What plants will deter mosquitoes?

Question

Does anyone have any plant recommendations that could deter mosquitoes? The location is North Texas, and I am looking for something that could be used on or around the deck. This might make the deck more comfortable in summer, but it may also deter them coming in the back door when it is open for the dog (we don't have a dog flap and it is a glass door).

So pots might be the most convenient, but there's a bed below the longest length of the deck, and there's additional space for new (small) beds if need be. It should not smell bad to humans, and ideally be decorative (edible works too!).

None of the botanical solutions seem to work. Citronella never seems to work, and those candles have a low melting point - ie. They can get messy if left out in the Texas summer heat. I've heard of aromatic wood chips being used, but it seems we'd need a lot and they'd require regular replenishment - ie. expensive over the long term.

Answer 1

Don't really have plant based solution, but if you just want a potential organic solution to keep mosquitoes in your general area in check, then you could build a couple of bat houses. Mosquitoes are some of bats favorite food and if you can successfully attract bats to live in the houses you provide, they'll cause the mosquito population in your area to drop pretty significantly.

Answer 2

I have tried Citronella plant, Lemon Thyme, Lemon Balm, and Catnip. About the only thing that actually worked was rubbing Catnip leaves on my exposed skin, and that didn't deter them for particularly long. They all smell nice, though, and the cats enjoy having fresh catnip.

I'm investing in screening my porch in this year.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, mosquitoes are pretty persistent, and most plants just seem like a very temporary roadblock. The most important thing to do for mosquitoes is to deal with the standing water nearby. But if you live near a bog or swamp, this might be simply impossible. If not, just making sure your gutters (and your neighbors' gutters) are cleaned out twice a year could make a significant difference.

Similar to Daniel's advice about bats, toads and frogs might be another potential organic solution. Ironically, you'll need to add a permanent water fixture to your garden in order to keep frogs, and that would seem like the ideal mosquito breeding ground. But supposedly tadpoles and frogs are more than able to earn their keep, eating all of the nymphs in your water and plenty of adult insects as well. And a small pond or hiding places for toads can be nice decorative elements for your garden.

I'm considering doing this myself next year (and as such, I don't have any direct experience with it... yet).

Answer 4

Mosquito shoo geraniums were biogenetically engineered with pockets of citronella that rupture and let out the citronella into the air which irritates the mosquitoes feet as the plant grows. They are winter hardy only in tropical regions so they are normally used as potted houseplants.

Answer 5

Nothing stops mosquitoes. I tried many plants including carnivorous plants, but carnivorous plants actually attract bugs and eat them, and they need a humid environment to grow, which gives a good place for mosquitoes (more food indeed).

• The first thing you can do is to check your surroundings for standing water and eliminate them.
• The next thing you should do is to use a mosquito net to prevent mosquitoes biting you when you are sleep.
• Finally, buy an electrical mosquito swatter and have fun!

Answer 6

Tomatoes are here in Germany a quite reliable plant.

Planted in a pot and placed either on the windowsill or flanking doors or around your patio, they deter mosquitoes and flies quite well. Obviously not as "guaranteed" as netting or screens and if you leave the light on and the window open, no amount of tomatoes will stop the blighters, but combined with common sense protective behaviour, they work fine.

We plant them every year: The larger ones go in containers on the floor, windowsills get "adorned" with dwarf cherry tomatoes. As they love the same places we humans do - sunny and warm, German summers can be fickle - they actually fruit well. (And having them nearby helps not to forget to water them, aehmmmm...) One anecdote: I was such a mosquito magnet as a child that my mum even draged two small pots to our holiday home. Therefore I can attest that they deter Italian mosquitoes too.

You want a generous amount of leaf mass and if you brush along the leaves now and then to release the smell it won't hurt either.

I can't guarantee that it works with Texan mosquitoes, because this insect family is quite large and divers, but it does work with European ones.