Mosquito repellent plants
November 26, 2019 10:41 AM   Subscribe

I’m doing what I can for mosquito abatement in my backyard, but I’d like to line my covered patio with a last line of defense. I’m wondering if there is some plant that either repels mosquitos or at least covers up the chemical signatures they follow. Has anyone had any success with this?
posted by Tell Me No Lies to Home & Garden (9 answers total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
Mums, theoretically.
posted by humboldt32 at 10:53 AM on November 26, 2019


Lemon balm, lavender, marigolds, basil, and peppermint all repel mosquitoes. However, you need a lot of them for it to work, and it's not a 100% solution.

Honestly the best method if you want something chemical free (as opposed to, say, a Thermacell outdoor mosquito repelling device) is having two fans blowing across from one another. Multiple breeze directions make it impossible for mosquitoes to fly.
posted by ananci at 10:54 AM on November 26, 2019 [4 favorites]


You're in Mexico right? Tagetes! Either erecta or lucida. Both species are known as Mexican Marigolds or sometimes "Texas Tarragon". They have a truly lovely stink to them and repel all sorts of nasties. And they're both native to Mexico so growing them should be a snap.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 11:06 AM on November 26, 2019 [1 favorite]


Citronella plant, I planted some in my yard near the backdoor and the amount of mosquitoes coming in the house dramatically dipped. I'm going to get some more in the spring.
posted by lepus at 11:22 AM on November 26, 2019


Marigolds worked well for me.
posted by sacrifix at 11:51 AM on November 26, 2019


Unlike most plants, the compounds in beauty berry have fairly solid scientific support as being almost as strong as DEET in repelling mosquitos and ticks.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:51 AM on November 26, 2019 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: You're in Mexico right?

Yes, I should mentioned that in the question. We’re basically in the same hardiness zone (15) as South Florida here — the extreme low temperature is 65 F and the extreme high is 115F.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 12:04 PM on November 26, 2019


Thanks to this ask I learned citronella is a member of the geranium family! I have had a citronella plant that's made it through 40 degree winter and 110 degree summer with a pretty startling level of neglect from me. They also grow sweet little purple flowers.
posted by assenav at 2:38 PM on November 26, 2019


Thanks to this ask I learned citronella is a member of the geranium family! I have had a citronella plant that's made it through 40 degree winter and 110 degree summer with a pretty startling level of neglect from me. They also grow sweet little purple flowers.

This is not quite correct. Citronella oil comes from Cymbopogon citratus, common name lemongrass. The Pelargonium ssp called "citronella plant" only contains an extremely small amount of citronella. There is no scientific study that shows it repels mosquitos, particularly as a plant sitting in a pot. Lemon thyme may have some efficacy if crushed and rubbed on the skin, but again, not as a potted plant.

It's unlikely that any plant used as an ornamental will keep mosquitoes away. Chopped and crushed underfoot- perhaps, rubbed on the skin- perhaps, but that can come with it's own problems. The only truly effective plant essential oil recommended by the CDC is lemon-eucalyptus oil.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:53 PM on November 26, 2019


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