Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
Summer brings uninvited guests like flies, roaches, ants, and mosquitoes into your home. While bug sprays and chemicals can help, they may pose health risks to you and your pets. These toxic substances leave unseen, hazardous residues around your home.
The solution? Incorporating plants inside and outside your home not only naturally repels insects and pests but also eliminates the need for harmful chemicals.
What Is Natural Pest Control? Natural pest control involves managing pests and insects without using highly toxic chemicals. It can be achieved through creating natural elixirs and sprays or utilizing specific plants, which we’ll explore in detail.
Many opt for natural pest control for health reasons and environmental friendliness. You can use naturally-derived materials to keep pests at bay, such as rosemary, thyme, and mint.
Strategically placing pest-repelling plants in your garden or on your patio can make your outdoor space more enjoyable, year-round. These plants create a pest-free environment, acting as a first line of defense to keep pests out.
Though plants that deter pests are often seen as low-impact, they are highly effective and come without the drawbacks of synthetic chemicals.
Indoor Plants that Deter Insects:
- Chrysanthemum: These beautiful plants repel bed bugs, ticks, fleas, roaches, lice, and ants, while also purifying the air.
- Lemongrass: Emitting a pleasant aroma for humans but a repellent for insects, thanks to its citronella content.
Outdoor Plants for Pest Repellent: Natural pest control for plants and vegetables takes effort, but it’s worthwhile. Protecting your garden from pests naturally is preferable to chemical treatments, which can harm your crops.
Consider these options:
- Marjoram and Oregano: Plant these herbs around your vegetable patch to protect onions from maggots and cucurbits from pumpkin beetles.
- Barbarea Vulgaris: Known as land cress, this plant deters cabbage white butterflies due to its saponin-rich leaves.
Natural Pest Control for Weeds:
Weeds can be a nuisance for gardeners. While chemical treatments exist, they can be harmful. Instead, consider these natural alternatives:
- Cover Crops: Plants like peas, beans, soybeans, and wheat can smother weeds. Dense planting is an effective natural weed control technique.
- Low-Growing Shrubs: Tuck plants like hosta and corn bells around small trees or use creeping shrubs to suppress weed growth in specific areas.
- Impatiens and Petunias: These flowering plants are used as weed suppressants and are effective in repelling aphids.
Pest-Repellent Plants Perfect for Your Yard: Enhance your front garden with pest-repellent plants that make a great first impression:
Natural Pest Control for Fleas, Moths, and Silverfish:
- Lavender: This aromatic herb keeps moths, fleas, and mosquitoes at bay.
- Rosemary: Not just a culinary herb, it repels whiteflies and moths, making it an excellent closet addition to deter moths and silverfish.
Natural Pest Control for Mosquitoes:
- Marigold: These vibrant flowers emit a scent that repels mosquitoes and plant-lice. Plant them in your garden or vegetable patch to protect your plants.
- Eucalyptus: Native to Australia, eucalyptus trees naturally repel sand flies, mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects.
- Basil: This fragrant herb deters house flies and mosquitoes but requires ample sunlight to thrive.
Natural Pest Control for Ants:
- Mint: Mint naturally repels ants, mosquitoes, and spiders. However, it can spread quickly.
- Tansy: Effective in repelling ants, but use caution as it’s toxic to animals.
Natural Pest Control for Cockroaches:
- Catnip: Plant catnip to repel cockroaches and mosquitoes.
- Bay Leaves: Bay leaves are excellent at getting rid of roaches, bugs, and mice.
Natural Pest Control for Mice:
- Sage: The scent of sage deters onion maggots and mice. Place sage pieces on shelves to keep ants away.
- Wormwood: Known to repel rodents, dried wormwood leaves in your drawers and closets can keep mice and rats at bay.
Natural Pest Control for Aphids:
Aphids can harm your plants, but several plants naturally repel them:
- Garlic: The pungent smell of garlic deters mosquitoes, aphids, beetles, fruit flies, and spider mites.
- Coriander (Cilantro): This herb repels potato beetles, spider mites, and aphids.
- Leeks, Chives, and Onions: These plants have strong scents that deter aphids when planted near other susceptible plants.
Of course, you can get pest control chemicals from Bunnings, or hire a pest control service. However, some people prefer not to use chemicals around the house as they could be harmful to the health of the people and animal residents who live there.
Taking advantage of nature’s gifts can save not only time and money, but it also eliminates the possibility of causing a threat to your health over the use of toxic chemicals.
