Natural Mosquito Repellents

Homemade mosquito repellents can be made quickly and easily to keep mosquitos away in your yard or garden and when camping.

And in this guide to DIY mosquito repellents I'll show you how to repel mosquitos naturally with household supplies and bug repelling plants.

The guide covers :

1. Key scents to keep mozzies away
2. Homemade mosquito repellents
3. Mosquito repelling plants
4. And preventing mosquito bites

PLUS tips to repel mosquitos in :

• Gardens
• Yards
• Patios
• Ponds
• Homes
• And when camping & hiking.

I do hope the guide helps. Let me know what works best for you.

Mosquito Repellent Plants

All sorts of strategically placed mosquito repellent plants can keep mosquitos out of gardens including:

1. Mosquito Repelling Herbs
2. Mosquito Repelling Flowers
3. Mosquito Repelling Trees & Shrubs

You can build them into long term garden design but also have big impact fast with pots in key spots.

Mosquito Repellent Herbs

Many of the best mosquito repellent herbs are very simple herbs to grow.

You can grow them in tiny pots on tables or plant as perimeter hedging or border edging around patios:

• Lavender
• Rosemary
• Chives
• Mint
• Thyme
• Garlic
• Oregano
• Lemon balm
• Peppermint
• Lemon thyme
• Basil
• Sage
• Fennel
• Pennyroyal - toxic for cats/dogs
• Catnip / nepeta - avoid if you want to repel cats from your garden.

Mosquito Repelling Flowers

These mosquito repelling flowers are lovely on patios and in pots by doors to keep mosquitos out of your home:

• Marigolds - great pest control
• Nasturtiums
• Chamomile
• Feverfew
• Alliums
• Chrysanthemums
• Yarrow
• Lemon verbena
• Lantana Camara
• Bee Balm or Monarda
• Pelargonium
• Citronella Geraniums
• Floss Flower / Ageratum - pet toxic

Mosquito Repelling Trees & Shrubs

If you want larger plants to keep mosquitos out of the whole garden or yard try these mosquito repelling trees and shrubs :

• Citronella grass / lemon grass
• Beautyberry
• Eucalyptus 
• Tea Tree / Melaleuca

Common Scents That Keep Mosquitoes Away

Common fragrances you already have in your home as essential oils, dried herbs and teas can be very effective mosquito repellents.

You can easily use them :

1. To make DIY bug spray.
2. In scent diffusers of all sorts.
3. With candles and other types of bug repellent lights.
4. Chucked on BBQs, fire bowls and camp fires.

The list below ranks fragrances by effectiveness. Use the list below to either find the most effective fragrances to stock up on or work out what in your cupboards works best.

Lemon Eucalyptus

Contains PMD, a powerful mosquito repellent and one of the few plant-based ingredients recommended by the CDC.

Citronella

Rich in citronellal; widely recognised for repelling mosquitoes, though its effects are short-lived without a proper base.

Clove

High in eugenol, which has strong insect-repelling properties; very effective, though it can be irritating to skin if not diluted.

Patchouli

Scientifically shown to repel mosquitoes effectively, despite being less commonly used for this purpose.

Cedarwood

Known to deter a range of insects, including mosquitoes, through its woody aromatic compounds.

Tea Tree

Contains insecticidal terpenes and also helps soothe bites; effective as both a repellent and a bite treatment.

Neem

Widely used in tropical regions; bitter compounds are very effective at deterring mosquitoes.

Thyme

Contains thymol, a powerful natural insecticide; burning thyme also repels mosquitoes.

Lemongrass

Chemically similar to citronella and offers moderate mosquito repellent power; effects tend to fade quickly.

Cinnamon

Contains cinnamaldehyde, which can kill mosquito larvae and repel adult mosquitoes to a limited degree.

Basil

Certain varieties, especially holy basil (tulsi), show moderate repellent effects against mosquitoes.

