Lavender is very attractive to humans because of its vibrant beautiful flowers and its pleasant fragrance. It’s not only used for house or garden décor but also it effectively works to repel mosquitoes, flies, bugs, etc.
If you’re tired of the buzzing sound of the mosquitoes, lavender can highly satisfy you.
Does lavender repel mosquitoes?
Lavender is naturally an effective way to repel mosquitoes. The presence of lavender produces a strong fragrance that is offensive to the mosquitoes. Lavender contains terpene alcohol named linalool which indeed is an effective ingredient to keep mosquitoes away.
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The strong fragrance of the lavender works really well in repelling mosquitoes. The scent of the lavender is very pleasant and attractive to us but mosquitoes dislike the smell badly. So, they keep themselves away from lavender.
The reason is, lavender contains an effective ingredient, terpene alcohol that is linalool. The flowers have 25% of linalool that works really well at preventing mosquitoes. The essential oil of lavender works most effectively and the plants also work well deterring mosquitoes.
Lavender can deter mosquitoes by:
Lavender oil:
Lavender oil has the best effect to deter mosquitoes. Lavender oil has a high concentration of 25% linalool which can prevent mosquitoes three times better.
But using lavender oil with other essential oils can enhance its usefulness from 58%to 75% which is proven by scientists.
Lavender plants:
There are different subtypes and varieties of lavender plants. Not only the flowers, but even the presence of lavender plants with higher camphor properties also produce much linalool that plays a great role in preventing mosquitoes.
Lavender baby lotion:
As the lavender baby lotions are produced by lavender oil and lavender distillate, it works well in deterring mosquitoes. Using it on your baby will ensure to keep the mosquitoes away and sleep peacefully.
But artificially scented body lotion will work completely opposite.
Lavender spray/Lavender air freshener:
The smell of the lavender sprays or fresheners are pleasant and attracts people but offensive for the mosquitoes. The sprays or air fresheners have active properties which effectively work to deter mosquitoes from home.
But if the artificial fragrance is used in the sprays or air fresheners it will attract the mosquitoes rather than deter them.
Lavender scent/Lavender incense:
Lavender scent doesn’t attract mosquitoes like humans. Lavender scents are highly concentrated with lavender oil. The strong fragrance of lavender actively deter mosquitoes and you can freely go outside in the evening.
How strongly it will work to deter mosquitoes completely depends on the amount of lavender essential oil is used in the spray.
Lavender soap:
Lavender soaps of the markets may not have the higher camphor properties to effectively deter mosquitoes. But DIY lavender soaps with a high amount of linalool and lavender oil works very well.
The strong odor of the lavender soap will keep you away from mosquito bites.
Why does lavender keep mosquitoes away? What type of lavender keeps mosquitoes away?
Mosquitoes can’t take the strong fragrance of lavender. ‘Linalool’, terpene alcohol, is the main reason why mosquitoes keep themselves away from lavender. 25% linalool and camphor properties are found in lavender which are effective agents that deter mosquitoes easily.
‘Provence’ and ‘Grosso’ lavender work great to keep mosquitoes away. Because of their high concentration of lavender oil, they are filled with the most effective deterrent agent linalool and camphor properties.
It really depends on the essential oils, how effectively they will work against mosquitoes. And these varieties of lavender have a high yield of oil. These varieties of lavenders are commercially grown to use in body lotion, body spray, air freshener, etc., and as a mosquito repellent.
How far does lavender repel mosquitoes? How much lavender do I need to keep mosquitoes away?
Lavender can naturally repel mosquitoes from home. It has active ingredients like linalool and camphor properties that work very effectively in deterring mosquitoes.
Naturally scented lavender and its essential oil are used in body sprays, air fresheners, body lotion, soap, etc. that works great in repelling mosquitoes. It has been proven that indoor mosquitoes can be repelled 93% and outdoor mosquitoes can be repelled 53% by lavenders.
