Like most kids, my son is counting down the days until summer vacation is here. Not that he does not like school, but summer is fun – there’s swimming, basketball camp, and staying up late.
One thing he is not looking forward to is mosquitoes.
(This image is from Morgue File and believed to be in the public domain.)
I guess it was because we had a mild winter here in the south, but the mosquitoes never really seemed to have left us from last summer. In the middle of winter, I killed one in our bathroom.
However, I have this aversion to mosquito repellent. I also have an aversion to my son being bitten by small, annoying insects, so what can a mom do?
I got online and found that certain plants may keep mosquitoes away. Now the downside is you have to crush the leaves to get the smell that repels the mosquitoes, but the upside is that plants continue to grow.
What are some of the plants you can keep around the house to rid yourself of these pests? Horsemint is one. It actually smells a bit like citronella. Citronella geranium is another. I like this for two reasons – a geranium seems easy to grow and this plant is nicknamed “the mosquito plant.” Does it get any better than that?
Actually, it does. I found one mosquito-repelling plant most interesting – catnip! We often have this around the house anyhow because we have cats and catnip is supposed to be one of the most powerful plants at warding off mosquitoes.
Ageratum contains coumarin, which mosquitoes hate. Unfortunately, the reason they hate it is for the terrible smell. If you decide to use this, do not rub the leaves on your skin – that may cause more irritation than the mosquito bites!
Other plants, probably less smelly than the ageratum, that you might consider include lavender, basil, lemon balm, and rosemary.
I will have to go shopping to see if I can find any of these plants for my home and let you know how they work out.