Your home is where you go to be with your family and rest up after a hard day’s work, so there’s nothing worse than pesky bugs overrunning your place. From the buzz of mosquitos and flies filling the air to ground invasions from cockroaches and ants, fighting back insect attacks can eat up a lot of downtimes, so this is one of those situations where a little prevention goes a long way. Thankfully, there are quite a few houseplants well known for their pest-repelling properties.

While pest management services are the best way to keep these creepy critters at bay, this post details some houseplants that can help deter insects and give you some peace of mind.

8 House Plants That Can Help Deter Pests

1. Basil and Mint

Basil and mint are delicious ingredients, perfect for your favorite Italian fare or a cup of tea. However, mint and basil leaves smell terrible to insects. Keep these herbs growing in your sunny kitchen or place a few pots around your doorways. Both basil and mint are easy to grow and have been used as a form of pest control and mosquito repellent since ancient times. Pesky house flies, mosquitoes and fruit flies will not be a fan of these pungent plants.

2. Sage and Rosemary

Sage and rosemary are two more plants that are lovely in their own right and can potentially serve as powerful bug deterrents. These zesty herbs can be added as ingredients to your favorite home-cooked meals. When you burn their dried leaves, however, the smoke created can be quite useful at stopping mosquitoes, flies, and other bugs. You can also place little bundles of dried herbs in a sachet and put them in your clothes drawers to repel silverfish and moths.

3. Citronella Plant and Lemongrass

If you’ve ever used a citronella candle, these green gems serve a very similar purpose — to help repel mosquitoes. The strong citrus scent emitted by both plants is because of citronella, which can be found in both lemongrass and the citronella plant. The aroma may be lovely to you, but bugs can’t stand it. Grow this plant in pots on your front porch or patio. Then, if you notice pests flying about, crush a leaf and rub it on your skin as a natural mosquito repellent. You can also grow these plants near your doors or windows as a natural pest control to keep flying bugs away.

4. Marigolds

If you love beautiful blooms, the common marigold is a lovely yet potent insect deterrent. Its distinctive smell gives an aroma that’s highly disliked by flies, gnats mosquitoes and midges. Grow these flowering plants near your veggie garden to keep your prized tomatoes a little safer, or keep them in pots near your entryways. The bright, beautiful marigold is a natural bug repellent.

5. Lavender

Lavender has long been prized for its long-stemmed, elegant appearance and intoxicating scent. While this herb smells amazing to us, it’s also amazing at keeping bugs at bay. The plant naturally produces an oil that can deter several types of flies, moths, beetles, mosquitoes, fleas, and other kinds of insects. If you have a pollen allergy, you may want to grow your lavender bush just outside the door or on a balcony.

6. Catnip

Catnip is a plant that can pull double duty when grown indoors. Not only will it make your favorite feline extremely happy, but it’s also excellent at keeping unwanted pests away. Nepetalactone, the essential oil in catnip, is what gives the plant its familiar scent, and it can be nearly as effective at repelling mosquitoes as DEET. Catnip is also highly useful as a natural cockroach deterrent. Grow this plant in a pot and trim small sprigs to sprinkle around your home to keep bugs at bay. You can also simmer catnip in some water to create a homemade bug spray.

7. Chrysanthemums

While chrysanthemums are a great way to decorate your home and garden, they’re also a potent bug repellent, deterring ants, ticks, lice, fleas, bed bugs, silverfish and cockroaches. Because of their beautiful appearance, you won’t mind having a few colorful mums scattered around your house or plant garden.

8. Carnivorous Plants

It may seem obvious, but the carnivorous Venus’ flytrap is a great way to lure bugs to their doom. The plant’s coloring and scent attract a variety of insects, including flies and gnats. Once they land on the leaves and crawl closer, they jostle tiny hairs that spur the leaves to form a trapping structure, ensnaring bugs in a matter of seconds.

5 Common Pests That Houseplants Can Help Deter

When it comes to pests, your real battle is sometimes with one particular bug over another. From annoying mosquitoes to bothersome flies, the strategic use of house plants can slow down these pests found in and around your home. If you’ve got an insect that’s bothering you, the right combination of herbs, flowers or leafy vegetation could offer a little relief.

Here are some of the most common pests that house plants can be used to help deter:

1. Mosquitoes: A variety of plants and herbs keep these pesky flying insects away acting as natural mosquito repellents, including citronella plants, lemongrass, basil, mint, sage, rosemary, marigolds, lavender, and catnip.
2. Fruit flies and gnats: These small flying pests may come from different families, but they’re deterred by a number of the same house plants. Nearly any plant on this list will help ward off these winged pests — or in the case of the flytrap, eat them.
3. Flies: Don’t let flies ruin your summer barbecue. Instead, put out some strategically placed potted lavender, marigolds, Venus’ flytraps, or some of the scented herbs mentioned above.
4. Cockroaches: Several of these fragrant plants will help discourage cockroaches from entering your home, including chrysanthemums, catnip, peppermint, and lavender.
5. Fleas and bedbugs: These itchy insects hate lemongrass, lavender, citronella plants, catnip, and chrysanthemums.

Effectively Prevent Pests in Your Home With Pestech Residential Pest Management

While plants may be beautiful and fill your home with a pleasant aroma, they are not the most effective method of pest prevention or pest control. To truly protect your home from insects, contact the team at New York’s Pestech Pest Solutions. Our residential pest management services will keep these creepy, crawly home invaders at bay. Reach out today to schedule a home inspection.