Repel Mosquitoes Naturally: Home, Outdoors, Camping

Photo: Pixabay/Hans

There is something about the lemon thing and mosquitoes, so, another lemony plant is Lemon Balm. What makes it so unpleasant to insects is the chemical citronellal. Sound familiar? Lemon Balm is a store house for this agent and as a rub on your skin, it is perfect. It grows well in pots and in your herb beds, but it is very prolific and spreads voraciously, like a bad weed. Take time to add its health care benefits to your list, which are quite lengthy.

Catnip

Photo: Flickr/katieb50

DEET. Don’t use it if you can keep from it. Does anything take its place? Try Catnip.

A report from 2001 by the American Chemical Society featured on ScienceDaily says, “Researchers report that nepetalactone, the essential oil in catnip that gives the plant its characteristic odor, is about ten times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET — the compound used in most commercial insect repellents.”

Did you catch that? It said ten times more effective than DEET. There was much more said in this report you might want to read, but it is amazing that such an enjoyable plant can provide such a great benefit for all of us. Catnip looks similar to a mint and can be grown about the same, in pots or in your garden. If you don’t want cats in your garden keep the catnip in a separate place because they love to roll and lay in it.