Lavender

Mildly effective; more useful for soothing bites or as part of a blend rather than as a standalone repellent.

Peppermint

Cooling menthol can deter some insects and soothe skin, but its repellent effects are relatively weak.

Eucalyptus

Contains eucalyptol, which provides some deterrent effect but not as potent as lemon eucalyptus.

Catnip

Contains nepetalactone, which has been shown to be surprisingly effective against mosquitoes in some studies.

Marigold

Contains pyrethrum-like compounds and is commonly used in gardens to deter insects, including mosquitoes.

Rosemary

Mildly effective, particularly when burned; better as part of an herbal blend or incense.

Sage

Natural Mosquito Repellent For The Garden

These mosquito repellent plants will keep mosquitos out of the garden

For extra impact combine them with targeted mosquito repellent tips for:

1. Patios
2. Ponds
3. Yards

Natural Mosquito Repellent For The Patio & Veranda

Keep your patio mosquito free on summer evenings with these tips.

Use scents to repel mosquitos :

1. Put citronella candles on tables
2. Use oil diffusers with key scents
3. Make DIY mosquito repellent candles with lemons & herbs
4. Burn citronella coils
5. Or bug repellent incense sticks
6. Grow a mini herb garden of bug repellent herbs on patio table
7. Put dried herbs on BBQ & fire pit
8. Light citronella tiki torches.

Even light breeze stops mosquitos landing so keep air moving with :

• Fans & windmills on patio tables
• Wind spinners around patio edge
• Wind chimes hung from sun shades, canopies & yawnings.

You can easily upcycle your own ...

Or to repel mosquitos from your patio or veranda perimeter try :

• Thermacell lanterns
• Solar powered bug zappers
• Mosquito repellent herb border
• Muslin drapes around verandas sprayed with lavender water
• Mosquito repellent yellow bulbs.

Natural Mosquito Repellent For Ponds & Water Features

Ponds are wonderful for wildlife even in tiny gardens but are a big breeding ground for mosquitos.

To repel mosquitos from your pond:

1. Use organic bacteria based mosquito dunks to kill larvae
2. Keep water flowing with solar & windmill water bubblers & aerators
3. Keep pond algae free
4. Encourage eggs & larvae eating frogs, toads & newts.

Natural Mosquito Repellent For The Yard

More key tips for repelling mosquitos from all around your yard are:

1. Don't leave water standing uncovered for any length of time in watering cans, buckets or pots
2. Fit water butt lids tightly
3. Keep water moving in bird baths
4. Use yellow bug bulbs for lighting
5. Put DIY mosquito traps around yard away from seating.

Longer term encourage mosquito loving wildlife by adding :

• Bat shelter
• Frogs & toads to ponds
• Bird boxes to attract great tits, swifts, swallows, martins.

How To Keep Mosquitoes Out Of The House

Simple hacks using scents and air movement can repel mosquitos naturally from our homes.

To repel mosquitos from your home with common scents :

1. Plant pots of mosquito repellent herbs for cooking by doors
2. Start a small indoor herb garden of mosquito repellent herbs
3. Plant window boxes with pretty flowers that repel mosquitos
4. Spray rooms with lavender spray.
5. ... or your favourite herbal tea!!
6. Stay cool at night as mosquitos are attracted by sweat
7. Spray sheets & pyjamas with DIY lavender linen spray when ironing to stop mozzies biting at night.

To use air movement to repel mosquitos from your home :

• Put a small fan, wind spinner or wind chimes by doors & windows
• Keep a small fan by your bed
• Hang lace curtains on key windows.

Finally, use this super simple DIY fly trap to trap mosquitos that get in.

Natural Mosquito Repellents For Camping

Camping trips can be sabotaged by mosquito bites but simple tent pitching and campfire hacks will repel mosquitos from your campsite.

