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Our homes may offer us a safe place to live, a shelter with a roof over our heads, but did you ever stop to consider that we aren’t the only ones that get to enjoy the benefits that our homes provide for us? Oh well. As it happens, you might find out that you have a few strays living rent-free in your home.
Don’t go rushing to your basement or attic thinking that a homeless person is living there. We aren’t talking about human beings here. These strays are much easier to miss, harder to notice, and they can go about their entire existence without you actually being aware of them. Well, you might become aware at night when their annoying serenades start. We are talking about insects and bugs that find their way into our homes and make things a bit more annoying unless you are allergic or suffer from different phobias.
Now, instead of asking them to pay rent which, it turns out, they are unable to, or violently killing them and harming your own health at the same time, there is another way. Most sprays or bug repellents have a distinct smell that isn’t easy on our’s or our pet’s noses. They release toxic chemicals into the air that kill these bugs, but these can also affect our health. So let’s see what other weapons, more human weapons, if you will, we can use to stop them from entering our homes altogether or leave when they become aware of the danger.
Plants as Home Security from Invaders
If you were unaware, there is a long list of plants that work as pest repellents, easily available at plant stores around the country. While the complete list is long, we’ll focus on the most easily attainable ones, with bonus points for those you can use in your homecooked meals.
Rosemary and Sage
Aside from stopping the mosquitoes from feeling welcomed in your home, sage and rosemary also affect various other insects that can harm your vegetable garden. These two plants work wonders against the most annoying and nerve-racking of all domestic pests; the Mosquito. I’m sure we all had at least one night where the mere sound of a mosquito flying around our ear in a stubborn attempt to bite us stopped us from going to sleep. If you haven’t, how on earth did you manage this for all your life?
Both rosemary and sage work wonderfully in many homecooked recipes, especially those involving Salmon, but the smoke resulting from burning the zesty herb stops mosquitoes from becoming rent-free tenants. Placing rosemary and sage in a breathable sachet and putting them in your wardrobe and drawers will also stop m
oths and silverfish from attacking your clothes.
Basil and Mint
Using basil in pesto or for your lemon chicken adds a delicious flavor to your food, and lemonade without mint isn’t just lemon juice, but they smell horrible to insects. Your life will only benefit from implementing a small window-sill garden. Not only will you have these two incredibly aromatic herbs fresh for any recipe you want, but the smell will also make the space more inviting for guests and less inviting for pests. These two have been used as bug repellents since ancient times.
If you want to prohibit the time flies, mosquitoes, and fruit flies spend in your home, make sure you have these two plants inside your home. They are easy to care for and don’t need much space.
Lemongrass and Citronella Plant
Both of these plants emit that strong citrus scent that comes from the citronella as both plants have it. The robust and potent smell of the citronella plant is so well known for its ability to repel mosquitoes that candles are made out of it for just that purpose. You can have these plants in pots outside or inside and, as an extra precautionary measure, if you see bugs flying around you, just rip a leaf of either of these plants, crush it between your fingers and rub it on your skin.
Lavender
If you’ve ever found yourself walking around and smelling an intoxicatingly inviting scent that beckons you towards an elegant-looking, long-stemmed plant, that’s the lavender. That delicious smell might be fantastic to our not-so-delicate noses, but insects hate it. What better way to make sure your home always smells delicate, warm and inviting, and is also free of several types of pests than this plant. The lavender works incredibly well against various kinds of flies, mosquitoes, moths, fleas, beetles, and many other insects. However, those suffering from pollen allergy should keep the plant outside or on a balcony as the scent can be too much for them.
Chrysanthemums
These delicate plants with robustly colored flowers are a treat to admire and have around the home. The wide variety of colors available makes Chrysanthemums suitable for any interior design color scheme. Options are available in white, yellow, orange, lavender, purple or red, but they also come in two color combinations. Besides their tender but colorful aspect, Chrysanthemums are a strong repellent against ticks, fleas, lice, ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, and silverfish. The pyrethroids from Chrysanthemums are even used in chemical sprays, pet shampoos, and aerosol bombs. However, the side-effects of using these chemical variants affect aquatic ecosystems, insects that are not directly targeted, and birds. By having a few pots around the house and garden, you’ll get the benefits of this ingredient without causing so much harm to the environment.
Carnivorous Plants
This is the most vicious option listed in this article, but it’s all part of the circle of life. Many types of carnivorous plants are available on the market, but these won’t help you with your cooking. These will take care of their own appetite while cleaning out your home from different insects. They are a master strategist as they don’t do anything but wait, with their mouths open, for insects to be drawn to nectar or inviting smells that the flower itself provides. By drawing insects like moths to a flame, flies, spiders, mosquitoes, and other flying insects will be a problem of the past in your home.
Conclusion
If you care about your family’s health and want to limit the negative impact you have on your home’s environment through the excessive use of chemicals, nature has the most simple solution. Natural elements can fix many issues, and pests that invade your home are just one of these. Through away, you bug sprays, your bug-killing lamps, and use nature’s defense to solve this situation. While a fly or a mosquito doesn’t belong in your home, it doesn’t have to die necessarily. By using plants to make your home less inviting for insects, you not only keep your home bug-free but also protect the smallest creatures in nature.
We may not like them, but they have a purpose on this planet. Keep the bugs out but keep them alive. The ecosystem has intricate ways in which every creature is connected to the others. Why mess with it when we don’t need to?
