Did you know that these plants are great mosquito-repellents?
If you are born and brought up in India, mosquitoes are an inescapable reality of your life. Be it at home, on roads, playgrounds or even in school spaces, they are everywhere, making that annoying buzzing sound and biting us, sometimes leading to health hazards like dengue, malaria and more. As a result, the government is investing in policies, pesticides and bug sprays to drive them away. However, what if we said that there is a natural way to repel mosquitoes using just the right plants? Yes, that’s right, there are certain common household plants that can act as effective mosquito-repellents. Here’s 5 of them that you didn’t know about.
Rosemary
Rosemary is not only an edible herb but also a mosquito-repellent, thanks to its characteristic fragrance. Not only this, rubbing a rosemary leaf or twig over exposed arms or legs also helps keep mosquitoes far away from those parts. Additionally, rosemary smoke emitted from a grill or fire pit can act as a strong repellent. In fact, guess what, rosemary also acts as a cat deterrent!
Basil
Basil not only serves as an excellent pizza topping but also has various gardening benefits. These include attracting bees, increasing flavours of other plants around it, and most importantly, acting as an excellent mosquito-repellent. For the same reason as that of rosemary, that is, a strong scent, basil plants are able to deter mosquitoes. It also serves as a key ingredient for making an organic mosquito repellent. This can be done by boiling some fresh basil leaves in half a cup of water and half a cup of alcohol. After cooling it down, stir the mixture thoroughly and store it in a spray bottle for future use.
Garlic
Considered to be one of the ancient remedies for repelling all insects, it’s no wonder that garlic still serves the purpose of warding off mosquitoes. In fact, statistics suggest that people who consume a few cloves of raw garlic every day, automatically deter these blood-sucking bugs. One can also plant a garlic plant in the yard as its powerful odour will repel mosquitoes and even keep their homes pest-free.
Mint
Mint, aka pudina, is yet another easily-available herb with mosquito-repellent properties. This plant is rich in menthol and peppermint oil. These ingredients have biocidal properties, allowing them to control and repel mosquitoes. Also, its strong aroma helps repels these nuisance value insects. Not just mosquitoes, they can also be helpful against several other pests. If you want to grow this plant, ensure it has its own pot because it grows and spreads rapidly. This little plant can be used for adding a touch of freshness to a glass of juice too! In addition to growing mint in pots, you can also use dried leaves inside your home to control pests.
Marigold
Marigolds can be grown quickly throughout the year. Similar to rosemary, marigold also emits a smell that repels mosquitoes. They also help repel other forms of pests, such as tomato worms and squash bugs. You can simply grow this plant in a pot and keep the lovely yellow-orange flowering ornamental plant at the house entrance or in your balcony. An added advantage of keeping this plant is that it is low-maintenance. Also, it will produce beautiful and colourful flowers all summer!