Tent Pitching Rules

Don't pitch your tent :

1. Near standing water
2. On boggy ground
3. In heavy undergrowth
4. Right by lakes & rivers.

Do pitch your tent :

• A little way up hill
• Into breeze to keep bugs away from door, as otherwise tent will shelter mosquitos from the wind.

Tent Protection

Protect your tent by :

1. Adding mosquito nets if not already installed in your tent
2. Keeping doors shut
3. Spraying with cooled herbal tea
4. Repairing any holes in tent.

Campfire Protection

To repel mosquitos from your campfire and food :

1. Add mozzie repellent herbs to fire
2. Cook garlic & onions on campfire
3. Clean up food fast
4. Ensure food bins covered
5. Spray food boxes with herbal tea.

Nighttime Protection

To keep mozzies away at night :

1. Light bug repellent incense sticks
2. Burn citronella mosquito coils in a handy camping coil burner
3. Use red & yellow bulbs which attract bugs less than blue lights
4. Use mosquito repellent lanterns. You can get very small portable lamps for lightweight camping.
5. Hang mozzie zapper lamp away from seating so bugs drawn away from you and zapped.

Use the tips below to stop mosquito bites when camping and hiking.

But if you are bitten use these natural mosquito bite remedies

How To Stop Mosquito Bites

As we have seen there are loads of natural ways to repel mosquitos in the garden and camping.

But we can also protect ourselves directly from mosquito bites with clothing and mosquito repellents.

Remember to use recommended repellents in areas of mosquito born disease and illness.

To keep mosquitos away wear :

1. Light coloured clothes
2. Colours at red end of spectrum rather than purple & blue
3. Long sleeves and trousers for cover when mosquitos flying
4. Light cotton scarf to keep off neck
5. Mosquito hat with built in netting
6. A mosquito head net
7. Ultra fine mesh jacket
8. Mesh bug pants!

You can buy clothing with built in Insect Shield but covering up is key.

To back up whatever mosquito repellent spray you are using :

1. Don't wear fragrance
2. Or choose scents mosquitos hate
3. Apply layer of aloe vera to exposed areas which makes it harder for mosquito to penetrate skin
4. Keep hydrated to stay cool & reduce sweating as mosquitos are attracted to sweat.

Remember mosquito bites are best treated fast so use these quick natural mosquito remedies if you do get any bites.

DIY Mosquito Repellent Sprays, Balms & Candles

Mosquito bites can spread disease so proper repellents are essential.

Typically this means DEET based products and even highly cautious environmental bodies like EWG recommend DEET based repellents.

In areas with mosquito born disease DEET products are recommended.

In other areas you can make use of homemade mosquito repellents :

1. Mosquito Repellent Spray
2. Mosquito Repellent Balm
3. Mosquito Repellent Candles

Mosquito Repellent Spray

You can make natural bug repellent spray simply by brewing herbal tea in any of these natural mosquito repellent fragrances and bunging it into a spray bottle!!

But essential oils typically have more repellent power and you can easily make your own DIY bug spray with witch hazel plus eucalyptus, citronella & lemongrass essential oil :

Or this with lavender & rosemary :

Mosquito Repellent Balm

DIY mosquito repellent balm can be made simply by melting shea butter or coconut oil with essential oils :

Mosquito Repellent Candles

You can make quick DIY mosquito repellent candles if you don't have any shop bought citronella ones.

These use lemons and herbs :

Whilst these cleverly add yellow food colouring as extra repellent :

Neither version actually needs essential oils and you can reuse a lemon from cooking. Zesting the lemon makes them stronger.

And there you go, absolutely everything you need to know about natural mosquito repellents for the yard, garden and camping.

For more simple non toxic living tips follow me on Pinterest and check out my other posts:

• Natural Pest Control Tips
• Non Toxic Cleaning Hacks
• Natural Remedies

Original image sources : mosquito images under creative commons from John Tann & frankieleon. Lavender & thyme by sloely.com. All other images under license from rawpixel.com.