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It’s All Flower Power: Use Your Favorite Plants To Repel Mosquitoes

Tess Pennington
Ready Nutrition
April 2010

Spraying smelly bug repellents on  the skin to keep mosquitoes away is the worst, and can be dangerous to children and pets.  The thought of chemicals seeping into the skin literally make my skin crawl.  But no one wants to be stalked by a swarm of mosquitoes either.  Not to mention they carry diseases with them that all of us would like to avoid.  There are plants that can do double duty in the garden by being aesthetic and pleasing to the eye as well as a repellent from mosquitoes and flying insects.

Despite what many believe, mosquitoes are not after your blood.  They can smell you from 100 feet away!  The deodorants, lotions, perfumes and smelly shampoos confuse the mosquito into thinking you are a flower, and they believe your blood to be flower nectar.

There are some easy solutions to remedy this nuisance.  Plant herbs and flowers that give off a scent.  These plants release a smell into the air that mosquitoes cannot stand to be around.  Truly any herb that is pungent, or gives off a distinct smell will deter mosquitoes from coming around it.  These herbs and flowers can be made into a tea or natural repellent, and then sprayed around the yard before a person has a party or BBQ.  Another method of creating a all-natural repellent is to crush the leaves of the herbs or flowers to bring out the oils from the plant and put them in a quantity of alcohol or vodka.  Once the oils have infused with the alcohol begin spraying it outside as one would do with a regular store bought repellent.

Here is a list of some flowers and herbs that repel mosquitoes and flying insects.

  • Geraniums
  • Hibiscus
  • Mosquito Plant
  • Catnip
  • Rosemary
  • Citronella Grass
  • Lemon Grass
  • Basil
  • Lavender
  • Peppermint

Summer is just around the corner.  It is not too late to begin growing some herbs and flowers that can serve mulitple purposes.  All of your guests will be thanking you for your thoughtfulness and forethought of keeping the nagging mosquitoes away during their visit!

Prepper's Cookbook

Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper's Cookbook: 300 Recipes to Turn Your Emergency Food into Nutritious, Delicious, Life-Saving Meals. When a catastrophic collapse cripples society, grocery store shelves will empty within days. But if you follow this book's plan for stocking, organizing and maintaining a proper emergency food supply, your family will have plenty to eat for weeks, months or even years. Visit her web site at ReadyNutrition.com.

This information has been made available by Ready Nutrition

Author: Tess Pennington
Author's Web Site: http://www.readynutrition.com
Made Available By: Ready Nutrition
Date: April 26th, 2010

Related Categories: Gardening, Natural Alternatives

The Prepper's Cookbook
52 Weeks to Preparedness

Create a preparedness foundation that you and your family can rely on when unexpected situations present themselves.


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