I'm writing this article because I'm sick and tired of mosquitoes!! What purpose do they actually serve other than to make sure that they're annoying you, putting red bumps all over your body, and constantly biting you and your kids! It is time to fight back!

 

I've seen lots of different ways to kill mosquitoes and prevent them from constantly annoying you so let's share some of those ideas! I'm sure I will miss some ideas so please feel free to post below any and all of your ideas or write your very own article on the subject:)

 

Prevention:

 

• If you have bigger bodies of water you might want to look up a little fish called "mosquito fish". These little fish breed really quickly and can decimate a whole colony of mosquitoes in a short amount of time. Often your county will supply them for you!

• Make sure all your rain gutters are flowing and not clogged.

• They seem to love old tires so make sure those are cleared out of any water.

• Clear out any and all random containers that may hold water around the house.

• Of course you could wear long sleeve shirts or jackets and the blazing hot sun!!

• There's always the option of insect repellent but who wants chemicals all over their body? Ha ha ha!

 

 

Growing plants that deter mosquitoes is always a good idea for us organic gardeners! Most of these plants that you can grow have more of a benefit then just preventing mosquitoes. They can also be used in cooking and making oils for candles:)


Plants:

 

Citronella is used in many things for its strong smell. It is used in scented candles and torches but I can tell you this, it is much stronger of a scent when you grow the plant yourself!

 

Citronella is a perennial grass that grows to about 4 to 6 feet tall. If you live in a cold climate that actually frost you may want to plan this in a large pot so you can take it indoors during the winter but if you live in a warmer climate that does not frost up then you can plant it directly in the ground:) Thankfully their low maintenance so you will just plant it and forget it!

 

They need full sun and well drained soil. If you want really good growth put some chicken or rabbit manure to fertilize it once or twice a year!

 

 

Catnip because I love my cats;) One of the best things about catnip is it is easy to grow! It is a perennial and it is also related to mint so I would suggest putting this one in a pot or in an area that you don't care how much a gross. You can also put it in your windows. Crush up some leaves and spread them around! The fact that it repels mosquitoes is great but there's a "downside" to all you gardeners/farmers;) I will let you figure out what the downside is or you can ask below...

 

These also do best in full sun and well-drained soil but they can tolerate part shade.

 

 

Marigolds a lot of the time are grown just because of their vibrant colors but one of the side benefits is mosquitoes hate them:) Do you really care what mosquitoes hate? This one is an annual but you can always collect the seeds to replant them in early spring. A row of these in your garden is always a good idea but you can put them in pots around entryways and that should help to keep the mosquitoes out of the house.

 

These have lots of flowers so full sun is a must. Marigolds need decent fertile soil.

 

 

Ageratum has one beautiful flower that come in a number of different colors. I've seen ageratum put into a 3' x 15' long bed and it totally fills it up and looks beautiful when the flowers come in! This one is also an annual and can grow anywhere from 7" to 18" tall. To increase the sent this Mesquito's or bad you can just crush a bunch of the leaves and throw them around the yard or around your doorways:)

 

This one does best in full sun to partial sun.

 

There are traps of all kinds that you can get to control mosquitoes so I will list a few here. I am always wanting to gather food for my chickens and so I was wanting to use something that will kill the mosquitoes and collect them so I can feed them to my chickens. Lets have a look at some traps!


Traps:

I really like this guys channel on YouTube and I thought this video was pretty good but it is kind of long. 

 

Post all of your questions, comments, and answers below and don't forget to share this post with anyone that suffers from these little bloodsuckers:)

 

God Bless!