Since moving into our home in 2007, we have had problems with mosquitoes. We live in an area that has bedrock a couple of feet under us. When it rains, the water has nowhere to go so it puddles in the yard. It doesn’t help that our low spots to help accumulate and maintain standing water for days after a shower.
The mosquitoes are so bad that we leave a can of OFF! Spray close to the door. We even bought Skin-So-Soft in bulk for our pprecious pot bellied pig because he was eaten alive every time he went outside (recommended by the vet). I don’t like to have to rely on chemicals to keep the mosquitoes at bay.
Within a year of moving into our home, I did some research and found that bats keep mosquitoes at bay. “How do you get bats?” you ask? You buy a bat house, of course! It may take a couple of seasons to attract the bats, but they should come if it is installed correctly and to the correct height. Bats can eat up to a third of their body weight every night! They don’t just eat mosquitoes though. They eat moths, beetles and flies too!
The bat house we purchased 4 years ago was approximately $50 with shipping. The house is pretty darn small, and no one even realizes it’s there until we point it out to them. We purchased this little house because it stated it could hold up to 200 bats!
Even with the bat house, we still have a mosquito problem. I plan on using SwagBucks to purchase another one or two bat houses from Amazon.com like the one listed above. With those, I hope to secure on a couple of trees we have around our home.
Other ways to repel mosquitoes are to grow some of the following plants:
- Catnip (our cats will love this!)
- Basil
- Rosemary
- Lemongrass
- Merigolds
- Lavender
- Garlic
I purchased a packet of each of these plants (except the garlic – I am planting garlic chives instead) and have decided to grow them around the yard. All of these items can be planted in pots or spread around the yard to repel mosquitoes naturally. I plan on planting some in hanging baskets, in the ground, and in pots situated around the garden and all around our home!
I love – love – love perennials! They save time and money. Out of the list, the lavender, catnip, lemongrass and garlic are all perennials, so they will come up every year without fail! We are taking every step possible to control the mosquito population where we live. I will post an update in the future to let you know what we have found has worked and what has not.
Do you have any natural ways not listed to repel mosquitoes? I want to hear about them!
This post is linked to the Barn Hop #17! Please come and join us!
This post is linked to the Barn Hop #17! Please come and join us!
Thanks for the great tips! No need for bat house here. LOL We had one living under the deck last year and well had to have one taken out of our basement not too long ago. We have Tiki torches all around the deck and I am not liking them for several reasons. I do believe I will plant some of the plants in pots and set them around the deck.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I am going to be putting some of these plants on our porches close to the doors to try to keep them from the coming inside when the doors are opened! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThose bat houses sound interesting. I wouldn't mind having some bat houses. We used to have bats in our barn-- fruit bats I suppose? They would eat our fruit of course. Are there a certain type of bats that eat the mosquitoes?
ReplyDeleteI'm checking into planting some of these plants too... for drought tolerance,...and now for mosquito population control. Thanks for posting this , from the barn hop, Pat
I have lots of mosquito's at our house too. We have large ditches on the side of the road in the front of house and about and acre pond on edge of our property and not mentioned around 5 acres of our6 acres are wooded. Thanks for sharing about the natural way to get rid off mosquito's or at lest lessen them.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read, fruit bats do NOT eat bugs. However, I've read that if you put up a bat house, they will come.
ReplyDeleteWe also have ditches with water in them, not to mention horrible drainage. I am really looking forward to these plants coming up...soon! I got a couple new bites this evening!
I have not seen any relief from our catnip or cat mint but I'm all for growing more lavender and giving it a try. Geraniums are supposed to help keep mosquitos at bay.
ReplyDeleteWe also use diluted skin-so-soft for the dogs.
Have you tried dryer sheets around your neck? (Or under a collar on pig?)
Fantastic tips! I'll go way out of my way to avoid using chemicals and love it when planting a few things or putting up a house will get me where I want to go.
ReplyDelete