I keep seeing all sorts of claims about herbs being able to keep bugs and pests away away. Peppermint for spiders and mice (Yes, I know that's not actually a bug) and Rosemary for ants and stinkbugs. Do any of these herbs actually work? Seems to me with so many people sharing their secrets, there wouldn't actually be a problem anymore...
Do Any Herbs Actually Work At Keeping Bugs Away?
- Thread starter writer811
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xenon
Member
As far as I know citronella is produced from the leaves of lemon-grass. The oil is used in candles and incense and is well known to be an insect repellent.
I also know of lemon scented pellagonia a variety of geranium. I bet that would work as well.We have it at home but I can't say I am fond of the smell.
I also know of lemon scented pellagonia a variety of geranium. I bet that would work as well.We have it at home but I can't say I am fond of the smell.
dashboardc33
Member
Yes! Garlic does wonders to keep the ticks off of you and keeps the mosquitoes away. When garlic is in your blood stream and a tick bites you, it is like poison to him. The tick will drop right off. We usually eat a lot of garlic during our camping weekend.
dissn_it
Member
We have had luck with keeping mice away with peppermint oil. This year we heard that lavendar oil helps to keep wasps away so started trying it and so far it also seems to be working well. You do need to refresh the oil at least once a week for it to work well. That is the part that is easy to forget to do.
Alright, thanks for your insight, everyone. I actually can't wait to try that garlic one because we have an awful lot of ticks around here this year. More than is usual. Is it the same with mosquitos? Do they have to bite you first to be affected? Because that kind of defeats the purpose, I think. With ticks I understand because they can be hard to remove if they don't want to go.
LiquidatorBrunt
Member
That's interesting. Me and my girlfriend eat quite a bit of garlic. We noticed that the mosquitoes where bothering us quite a bit less than some of our friends on a recent camping trip. They seem to bite vegetarians less, preferring meat eaters.
beckyv1265
Member
Chives also have been used for centuries to deter bugs but attract bees so are great for the garden.
That's because Mosquitos need blood for the protein and vegetarians usually have less protein than meat eaters because meat is rich in proteins. That's not a condemnation of the vegetarian lifestyle, I'm just saying meat eaters have more protein, probably a lot more than we actually need.
I have never heard this before. You learn something new everyday!
I do plant marigolds in the garden because they are supposed to keep mosquitos away.
Hedonologist
Member
Garlic is the only one I've found to be really effective. I've tried citronella before and I'm not sure if it really had a noticeable effect or not, certainly not a strong one in either case. I'd be interested to test other things out as well but that is the only personal experience I have.
It's odd but garlic seems to be the go-to plant for problems of every sort. On another thread in this forum, somebody mentioned that garlic helps to shrink hemorrhoids. So many uses! Keeps bugs and pests away, shrinks hemorrhoids, tastes great on pasta and bread and repels the undead! No wonder it's so popular.