Clove, peppermint, thyme, rosemary, and citronella oil are just a few essential oils that can help keep bugs away.
Those most closely associated with repellency are citronella oil, eucalyptus oil, and catnip oil, but others include clove oil, patchouli, peppermint, and geranium.
For maximum effect, install bug-deterrent plants around your outdoor seating area and grow a few varieties in pots placed among your patio furniture. Herbs such as garlic, rosemary, chive, and lemongrass are also useful in the kitchen or when preparing a meal over the fire.
Lavender has a pleasant scent that comes from the essential oils in the leaves of the plant, but the bugs hate it. Hang some dried lavender in your closet and you won't have to worry about moths eating your clothes.
Citronella candles are a brilliant non-toxic method of repelling insects, especially during the summer months. Made using citronella oil, these clever candles have a distinctive odour (usually lemon or lavender) that drives away bugs when burned in the immediate area.
EUCALYPTUS. Everyone knows Eucalyptus Oil is great for relieving cold and flu symptoms, but it is also a very effective insect repellent. Research shows that this pungent oil is more effective against sand flies than any other natural product.
Heavily scented soaps, perfumes, hair care products and lotions attract bugs as well as woods and standing water.
Solutions with 20% peppermint oil repelled 57% of mosquitoes, with a protection time of 6.5 hours.
Both apple cider vinegar and white vinegar are a good base for an insect repellent, as they deter flies and, combined with specific essential oils, will deter mosquitoes and ticks as well.
Mint. Mint is yet another fragrant herb that has pest-fighting properties. According to the Cornell Cooperative Extension, menthol, the active insect-fighting ingredient in mint and peppermint oil, has biocidal properties that help repel and control mites, mosquitoes and various other pests.
While peppermint is generally a bug repellent, there are some types of insects that are actually attracted to the smell of mint and/or mint plants. The really neat thing is that the insects mint attracts are actually beneficial!
Spiders really don't like strong scents such as citrus, peppermint, tea-tree, lavender, rose or cinnamon. Add 15 to 20 drops of your chosen essential oil or a couple of capfuls of Zoflora fragrance to a spray bottle filled with water, and spritz around the house.
Clove oil, lemongrass oil, spearmint oil, and Ylang Ylang oil are a few of the essential oils stink bugs find themselves shying away from. Other popular scents that repel stink bugs from your home are different types of dryer sheets.
The lemon scent, which repels the bugs, is powerful. It rubs off very well onto the skin.
Mosquitoes hate the smell of lavender, citronella, clove, peppermint, basil, cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass and rosemary.
Smells that roaches hate: a quickfire summary
Oregano, rosemary, mint, eucalyptus, lemongrass and catnip are great herby options. Citrus oils work brilliantly too.
Eucalyptus essential oil has a fresh fragrance that, surprisingly, seems to confuse or alarm cockroaches. This stuff is strong and you'll only need to mix a few drops with water and spray it around the cockroaches' hotspots to repel them. Research has also shown that eucalyptus essential oil is toxic to roaches.
Eucalyptus oil has been proven to repel roaches, ants, flies, spiders, lice, and more.
Oil of lemon eucalyptus may be the only essential oil proven to work on ticks and mosquitos, but there are plenty of other plant-derived solutions for pest control: Peppermint oil. We may love it for fresh breath and its minty flavor, but bugs absolutely hate it.
Citronella candles are great for setting a mood, but they're not so great for the very thing they're advertised to do: repel mosquitoes. That's one conclusion from a new study that tested 11 types of repellents on Aedes aegypti mosquitoes—the vectors of Zika, yellow fever, dengue, and other diseases.
A peppermint infused candle is not only a bug repellent but also has aroma therapeutic properties. Its pleasant mentholated scent makes it a good choice for those who dislike the distinctive citrusy scent of citronella and lemongrass.
How does oil of citronella work? Oil of citronella repels target pests rather than killing them. It works by masking scents that are attractive to insects. Thus, insects find it difficult to locate their target to feed.