Saturday, July 14, 2012

8 Plants to Repel Bugs, Insects, and Pests


I don’t know about you but I HATE bugs!  They just freak me out!  It really doesn’t matter what kind of bug- roaches, silverfish, spiders, mosquitos, fleas, beetles…. You name it and I HATE it!  Especially bed bugs!  I’ve never experienced bed bugs before but I was watching 20/20 awhile back and they were doing some kind of expose on bed bugs in hotels and I’ve been freaked out ever since!  The mere thought of them makes my skin crawl!!!!


Since we had such a mild winter (here in Georgia anyway) everyone is saying how horrible the bugs are going to be this summer because nothing died off during the winter.  So now I’m super freaked out and have been looking into natural remedies or repellents for those nasty creepy crawlers and stingy sneaky fliers.  Last year I just had a bottle of Raid handy… but this year I have the little man and I really don’t want to be spraying chemicals around him.

After a little research I realized there are some EXTREMELY simple plants that you can put around the house to repel all those nasty insects!  The nice thing about these is they can be planted in pots and moved around (which is extremely beneficial since we’re about to move) or they can be planted directly in your yard—and they’re even pretty!!



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SO, here are the top 8 plants that every house should have to ward off pests:



Mint

It not only smells nice but it keeps away ants and mice!  Crush some to release the fragrance and it'll run off any strays that come your way.

Add some Bay Leaves to the mixture and you’ll get rid of gruesome roaches too!


Then add in some Lemongrass to keep away those flying pesksy mosquitos and bees!

Basil

Yummy and keeps those annoying flies at bay!!

Geraniums

They not only add a boost of color but they keep out Japanese beetles!


Now, I read about 2 plants that seem to be SUPER-PLANTS!
These are a must this year:

1.      Catnip!

Yep, that stuff that makes your cat act all crazy…. Supposedly wards off a long list of bugs including mosquitos and flies.
2.     Pyrethrum Chrysanthemums- AKA: Mums specifically the ones that look like Daisies!

These are the be all end all of pests!  According to wiki.answers these cute little flowers repel: Roaches, fleas, ticks, bedbugs, lice, silverfish, ants, and so much more!
So, I am headed to Home Depot and buying up some of these to plant in pots around the house and hopefully we’ll have a bug free summer! 

Do you have  any GREEN bug repelling tips and tricks?