Summers are great. The sun is out, the flowers are blooming and everywhere you see, its bustling with activity. But the most annoying thing about summers are the pesky mosquitoes with those itchy bites. The warm, dry climates with dry temperatures are prefect for mosquitoes and nothing is quite as annoying as the mosquito bites. The best protection from mosquitoes is by growing mosquito repelling plants.
There are lots of chemical insect repellants and body spray and commercial repellents, but mosquito repellent made with natural ingredients are the best for everyone including the environment. Chemical sprays are harmful for us as well as the ecosystem. Easy homemade bug spray with plant based essential oils and natural plant based ingredients are preferable.
The best way to repel mosquitoes is to plant mosquito repellent plant around your home. There are many plants that have repellent activity such as Citronella grass, Geranium, Marigold, Rosemary, Lavender plant , Lemon grass, Bee balm, Lemon balm, Garlic plant, Lemon Thyme, Eucalyptus globules, Camphor basil (Ocimum kilimandscharicum) and so on. Plants with a woody scent and strong fragrance are good botanical repellents.
The aromatic plant, lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) and Citronella grass are the most common and most easy to grow plants which has a lovely fragrance as well. They are perennial plants so you can plant them once in your garden beds and they will grow happily forever. Common plant based essential oils products, like citronella oil are made from citronella plants and sold as commercial insect repellents in the form of gels, sprays, incense sticks etc. These are any day better than chemical sprays and chemical insecticides and are effective mosquito repellents.
Mosquito repellent plants are very important as they are natural repellents. Mosquitoes are vectors for deadly diseases like Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya and so many other diseases which can be life threatening. The female mosquitoes of Anopheles gambiae s.s complex and the Anopheles arabiensis are the main Malaria mosquito. It is important for mosquito control and control measures to be taken to prevent the spread of these diseases by keeping the bugs at bay.
Grow plants with strong fragrance with repellent activity in your garden beds. If you do not have access to garden beds , you can always grow these mosquito repellent plants as potted plants. Along with a lovely fragrance, plants like lavender, marigold and geranium have beautiful flowers as well.
Plant based essential oils, natural ingredient based products and plant derivatives like essential oils have effective repellent activity. Active ingredient and the chemical composition of plant species like O. kilimandscharicum or camphor basil has the mosquito repellent properties. Citronellal and citronellol are the active ingredients in citronella oil.
How to make DIY Natural Insect Repellent?
Homemade insect repellent is one of the easiest ways to keep insects away from our homes. You need only few plant based ingredients to prepare this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup of water
2 drops of lavender oil
5 drops of citronella oil
5 drops of eucalyptus oil
A few drops of rosemary oil
Directions:
Mix all the above mentioned ingredients together in a bowl. Store in a spray bottle. Shake well before each use.
You can use this mixture as an insect repellent spray or mix it with other homemade household items like soap, shampoo, creams and lotions. Plant based essential oils and plant-based repellents have a lovely fragrance.
Get Help From an Expert
Want to grow some mosquito repellent plants in your garden ? Get in touch with us at https://www.urbanmali.com/ or call us at 918880482000 for any queries. We can help you maintain your plants.