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Does Lemon Keep Mosquitoes Away? (Explained)

Mosquitoes can be kicked out of the house by chemical products as well as natural ones. But chemical-based mosquito repellents don’t come only with benefits, they have many side effects on humans and nature too.

That’s why a large number of people prefer natural ways to deter mosquitoes. When it comes to applying natural products lemon is often suggested as an effective repellent.

Whether lemon works against mosquitoes or not, the best natural mosquito deterrents and many more are discussed here. 

Lemon to keep mosquitoes away:

Lemon is an effective mosquito repellent. The strong and tangent scent of lemon doesn’t let the mosquitoes sense any carbon dioxide, and thus can’t locate humans. Instead, different use of lemon and its fragrance drives these bugs away naturally by blocking and irritating their smelling power.

Among all the natural ingredients that are widely suggested as an effective mosquito repellent, lemon is the most common one. Lemon is used for many purposes such as cleaning, disinfecting, and as a fragrance. 

The vitamin in lemon is a must to develop our health, but it does the opposite to mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes don’t like the scent of lemon. The fragrance of lemon is strong and long staying. It bothers mosquitoes, they can’t tolerate the sharp scent. 

The pungent, lemony fragrance fools and misleads mosquitoes while they are in a search of prey. So their receptors can’t function to find humans to bite. 

Mosquitoes locate their target by smelling the body odor and exhaling carbon dioxide. But the scent of lemon blocks their sense of smell and makes them uncomfortable. Thus the mosquitoes leave the place. 

So lemon is effective in keeping mosquitoes away. Let’s know if these lemon-based things can keep mosquitoes away:

Lemon balm:

Lemon balm is technically not lemon but it’s an herb infused with lemon fragrance. The strong scene of lemon in this plant excellent role to deter mosquitoes from the house.

The lemony scent is not liked by mosquitoes so they try to avoid the area. Lemon balm can be used as a mosquito repellent plant as well as the extract can be used to make natural mosquito repelling spray or balm. So it can keep mosquitoes away.

Lemon juice:

Lemon juice does more than just provide you with vitamin c! It helps to keep mosquitoes away from you and your home. Freshly squeezed juice of a lemon can be diluted and sprayed as mosquito repellent spray. 

The scent misleads mosquitoes from prey and deters mosquitoes from the house. However, lemon juice is not encouraged to be directly applied to the skin.

Lemon essential oil:

Lemon essential oil consists of concentrated compounds of lemon. It is strong in scent.

When used in a diffuser the scent of lemon gets spread all over the place and it blocks mosquitoes’ smelling sense. Thus they can’t find any humans to bite. 

Mosquitoes can’t tolerate the citrusy fragrance of lemon essential oil so they run off. The lemon essential oil can be mixed and used on the skin to keep mosquitoes away also. 

Lemon plant:

Lemon plant isn’t a good mosquito repellent. Though lemony smells can keep mosquitoes away, the plant itself isn’t that fragrant. After the lemon season, lemon plants don’t smell too strong to deter mosquitoes. 

Lemon spray:

Lemon spray can be prepared using lemon juice, lemon essential oil, and lemon balm plant extract. Lemon spray is a strong natural remedy against mosquito crowds.

It can be sprayed in corners and in the air to deter mosquitoes. However, you shouldn’t directly use lemon spray on the skin as it’s acidic.

How do mosquitoes hide in your house?

If you’re dealing with mosquito problems in your house a lot, you surely have noticed these biting bugs aren’t visible all the time. Especially in the daylight. And when you’re almost convinced that your house is mosquitoes-free, they are back with a patron. 

Actually when you don’t see the mosquitoes flying around they’re hiding in your house and when it’s dusk they expose themselves. 

Mosquitoes end up in your house by following still water sources, open dirt or trash, and sensing carbon-di-oxide. They stay hidden during the day as the light and heat are uncomfortable for mosquitoes.

So the mosquitoes hide in different spots of your room that are dark and cold in temperature.

