With summer approaching quickly, it’s time to get the home ready and be prepared for everything it brings. It also means getting ready to deal with the annoying mosquitoes and other bugs! For a chemical-free, natural way to avoid these bugs from spoiling your summer, here are several tips and tricks to avoid mosquitoes at your house, BBQ, or camping trip!
Mosquito Repellent Plants
There are a number of plants that have mosquito repellent properties, making them a wonderful addition to your garden this season. These plants below are some of the most effective ones:
- Citronella
- Lemon Balm
- Catnip
- Marigolds
- Basil
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Garlic
- Pennyroyal
- Rosemary
- Geranium.
Plant some around your house, especially near the front and back doors, and they will keep the mosquitoes from ever getting into your house.
Homemade Citronella Candles
Citronella is one of the most effective natural mosquito repellents in the world, and you can take advantage of it by using its essential oil in homemade candles. The candles are easy to make, chemical-free, and also release an aroma that will keep the mosquitoes away. Get the tutorial over at Garden Therapy and place a few candles around the house or garden to keep the BBQ mosquito-free!
Eliminate Standing Water
Mosquitoes love to live and breed in standing water, so don’t invite them to hang out at your home. Get rid of any sitting water and avoid leaving things and containers out that could collect water. Keep pet water bowls, bird baths and kiddie pools clean and fresh. Make sure gutters are draining well and keep your grass trimmed short to avoid those little pests.
Chlorinated pools are exempt from this rule, since mosquitoes are repelled by chlorine.
Lavender
While we all love lavender, mosquitoes hate it! You can rub lavender flowers or lavender oil on your skin, especially on hot places like the neck or behind ears, to keep the bugs away. You can also add a few drops of lavender to a ribbon and place around open windows, to avoid the mosquitoes from entering your house.
Attract Birds
Consider putting up plenty of bird houses, especially a purple martin house. Birds can eat hundreds of mosquitoes each day, being a great solution to keep the bugs away, while also being a pleasant addition to your landscape.
Friendly Bats
It may sound a little crazy, but you should consider attracting bats to your garden. They can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in a single night, so take advantage of that to keep the bugs away this summer. Building a bat house and attracting bats to live near your house can pretty much annihilate the area’s mosquito population, while also eliminating moths and beetles. Here’s a great article sharing some ideas on how to attract bats to your garden.
Homemade Natural Bug-Repellent Spray
Avoid the chemicals in commercial repellents by making your own homemade natural bug-repellent spray. To make it, you’ll need to:
- Add distilled water to a clean spray bottle until the halfway mark
- Fill the bottle until it is almost full with witch hazel
- Add roughly 60 drops of essential oils and shake well. You can use rosemary, clove, cedar, mint, or eucalyptus
If you want more options on natural bug-repellent sprays, you can check out these recipes from Wellness Mama.
Cinnamon
A great way to keep the bugs out of the house is by sprinkling cinnamon around. Some people swear that if you sprinkle the cinnamon in a line around their point of entry, they will not cross. You can also try sprinkling it in kids’ sandboxes, to avoid bugs there as well.
Vanilla
Common insect repellents may not smell that good while homemade options often smell like garlic or onions. If you want an insect repellent that smells great, you can try vanilla! It’s a great and effective option. Mix vanilla extract with water for an amazing scented option! You can also add mint or lavender essential oil to the mix too, so you can smell great while fighting off mosquitoes at the same time.
Keep a Clean House
Not only for mosquitoes, but for every bug that may annoy you, cleanliness is key to keep them away from the house. Make sure to dust and vacuum regularly and wash all surfaces with soapy water frequently. Be especially careful in the kitchen, where crumbs and other bits of food tend to lurk. Take out the trash more frequently and make sure the bins are sealed.
Bonus Tip: DIY Mosquito Repellent Bracelet
To keep the camping trips, outdoor gatherings, and BBQs bug-free, you can make your own insect-repelling bracelet. Invite the kids for this fun project and keep the family safe outside with these cool bracelets. Get the full instructions over at One Good Thing By Jillee!
What do you think of these solutions? Which one was your favorite? Let us know at our Facebook page or in the comments below, we’d love to hear your opinion!
Join the conversation