Say Goodbye to Mosquitoes Fast With These 11 Natural Fixes That Actually Work

As you’re spending time outdoors, it can be irritating to deal with pesky mosquitos flying around you and your guests or family. Using chemical-laden sprays and repellents isn’t always a desirable way to deal with these insect pests, and the use of chemical pesticides can cause harm to wildlife and kill beneficial pollinators.

Fortunately, there are a few natural, non-toxic approaches to repelling and avoiding mosquitoes in your backyard. Some of these methods will even enhance your garden, by adding fragrant plants, or wildlife-attracting features.

Read on to learn more about how to get rid of mosquitos in the backyard naturally.

Plant Natural Repellents in the Garden

There are many plants that function as natural mosquito repellents and having them in your garden can really help to lessen the presence of mosquitoes and deter them from hanging around. These fragrant flowers are not only known mosquito deterrents but also attract beneficial pollinators.

These plants include: bee balm, lavender, alliums, perennial geraniums, ageratum, marigolds, and flowering catmint. Planting garlic or chives in the vegetable garden can also help repel mosquitoes.

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Surround Your Patio With Potted Plants that Repel Mosquitoes

Potted plants in summer look great around the patio area, and having mosquito-deterring plants adds a bonus layer of protection from these biting insects. Growing herbs in containers is fairly easy and having them by the patio not only helps keep mosquitoes in check but gives you a handy supply of herbs for culinary use or adding to summer drinks.

The best container herbs that help repel mosquitoes include peppermint, thyme, nasturtiums, lemon balm, rosemary, basil, and lemongrass.

Use Citronella Products

Citronella is the name for a type of geranium (Pelargonium citrosum ‘van Leenii’) also known as “mosquito plant” with a distinctive fragrance that mosquitoes and other insects find very distasteful. The essential oil extracted from this plant is used in many products to help repel mosquitoes and is very effective at keeping these insects away.

Citronella products you can use in your backyard include outdoor candles, citronella lamp oil for tiki torches (there are some non-toxic, cleaner-burning options available currently), insect-repellent sprays, and incense coils.

Make Natural Sprays

It’s very easy to make insect repellent sprays using essential oils. All you need is a glass spray mister bottle (glass is better than plastic because essential oils may eventually cause plastic to break down), water, a few drops of vodka (a dispersal agent), and an assortment of essential oils.

For an 8-ounce bottle, fill it nearly full with water, add a teaspoon of vodka and a total of 20-25 drops of essential oils. Shake the bottle gently before each use to disperse the oils. The best essential oils to use include citronella, geranium, sweet basil, lemongrass, cedarwood, lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus. Try to use at least three different ones.

Make a Mosquito Trap

Using a simple trap to lure mosquitoes that are already in your yard is one method for ensuring a mosquito-free summer. There are many commercial mosquito and bug traps available, but many of them use noxious chemicals or make loud noises (like “bug zappers”).

Some materials used in DIY mosquito traps include yeast, sugar, vinegar, baking soda, and dry ice. Try making these easy DIY traps at home.

Reduce Standing Water Reservoirs

Standing or stagnant water is one of the most common situations for mosquitoes to breed. Standing water can accumulate after a rainstorm in containers such as buckets, flower pots, or candle holders. Keep your gardening area tidy and free of debris when possible to avoid any stagnant water issues.

If you have an outdoor water feature, keep it clean and try to avoid having stagnant water in it. Cleaning it with vinegar or other fungus-fighting ingredients helps prevent water from getting scummy (mosquitoes love dirty water). Always check after rainfall for standing water and remove it immediately wherever possible to prevent mosquitoes.

Keep Excess Vegetation Weeded and Trimmed

Keeping your vegetation trimmed can generally help reduce your insect population. The more plant growth you have in your yard, the more surfaces you have for insects to eat, breed, or just hang out. Keeping shrubs trimmed will definitely help to cut back on the mosquito population, especially the shrubs closest to your seating areas like the patio.

Make sure weeds don’t get overgrown by weeding regularly throughout the summer and practicing effective weed control methods.

Turn on Fans Outdoors

Mosquitoes tend to be more active when the air is still, so having fans in your outdoor area may work to help keep them away. There are special “mosquito fans” available, but ordinary fans work fine for this purpose.

Place fans strategically to blow air toward the area where you’ll be sitting or gathering to help keep mosquitoes at bay. Installing a ceiling fan, if possible, can help create consistent airflow.

Create Habitats for Wildlife That Eat Mosquitoes

There are a number of animals and birds that eat mosquitos, and that will also add to your yard’s biodiversity. If you like having wildlife but hate mosquitoes, you might be able to create a mutually beneficial situation by having wildlife-friendly habitats in your yard.

This can include water features with turtles or frogs, bird feeders that attract insect-eating birds like cardinals and chickadees, or keeping chickens.

Get a Bat Box

Bats love to eat mosquitoes and other troublesome insects, and are generally great pollinators, too, making them a desirable part of your backyard wildlife community.

Bat boxes are a wonderful addition to your yard for attracting bats and giving them a safe place to live. Bat boxes are usually attached to trees. Bats will eat many mosquitoes throughout the season.

Avoid Fragrant Products That Attract Mosquitoes

Using perfumed products may attract mosquitoes, especially those with sweet or fruity fragrances. They are also attracted to the smell of ripe fruit like mangoes, melons, pineapple, and sweet citrus like oranges, and bananas, so bear this in mind if you’re serving fruit salad at a backyard meal.

If you use scented products on your hair, skin, or laundry, these might attract insects, including mosquitoes. Consider using unscented products to lessen the possibility of attracting mosquitoes.

Mosquito Prevention Tips

Despite mosquitoes being a problem in many areas, there are many ways to prevent the proliferation of these biting insects in your backyard. There’s a variety of approaches to preventing mosquitoes that can fit a range of situations, budgets, landscapes, and preferences.

• Keep water features clean and running effectively
• Keep shrubs trimmed and weeds under control
• Eliminate standing or stagnant water
• Avoid sweet or fruity fragranced products
• Plant mosquito-repelling plants and herbs