They usually hide inside cupboards, closets, dustbins, behind the curtain, false ceilings, beneath large furniture, etc. They also hide in humid areas for example, washroom, kitchen sink or drains in your house.

Three tips to use lemon to keep mosquitoes away:

Lemon is a very useful ingredient if you are looking for a natural way to keep mosquitoes away.

Mosquitoes can’t stand the scent of lemon so wherever used you’ll find the place getting mosquito free in a short time. The smell is long-lasting and strong thus you get hours of protection from this harmful insect. 

But to keep mosquitoes out of your area you must learn to use lemon as a repellent. Here we’ve shared three easy and quick tips to use lemon as an effective mosquito deterrent:

Lemon with clove:

Lemon along with clove makes a great mosquito repellent. These ingredients are natural and easy to arrange. Also, these tips can be applied in the living room, dining, bedroom anywhere.

All you need to do is cut one or two lemons in half, take 5-10 cloves and press the cloves into the sliced sides of the lemon.

Mosquitoes dislike both lemon and clove because of the strong scent. If you place these pieces on a tray or plate and keep these in the house, soon there will be zero mosquitoes.

Lemon juice spray:

This is a simple hack but does wonder against mosquitoes. Take two or three fresh lemons, squeeze the juice and add some water (less than the juice) and now boil the mixture.

Let it steep for some time and then fill a spray bottle with this solution. This lemon water mixture is a harmless repellent with no side effects.

But it confuses and irritates mosquitoes with the citrusy scent and lemon compounds. Finally, this mixture drives mosquitoes completely. 

Lemon, lavender essential oil and rosemary spray:

Lemon is a strong mosquito repelling agent but if you want to stand a bit out from the monotonous citrusy flavor these tips can be applied. 

To make this repellent you have to cut lemon into slices, chop a few rosemary and boil these two with enough water. Let the solution rest for 2-3 hours. Add 5/6 drops of lavender oil after straining the liquid. Lastly, pour it into a spray bottle.

Lemon, lavender and rosemary three are highly irritant to mosquitoes. They are full of powerful smell, and essence and are effective against mosquitoes. You can use this spray around your pet too!

Six natural repellents to keep mosquitoes away from the house:

Lemon isn’t the only natural thing you can use to deter mosquitoes. There are many available and effective things around us that are super powerful against the flying biting bug.

We’ve here listed six natural mosquito repellents:

Lemon eucalyptus oil:

Lemon eucalyptus oil is proven as an effective mosquito repellent. It can deter mosquitoes with its smell and provide long time protection against mosquitoes with its beneficial compounds. 

Lemongrass:

The scent of lemongrass is liked by many as an air freshener. But along with all the uses, lemongrass is known as a mosquito repellent. 

When planted lemongrass disperses a strong lemony scent and keeps mosquitoes away. 

Peppermint:

Peppermint is largely used as a mosquito deterrent. The essential oil of peppermint is mainly preferred to keep mosquitoes away.

It is used in commercial mosquito repellents as one of the main ingredients. But it can be prepared as a mosquito repelling product naturally. 

Cinnamon:

Cinnamon is more than a spice. It’s one of the safest natural mosquito repellents. Powdered cinnamon boiled with water is a great mixture to keep mosquitoes at bay.

Cinnamon essential oil is super powerful as it has the concentrated compounds of the spicy, strong spice. 

Lavender:

This beautiful flower not only adds chard to your garden but also prevents mosquitoes. Lavender is a mosquito repellent plant.

Moreover, the oil of lavender can keep mosquitos away naturally. Lavender mosquito deterrent can be used in the form of spray or diffuser.  

Garlic:

The smell of garlic is very effective against mosquitoes. Raw and peeled cloves of garlic can be kept in various spots of your house and it will deter mosquitoes by disgusting them with its scent.

Garlic can also be blended and mixed with water to make a mosquito repellent spray. 

Final Thoughts

Lemon can keep mosquitoes away. It’s a popular natural repellent and can be used in many ways to deter mosquitoes without harming others. The citrusy and sharp scent of lemon misleads, blocks their smelling power, and repels them. It can also protect from misquotes for a few hours.