8 plants that keep bugs far away from your house

Your house is your sanctuary. You wouldn’t want uninvited guests invading your privacy. No, we are not talking about people. We are talking about insects that crawl or fly into houses and scare the life out of the inhabitants.

Are you tired of keeping your windows and doors shut, to prevent different bugs from coming inside? Well, if you plant the right shrubs in your garden and place the right plant pots in your house, you won’t need to do so. Instead, bugs will automatically stay far away from you.

Here are plants that help keep bugs far away from your house.

1. Basil

Basil is the perfect plant for repelling house flies as well as mosquitoes. You can choose to either plant it in your garden or in a container inside your house. While you are at it, you can also benefit from using the plant in various dishes. Whether it be pork or chicken, adding basil to it will improve it for the better.

Apart from acting as a natural insect repellent, basil can also be converted into an insect repellent spray.

To do so, pour approximately four ounces of boiling water in a container with four to six ounces of fresh and clean basil leaves. Make sure to keep the stems attached. Let the leaves sit in the water for a few hours and then remove them from the container.

Squeeze out the moisture and combine it with four ounces of vodka. Your insect repellent spray is ready. Store it in your fridge and spray it when heading out of your house. When you do so, take care not to spray it in anyone’s eyes, mouth, or nose.

2. Lavender

If you wish to keep moths, fleas, mosquitoes, and flies away from your house, lavender is the perfect solution for you. The best thing about the plant is that it adds a pleasant fragrance to the surroundings when planted.

You will be surprised to know that while the masses love the smell of lavender, bugs despise it! Place pots of lavender in your house, or keep a tied bouquet of lavender flowers indoors. Moreover, you can also extract oil from the plant and use it as a mosquito repellent solution for your exposed skin.

Not only will it keep all the bugs away, but it will also help induce sleep and cause a relaxing effect on your body. It’s a win-win solution!

3. Lemongrass

You might have noticed that most insect-repelling candles include citronella as an ingredient. Well, lemongrass is the source of this ingredient. It best helps in repelling mosquitoes.

Plant it in your garden and watch as it grows to more than four feet in height and three feet in width! For ideal results, lemongrass should be planted in a ground that gets generous exposure to the sun and is well-drained. It can also thrive when planted in a pot.

4. Mint

Mint is yet another plant that succeeds in keeping mosquitoes at bay. However, know that the mint plant spreads quite quickly. Unless you want it to be the only plant in your garden, it’s advisable to grow it in a pot.

If you choose to plant it in the ground, be aware that removing it might turn out to be a hassle. The plant can be used to extract its aromatic oils. Once you do so, mix it with apple cider vinegar and vodka. This will help you in creating an effective mosquito repellent.

5. Rosemary

Moving away from plants that just help protect your house against mosquitoes, Rosemary is ideal for keeping a variety of harmful insects away. You can choose to grow rosemary in a container within your house or in a herb garden.

While in some of the other plants you are required to make a combined solution, here the plant itself is enough to repel bugs. For improved effectiveness, you can always create your own repellent using rosemary.

For this, you will require one quart of rosemary. Add it to one quart of water and soak it for a half-hour before straining away the liquid. Add the liquid into a container having a quart of cold water. Seal the jar and store it in your fridge. Add it to squirt bottles and spray away.

6. Sage

Just like lavender and rosemary, you might like the smell of sage as well. However, this is yet another plant whose smell insects can’t bear.

This perennial plant can either be planted in landscaped beds or in patio planters. For immediate effect, when outdoors, burn sage on a fire. This will help spread its scent in your garden. This, in turn, will help keep the bugs away.

7. Chrysanthemums

The presence of pyrethrum in chrysanthemums makes them highly effective in keeping away a wide variety of insects. The plant is known to repel ants, roaches, ticks, spider mites, and fleas, etc. Contrary to some of the other plants, chrysanthemums also keep bedbugs away.

However, it is still advised that you spray bed bug proof sprays in your room for protection. But, this doesn’t take away from the fact that chrysanthemums make for an excellent natural insect repellent. In fact, various insecticides contain the plant’s vital element, pyrethrum.

8. Allium

Alliums make for a great plant in your garden, both visually and functionally. The plants have the potential to grow to up to six feet in height. They are naturally known as being broad-spectrum insecticides.

They keep all kinds of bugs and insects away from your house and your garden. This includes cabbage worms, aphids, slugs, and carrot flies. If you have a vegetable garden containing tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, and peppers etc., you will benefit from planting allium alongside them.

Final Verdict

You don’t have to accept your fate and co-exist with the bugs that you hate. You can plant any of the mentioned plants in your house or your garden. Soon enough, you will find yourself free from annoying insects! Give them a try and tell us about your experience.

About the author:
Michelle Joe is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences, and express herself through her blogs. You can find her on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook

All images from Pixabay.