14 Plants That Keep Bugs And Insects Away  

As a gardener, one of the major challenges you face is pest infestation and mosquitoes. Pests tend to ruin the atmosphere of your yard or garden. It is often difficult to keep them at bay when you're outdoors. So, it is best to grow plants that keep bugs away.

Using insecticides is out of the picture since it is harmful to the natural environment and its organisms. Fortunately, many plants can help us control pests, insects, and mosquitoes. This article will explore 14 plants that repel bugs, insects, and pests.

14 Plants That Repel Pests 

Quick links to the different plants that keep bugs away:

1. Basil

Basil is one of the plants that repel pests and flying insects. Its leaves contain four effective mosquito repellents - estragole, citronellal, nerolidol, and limonene. The fragrant herb is also very effective at repelling flea beetles, cabbage worms, tomato hornworms, ants, flies, and aphids.

Plant basil in a vegetable garden to repel tomato hornworms, pests that destroy tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplants. You can plant basils as edging around the garden to repel flying insects. Ensure they are under full sun coverage. It needs at least 6 hours under the sun. If you are keeping an indoor garden, place it near a sunny spot on the window still. 

You can also use fresh basil or essential oil to make an insect-repellant spray. Research shows that using plant-based insecticides made from basil helps destroy mosquito larvae effectively⁵. It regulates spawning and growth activities.

2. Mint

Some plants from the mint family are insect-repelling plants. Spearmint and peppermint plants deter mosquitoes, spider mites, and flies, while pennyroyal mint repels fleas and ticks. These mint plants are a great addition to vegetable gardens and flower beds.

Mint plants repel pests by attracting herbivore enemies of agricultural pests¹. Candy mint and spearmint attract Athias-Henriot, a predatory mite of Tetranychidae that consumes mites, pollen, thrips, and other small arthropods.  

The scent of mint leaves, stalks, and stems repels insects, mosquitoes, and ants. Mint plants’ fragrant oils can be extracted and combined with apple cider vinegar, vodka, or witch hazel to make a plant-based insecticide.  

The best way to add mint to vegetable gardens is to plant it in a pot. Planting mints in the ground can create another problem because they spread aggressively and can be difficult to remove. Ensure you plant mint in rich soil and sunny areas. 

3. Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums are plants that repel bugs like Japanese beetles, cockroaches, ants, spider mites, bedbugs, fleas, silverfish, lice, and harlequin bugs. Chrysanthemum is an effective mosquito repellent because it contains pyrethrum. 

Pyrethrum is a natural compound that kills insects by attacking their nervous systems. Pyrethrum contains six individual compounds called pyrethrins. Artificial insecticides have a similar structure to the active insecticidal and acaricidal properties in pyrethrins⁹. 

Unfortunately, synthetic pyrethrins used in sprays, mosquito coils, and aerosol bombs harm the aquatic environment, birds, and non-target insect species. The best way to utilize the pest-repelling quality of chrysanthemums is by planting them in a vegetable garden. 

Plant chrysanthemums in your garden or in the floral borders of your yard to repel bugs. They need full sun coverage and well-drained soil, which can be loamy or sandy. 

4. Alliums

The allium family includes onions, chives, garlic, shallots, and leeks. An example of allium plants is the Allium giganteum, the giant onion, which grows up to six feet tall. It is a popular ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking. Allium plants repel pests like slugs, cabbage worms, carrot flies, Japanese beetles, aphids, ticks, and cabbage loopers.

These pests are common to many plants like tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, peppers, potatoes, and broccoli. Planting alliums protects your vegetables from pests. They also help protect rose bushes from aphids. 

Apart from their pest control properties, alliums produce beautiful purple blooms. These purple blooms attract beneficial insects like bees, hoverflies, and parasitic mini-wasps. Alliums thrive in rich, moist, well-drained soil under the full sun. 

5. Catnip

Next on our list of plants that repel pests is catnip. Catnip is a member of the mint family that repels bugs but attracts cats. It contains a compound called Nepeta cataria, which deters mosquitoes and insects by triggering a chemical receptor that causes the sensation of pain or itching⁸. 

Catnip repels mosquitoes, cockroaches, fruit flies, and deer ticks. It also repels insects like the Colorado potato, cabbage looper, and Japanese beetle. Rubbing catnip natural oil on an exposed body part prevents mosquito bites. 

Plant catnip in a pot with fertile soil and place it around the flower beds in your garden. Ensure that it is in a sunny spot. It can grow up to four feet tall. You can also plant it near crops like beans, lettuce, and cucumber because it protects them from Japanese beetles and aphids.

6. Citronella grass

Citronella grass is a perennial grass native to the tropical areas of Asia. Farmers grow it commercially in Sri Lanka, Java, India, Indonesia, and Burma to produce candles, soaps, and insect repellents. 

Citronella grass is often mixed with lemon grass because they have similar scents and physical properties. However, they are two different plants. Citronella grass has a strong fragrance we find appealing, but mosquitoes and other insects find it repulsive. 

Essential oils from citronella and lemon grass are used to create insecticides, mosquito repellent sprays, and creams. Large planters are used for these plants because they become more effective at repelling pests as they grow bigger. Citronella grass does not need full sun coverage. It thrives better under partial shade. 

