I happen to live in a house just one street in from a river canyon. Love the access to the canyon trails. Hate the mosquitos! In fact, they can make my garden nearly impossible to enjoy in the early evening hours in Spring and Summer, which of course is the best time to enjoy it! So I am always on the hunt for a better mosquito trap, or repellent, or any device to keep them away! We all know about Deet, and other chemical repellants. We also have all heard about the possible dangers associated with them. We tried to find some natural solutions.

Here they are, the best ways we have found on the web to zap those mosquitos… or just plain ol’ make ’em disappear!

Disclaimer : We have not tried out all of these, so I can’t guarantee their effectiveness. Would love for you to share in comments whether they work for you, or if you know some other ideas that we haven’t mentioned!

Your first option is to plant mosquito repellant plants in your garden. I think this works great if you can plant enough in the garden in your immediate area… One plant is not gonna cover it. A better option might be to plant them into containers that you can move and group around a patio or table area when needed. Here are the top three most popular repellent plants that are pretty, too!

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is a tender tropical grass that will not survive the winter in areas colder than zone 8, so is best used in containers. It is the most popular and, reportedly, effective mosquito repelling plant!

 

Sage

Sage is great as a garden or potted plant, and comes in ornamental varieties that are purple and golden as well. (I grow them both in my garden!) Also great tossed onto a BBQ or fire pit to add some repellent properties to the air. Learn how to grow sage.

 

Lavender

I also grow a lot of lavender, and I love the smell. I actually go out and pick a lavender stem when I wander my garden just to enjoy the stress relieving scent. Also a great mosquito and fly repellent. Learn how to grow lavender.

 

A couple others worth a quick mention? Basil, catnip, rosemary and mint.

Ok, so you’ve planted a few great plants and are ready to move on to more.

Start with this DIY all natural bug spray by Tasha from ‘Designer Trapped’… She even breaks down why this is a better value than store bought bug sprays, not to mention… did we mention? All natural!

 

Charlene at ‘My Frugal Adventures’ has another recipe, this one is a homemade mosquito repellent with just three ingredients!

 

From Stephanie at ‘Garden Therapy’, learn how to make citronella candles with her budget friendly tutorial… These would be great to combine with the mosquito repellent plants! She has a great garden projects book out as well, check it out while you are there!

 

Make these pretty mason jar citronella candles from ‘Marty’s Musings’ for a charming way to repel mosquitos. She even tells you where to get the liquid citronella fuel.

 

From Melissa Caughey at ‘HGTV Gardens’, make these herbal insect repelling bundles that you can use in a fire pit or BBQ to keep bugs away. You just let them smolder at the edge of any fire source, and voila! No more bugs, and the air smells amazing!

 

Ok, this one is pure genius. Jessica at ‘Mom 4 Real’ shows us how to make this cute DIY mosquito repelling bracelet! And of course, it’s all natural as well.

 

This homemade mosquito trap from ‘Ehow’ is inexpensive and easy to make. It also comes with some controversy as to how effective it is, and whether it will also trap bees, which of course, we need! I understand if you add a little vinegar to these traps, bee’s will not be as attracted… This is worth a try, but one note. As with any insect traps, don’t place them near your seating areas. The trap are meant to attract the bugs, so if you put it too close to people, you are bringing them right to you!

 

Another quick DIY mosquito spray? From ‘Mint Juleps N Muddin‘, try Listerine in a bottle. They suggest the original.

 

Use Vicks Vapor Rub around your wrists and ankles as a natural repellent, from ‘Divine Caroline‘.

 

So our last trick for you is a simple one. We ran across this article on this low tech mosquito deterrent from the ‘NY Times‘. Using the flow of a fan across your seating or patio space can give  just enough air movement to keep away mosquitos. Mosquitos are notoriously weak flyers, so this can be pretty effective. Try it!