It is a fact that plant-based repellents have been used for generations in traditional practice as personal protection from Mosquitoes.
Mint not only repels Mosquitos but many other insects like ants, fleas, flies and moths.
The most important benefit of using Natural insect repellents for your garden is that flowers, vegetables and plants are not exposed to toxins which are harmful. These toxins apart from harming your plants, flowers or vegetables, can harm the animals that tend to habituate around your garden. Moreover, it can harm your children and pets playing around or in the garden.
Not all insects in your garden are unwanted. Therefore, when you use chemical-based pesticides it might kill other beneficial insects. The beneficial insects include Ladybugs, Spiders, and Wasps. These pests feed on the variety of other insects.
Heck, some pest control companies use a crazy chemical like Bait and liquid Pesticides to get rid of the pest problem in your backyard that can be easily done with natural products.
As we saw the disadvantages of using pesticides in your garden, is there something natural to work with?
Yes. There are many natural repellents which can be used in gardens to keep pests away. One of them is mint.
Mint is known for repelling a lot of insects and pest. It also keeps Rodents and Mosquitoes away. Mint is a plant species known for its minty aroma. This aroma keeps insects away and therefore mints act as a natural repellent.
Side Note: Chemicals are mostly used for highly infested areas, so if you have a small garden and you want to protect it from pest, you can use natural repellent. For the highly infested garden, you should always consult with a licenced pest control professional.
Using Ready-Made Mint Spray As Natural Repellent:
Planting mint in your garden can act as a repellent for the insects as well as mosquitoes. However, growing mint in your garden from seed can be a daunting process. You can buy a live mint pot from Amazon and grow it in your home. When you grow mint in your garden, it will help to repel mosquitoes, flea, & white flies. Also don’t plant mint in the garden itself, as it is dominant and take over other plants. Keep and plant it separately in the pot.
How To Make Your Own Mint Spray [DIY]
You can also make a mint spray in your home to spray it in the garden as an insect repellent. It can also be used in the home for repelling various insects like Cockroaches, Ants, etc.
You can make the spray by following these simple steps.
- You need 1 Medium Onion, 4 Cloves Garlic, 2 Cup Mint leaves (or Pure Peppermint Oil), 2 tablespoons cayenne Pepper and 2 tablespoons liquid castile soap.
- Place onion, garlic, mint and pepper in a blender and blend it into fine particles.
- Strain the mixture with a fresh mesh strainer.
- Add the mixture to a jug and add the soap.
- Add water enough to make it 1 gallon.
- Pour it in the spray bottle and spray it on the affected plant.
- Spray it 1-2 times a day.
- Also, you can buy ready-made sprays available to buy online.
- In the garden, you can also put some dried mint leaves in any cloth bag and place it around the garden to repel the insects and bugs.
Is It Really Worth To Use Mint As Natural Repellent?
Yes, the mint does it work as a natural repellent. However, if your garden is already infested it might not work. Mint repels other insects when your garden is free of pests. In the case of your garden being infested, you might need to contact local pest management services.
Mint repellent is a low-cost method and it requires just around 1 hours of your time to make the repellent mint spray.
Most of the items used in making the spray are available in the home. The spray is worth the money and time as it actually works repelling all the insects from the plants in your garden.
You might have seen people debating about this mint sprays being a myth but the fact here is people mistakes while choosing and buying the ingredients.
Commonly, people often don’t buy Pure Peppermint Oil and dilute it to a much weaker strength or they just expect it to work like magic.
Once you spray the mint repellent, you will see the results in just a few days. You need to spray it on plants at least twice a day.