To make lavender spray or fresheners you will need 1.5-2 cups of lavender buds or flowers. On 3 ounces of spray, 30-40 drops of oil are needed. Dry flowers can also be used in making scents that repel mosquitoes.
You can also crush two or three lavenders by your hand and apply them to your body which will prevent you from mosquito bites.
How do you use lavender for mosquitoes?
Lavender plays a great role as a mosquito repellent. It can be used in different ways to keep mosquitoes away like:
Lavender spray:
The easiest way is to use it as a spray. To make 3 ounces of spray, it will need 30-40 drops of oil. To get the oil, 1.5-2 cups of lavender buds or flowers need to be crushed and then put into the heat. Lavender spray is very easy to make and use.
It can be used as an air freshener as well as a body spray that will keep mosquitoes away from home.
Essential oil:
Lavender oil has the best effect on repelling mosquitoes. If the lavender oil is mixed up with other essential oils like eucalyptus oil, lemon oil, witch hazel oil, rosehip oil, etc. it enhances its effectiveness.
These essential oils can be directly applied to the skin or you can mix the oils with distilled water as a spray.
Lavender soap:
DIY lavender soaps are much more effective than the soaps found in the market. To make lavender soap easily and in a few minutes, heat the body soap you have till melting.
Then you have to add lavender oils and flowers and then just stir and pour it into the mold. After that, wait until it becomes harder and then remove the mold and the lavender soap will be ready.
Lavender lotion:
Lavender lotion can be made at home to use as a mosquito repellent. It’s also very useful to make skin glow and smooth.
Just you have to mix different essential oils like almond oil, avocado oil, coconut oil with 20-30 drops of lavender oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, and shea butter.
Does lavender repel bugs?
Lavender effectively and potentially repels bugs because of the high linalool content. Linalool, a compound agent, produces a strong fragrance that can repel bugs strongly. Also, it contains camphor properties which is very much effective to deter insects and small bugs.
Lavender is widely considered the most effective natural way to repel insects and bugs. The smell of the lavender is very pleasant and attractive to us but to the insects and bugs, they can’t take its strong fragrance. So, the bugs keep themselves away from lavenders.
The reason is the effective compound, linalool, that keeps bugs away from the garden and home. Lavender contains 25% linalool which helps lavender to work three times better than other elements.
Also, lavender contains therapeutic and camphor properties that can effectively work to deter bugs. The lavender oil has the best effect that works magically to deter small insects and bugs and also the mosquitoes from indoor and outdoor.
With other essential oils, lavender oil can work far better in deterring bugs.
What bugs does lavender repel?
Lavender works perfectly to repel most of the bugs. It’s very irritating when these small insects come to the house as they don’t go out easily. But lavender can help you to repel these small bugs effectively. Some bugs which can be repelled by lavender:
Stink bugs:
The aroma that’s emitted by the lavender acts as a stink bug repellent. The stink bugs don’t like the strong lavender scent and they keep themselves away.
Palmetto bugs:
Lavender can also deter palmetto bugs because they can’t take the strong odor of linalool from lavender. So, these small bugs can be repelled using lavender oil and water as a spray.
Bed bugs:
It’s harder to say if the lavender can repel bed bugs or not as there’s still no proven evidence. But lavender might repel bugs to some extent as they are not effectively repellent with other essential oils.
Water bugs:
Mixing lavender oil with some other oils like citronella, rose, lemon, eucalyptus oil, etc. works perfectly to repel water bugs. Just add the essential oils with distilled water and you can use it as a spray.
Mites:
Lavender oil is one of the effective oils that can repel mites. It works like a poison that those small insects can’t tolerate and lose life.
Final Thoughts
Lavender can effectively repel mosquitoes and bugs. Actually, it has the powerful compound, linalool, that produces a strong aroma which mosquitoes and bugs can’t tolerate. The therapeutic and camphor properties are the effective ingredients that can strongly repel mosquitoes and bugs.