As the warm weather approaches, many of us like to get outdoors and enjoy our yards. Sometimes unwanted guests also like to join us, like ants, fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. While some of these bugs are simply viewed as an annoyance… ticks and mosquitoes can pose real health risks because they transmit disease.
There are some simple natural pest control options that homeowners might consider, which will not only beautify your yard but can also deter these pests from crashing your next picnic.
4 Flowers for Your Garden:
- Basil – Repels mosquitoes & flies. The intense scent and oil in basil seem to have repellent properties for many varieties of flies.
- Chrysanthemums (Mums) – Repels ticks, fleas, ants, Japanese beetles and many other insects. Mums contain a neurotoxin called Pyrethrin, that kills insects, yet is safe for animals. Therefore, many insects tend to avoid this plant.
- Catnip – Repels most insects… but not cats! Catnip has insecticidal properties, where the oil in Catnip contains a chemical called nepetalactone – which repels many insects including cockroaches, mosquitoes, mites, ticks, spiders and more.
- Lavender – Repels most insects including, fleas, moths, mosquitoes. The oils in lavender are also known to be a deterrent to many insects, who seem to avoid what we view as a pleasant fragrance.
While these plants may repel insects, it is important to know that that they will not necessarily make your yard insect free. If you find that you need additional help managing your pest issues, consider an organic pest control program, which utilizes natural products to control pests. This includes materials that are derived from organic sources, like oils gathered from plants.