How to Use Plants to Repel Bugs

What You Need to Know

This Plant Repels: Mosquitoes, stable flies, leeches.
Sunlight Needs: Full to partial (3 to 6+ hours of direct sun per day)
Growing Zones (check your zone here): 4-11
Tips for Growing Citronella: Citronella grass can be grown in containers or in your yard, but because they are a clumping grass, you will need to divide it each spring. This plant needs a lot of water and can wilt if placed in sunlight that’s too direct, so be sure to place it in a well-watered spot with bright but filtered sunlight.

What You Need to Know

This Plant Repels: Aphids, carrot flies, Japanese beetles, slugs, ants, fleas.
Sunlight Needs: Full to partial (3 to 6+ hours of direct sun per day)
Growing Zones: 3-10
Tips for Growing Chives: Chives can be potted and grown indoors, as long as they receive at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight a day. When planted outside, be sure to space chives 8 to 10 inches apart in rich, well-drained soil.

Garlic is an easy-to-grow plant that repels aphids and other insects. Like chives, its pungent smell can keep mosquitoes away, but it can be overpowering, so it's best kept in the garden. According to Kevin Espiritu, founder of Epic Gardening, garlic is one of the most commonly used natural pesticides: “Garlic spray is a classic non-toxic repellent. It’s a few crushed cloves of garlic, water, and a few drops of insecticidal soap. You can also apply neem oil, though don’t consume the plant immediately after – it’s non-toxic but you need to let the azadirachtin, the active compound in neem oil, decompose.”

What You Need to Know

This Plant Repels: Mosquitoes, root maggots, slugs, aphids.
Sunlight Needs: Full to partial (3 to 6+ hours of direct sun per day)
Growing Zones: 0-10
Tips for Growing Garlic: Garlic is extraordinarily hardy, growing well in even the coldest climates, like Alaska. It is best planted in late fall, as its roots will take hold throughout the winter. The exact month to plant will depend on the growing zone, so be sure to find your own local zone before planting.

What You Need to Know

This Plant Repels: Aphids, white flies, nematodes, Mexican bean beetles.
Sunlight Needs: Full (6+ hours of direct sun per day)
Growing Zones: 2-11
Tips for Growing Marigolds: Marigolds are extremely easy to grow and their disease and pest-resistant blooms will thrive throughout the summer. Be sure to water them at the base of the plant and only water during hot periods, as their dense blooms can rot if they become too wet.

Basil plants are useful both in the kitchen and as natural insect repellent plants. Rub a few crushed basil leaves on your skin to keep mosquitoes and other winged pests away, or make your own basil bug spray right at home. They can also be used as companion plants to carrots and asparagus.

What You Need to Know

This Plant Repels: Mosquitoes, carrot flies, asparagus beetles, white flies.
Sunlight Needs: Full (6+ hours of direct sun per day)
Growing Zones: 10+
Tips for Growing Basil: Basil needs around 6 hours of sunlight a day and is extremely sensitive to cold weather. Therefore, it can only be used as a perennial in growing zones 10 or higher. However, it can be replanted annually or grown indoors with enough sunlight over the winter.

What You Need to Know

This Plant Repels: Mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, ants, moths, cockroaches.
Sunlight Needs: Full to partial (3-6+ hours of direct sun per day)
Growing Zones: 5-9
Tips for Growing Thuja: Thuja is a very durable cedar tree that can handle snow and ice in the wintertime and droughts in the summertime. These trees can grow very large depending on the strain you choose, so be sure to give them plenty of space to grow.

Catnip might make your garden popular with local felines, but definitely not with insects. One study found that catnip is 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET, making it a potent natural alternative to harsh commercial bug sprays. It has a chemical called nepetalactone that repels bugs, which you can use to make your own DIY natural bug repellent. Catnip can also be a companion plant to beets, pumpkins and squash.

What You Need to Know

This Plant Repels: Ants, mosquitoes, beetles, aphids, weevils, cockroaches.
Sunlight Needs: Full to partial (3 to 6+ hours of direct sun per day)
Growing Zones: 3-9
Tips for Growing Catnip: Catnip is actually considered an invasive species, so its best to plant this herb in a buried container to prevent it from spreading. Your cats will love this plant to death, quite literally – they may roll in or even eat it if you don’t protect it properly. Catnip can be grown inside, but requires a lot of sun, so just be sure to give it plenty of light.

What You Need to Know

This Plant Repels: Fleas, moths, ants, squash bugs, cabbage looper, beetles, aphids, flies.
Sunlight Needs: Partial (3 – 6 hours of direct sun per day)
Growing Zones: 3-11
Tips for Growing Mint: Like catnip, a member of the mint family, these natural insect repellent plants are invasive, so plant them in pots to control their spread. Unlike most herbs, mint does well even in shady areas, though it can handle direct sun if watered enough.