However, there is no proof that citronella candles work as a mosquito repellent⁶. Also, citronella geranium (scented geranium) doesn’t work as a mosquito repellent. 

7. Marigolds

Another plant that repels bugs is the marigold. Gardeners testify that the marigold effectively repels whiteflies in a tomato garden. However, until 2019, there was no scientific evidence to support this claim. 

Scientists from Newcastle University’s School of Natural and Environmental Sciences established scientific support for this claim in 2019. They planted French marigolds with tomato plants at the beginning of the growing season. The research showed fewer whiteflies around tomato plants during the growing season⁴. 

The study also showed that planting marigolds in the middle of the growing season did little to reduce the population of whiteflies. Marigolds are only effective in a tomato garden when planted together.

Marigolds also repel sand flies, bed bugs, aphids, leafhoppers, seed beetles, termites, and squash bugs. Adding marigolds to vegetable gardens also improves their aesthetic value because marigold flowers bloom all summer long². 

8. Thyme

Various thyme species work effectively against mosquitoes and other insects. Research shows that thyme essential oil is the most efficient way to prevent mosquitoes⁷. Essential oils of Thymus broussonetii and Thymus maroccanus destroy the larvae of common house mosquitoes, honeycomb moths, and yellow fever mosquitoes.  

Thymus vulgaris and Thymus satureioides are essential oils that destroy the larvae of southern house mosquitoes and lesser mealworms. Also, Breckland thyme (T. serpyllum) repels Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex mosquitoes, while Thymus cariensis and Thymus cilicicus repel cowpeas weevils. 

You can burn thyme leaves in a fire pit to remove insects. The scent of the thyme drives them away. You can also plant thyme on dry or rocky terrains, as long as there's adequate sunlight. However, avoid thyme oil if you are allergic or sensitive to sage, lavender, and oregano oils. 

9. Rosemary

A rosemary plant contains essential oils like geraniol, linalol, burneol, and sineol. These fragrant oils are efficient insect repellents. 

Scientists conducted research to learn about the effectiveness of rosemary. The study had volunteers inserting their arms in a cage filled with 50 mosquitoes. The volunteers rubbed rosemary gel on their hands before inserting it in the cage for 5 minutes every 4 hours for four days. They repeated this process for four days, and the results showed that rosemary repels mosquitoes³. 

You can make a DIY bug spray by boiling one quart of dried rosemary in one-quarter of water for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid into a spray bottle holding one-quarter of cold water and spray it when necessary. Store it in a refrigerator to preserve it longer. 

You can throw the rosemary water out when it stops smelling like rosemary. You can also throw rosemary leaves and twigs into the fireplace to chase off mosquitoes. Rosemary is one of the best plants for repelling bugs because it is low-maintenance. 

You can grow it in a container of standing water before transferring it to a herb garden or landscaped bed. 

10. Lavender

Lavender is a plant with purple flowers. Lavenders deter mosquitoes through the fragrance we all love and cherish. You can place a dried bouquet of lavender to keep these insects out if you can plant lavender in the sunny spots around your home. 

Lavender oil efficiently against mosquitoes. Lavender thrives in sandy soil with slight alkaline levels. You can also apply lavender oil on your skin as a repellent. 

11. Dill

Dill is an annual herbaceous plant often used as a companion plant in gardening. Farmers use it to protect crops from pests because it is tall enough to impede their movement. There are various species of dill, like the Mammoth, Fern leaf, Dukat, Long Island, and Bouquet dill. 

Dill plant species help repel cabbage moths, cabbage worms, spider mites, and aphids. They also release biofumigants, compounds that help reduce soil diseases and pests. Thus, they reduce the risk of disease outbreaks and improve soil health. 

Dill also attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs and hoverflies. Ladybugs feed on harmful pests that destroy plants, while hoverflies pollinate plants, and their larvae feed on pests and insects. Dill grows exceptionally well in well-drained sandy loam soil. It needs six to eight hours of sunlight to survive. Because of its colorful flowers, dill is a beautiful addition to your garden. 

12. Floss flower

Floss flower contains coumarin, a compound commonly found in insecticides. Mosquitoes and other insects don’t like the plant’s scent, so they avoid it at all costs. Floss flowers are an excellent addition to your garden because they bloom blue, pink, and white throughout winter and fall. 

13. Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums repel squash bugs, whiteflies, and many beetles, including asparagus beetles. They release an airborne chemical that deters insects and pests from attacking them and other plants in the area. Thus, nasturtiums are the best plants to put at the edge of a vegetable garden. 

14. Venus flytraps

Venus flytraps are carnivorous flowering plants. The plant is native to South and North Carolina. You'll find it growing in acidic soils stripped of all its nutrients. It feeds on flying insects, ants, beetles, spiders, and grasshoppers. 

Conclusion: Plants That Keep Bugs Away

Using plants as bug repellents is an efficient and excellent way to keep vegetable gardens healthy without using insecticides or pesticides. You can also keep plants like rosemary, catnip, lavender, and thyme indoors to repel mosquitos and other insects.