquito repellents; planting them in your garden can help keep mosquitoes at bay and discourage them from hanging around. These good-smelling flowers act as mosquito deterrents and attract useful pollinators. Now you’re wondering which plants we’re talking about. Some are bee balm, lavender, alliums, perennial geraniums, ageratum, marigolds, and flowering catmint. Just them but planting garlic or chives in the vegetable garden can also help repel mosquitoes.
Surround Your Patio With Potted Plants that Repel Mosquitoes
Potted plants can be great ornaments around the patio area. Plus, having mosquito-repelling plants is a bonus layer for minimizing the appearance of these biting insects. Growing herbs in the pots is fairly easy and having them in the patio can keep the mosquitoes in check and gives you some good herbs for your kitchen use or adding to summer drinks.
Some of the best container herbs that repel mosquitoes are peppermint, thyme, nasturtiums, lemon balm, rosemary, basil, and lemongrass.
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Use Citronella Items
As we all know, citronella products have many benefits including deterring mosquitoes. Citronella is a type of geranium also popularly known as a mosquito plant with a unique fragrance that many insects including mosquitoes find unpleasant. The essential oil that we extract from this plant is used in numerous products that repel mosquitoes and other insects and is quite effective in doing so.
Citronella products like outdoor candles, citronella oil lamps, insect-repellent sprays, and incense coils can be used in your backyard. These are all non-toxic items that won’t harm your health or the surroundings but can tackle mosquitoes easily.
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Make Natural Sprays
It is super easy to make insect-repellent sprays with the help of essential oils. You only require a glass spray mister bottle. We recommend glass over plastic because essential oils may cause plastic to break down in the long run. You need water, a few drops of vodka because it acts as a dispersal agent, and an assortment of essential oils.
Fill an 8-ounce bottle with water, add a teaspoon of vodka and a total of 20-25 drops of essential oils. Shake the bottle well before each use to disperse the oils. The best essential oils that can work are citronella, geranium, sweet basil, lemongrass, cedarwood, lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus. Try to use at least three different ones.
Make a Mosquito Trap
One of the most effective ways to get rid of mosquitoes that are already in your yard this summer is by setting up a trap for them. While there are lots of commercial mosquito and bug traps available, many of them use noxious chemicals or make disturbing noises like bug zappers.
So, you can DIY a mosquito trap by using yeast, sugar, vinegar, baking soda, and dry ice. You can easily make these DIY traps at home.
Reduce Standing Water Reservoirs
Standing water is one of the breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Water can accumulate in containers or buckets after a rain so make sure to keep your garden area neat and free of debris if possible to avoid any such issues.
If there is an outdoor water feature, clean it and avoid having stagnant water in it. You can do so by cleaning it with vinegar or other fungus-fighting ingredients to help the water get dirty and mosquitoes love scummy water. After rainfall, always check for standing water and remove it immediately whenever possible to prevent mosquitoes from roaming around in your yard.
Trim and Weed Excess Vegetation
This is a basic thing that keeping vegetation trimmed in your garden can significantly reduce the population of insects. The more the plant grows, the more area you create for insects to eat, breed, or just roam freely. Trim your shrubs, especially the ones that are the closest to your seating areas like the patio.
Also, check the growth of the weed throughout the summer and practice effective weed control methods.
Turn on Fans Outdoors
Mosquitoes are slightly more active where the air is still, so you can have fans in your outdoor areas to help them stay away. There are special mosquito fans available in the market but ordinary fans are also fine for this job.
Keep fans, particularly at the areas where you will sit or keep a gathering to repel mosquitoes. If possible, installing a ceiling fan can also create consistent airflow.
Create a Habitat for Wildlife That Feeds on Mosquitoes
There are lots of animals and birds that eat mosquitoes and that can be included in your yard’s biodiversity. If you want to have some sort of wildlife but hate mosquitoes, this is your chance to create mutually beneficial situations by having a wildlife-friendly habitat in your garden.
Some of these animals include turtles or frogs, bird feeders that attract insect-rating birds like chickadees or cardinals, or having chickens will work just fine.
Get a Bat Box
Bats love eating mosquitoes and other irritating insects and are also good pollinators. These qualities make them a desirable part of your backyard wildlife collection. So, adding a bat box to your yard to attract bats and giving them a safe place to live is a good idea. These boxes are usually attached to trees and they will eat many mosquitoesthroughout the season.
Avoid Fragrant Products That Lure Mosquitoes
This might sound silly but using fragrant products that may attract mosquitoes especially sweet or fruity fragrances like the smell of ripe fruits like mangoes, melons, and pineapple, and sweet citrus like oranges, and bananas. So, keep this in mind if you’re serving fruit salad in your backyard during a meal.
If you use scented products on your skin or your hair, this attracts many insects including mosquitoes. So, try using unscented products to minimize the appearance of mosquitoes.
How to Prevent Mosquitoes?
No doubt, mosquitoes are our one of our greatest enemies during summer but there are options to keep these blood-sucking insects out of your backyard. There are lots of ways to prevent mosquitoes that can have different situations, budgets, landscapes, and preferences.
- Keep water features running and clean.
- Trim shrubs and keep the weeds under control
- Eliminate standing or stagnant water
- Avoid sweet or fruity fragranced products
- Plant mosquito-repelling herbs and plants
FAQs
Q: What is the best way to get rid of mosquitoes in your yard?
A: As mentioned above, Use citronella torches or candles to keep bugs away from small areas outside, such as a porch or deck. Fans can blow winds strong enough to disperse mosquitoes outdoors. Electrocuters, or mosquito zappers, use heat and carbon dioxide to attract and kill mosquitoes.
Q: What attracts mosquitoes to your yard?
A: The most common things that attract mosquitoes to your property are yard debris, standing water, and tall grass. Mosquitoes love yard debris like twigs, leaves, sticks, and tall grass because they protect them from the sun and wind. Standing water is a great breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Q: What do mosquitoes hate the most?
A: Mosquitoes hate several natural scents, including citronella, peppermint, cedar, catnip, patchouli, lemongrass, lavender, and more. You can add some of these plants to your landscaping to irritate them.
Q: Which smell attracts mosquitoes?
A: Mosquitoes prefer dark colors for many reasons. Dark colors may replicate shadows, which are more likely to absorb and retain heat, allowing mosquitoes to use their sophisticated antenna to locate a host. Aside from heat absorption, dark colors also stand out, whereas light colors blend in.
Q: Name some mosquito-repelling plants.
A: Some plants that repel mosquitoes are lavender, mint, rosemary, bee balm, allium, catnip, lemongrass, etc.
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