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Does Peppermint Oil Repel Mosquitoes? (Read This First!)

Peppermint is a well-known herb. Meanwhile, the Essential oil of peppermint has several uses. It can be used as a powerful repellent against bugs and also reduce joint pain and muscle pain in the human body. The strong smell of peppermint oil plays a big role here.

Following the below tips and information regarding peppermint and if it can repel mosquitoes or not would help you to find a way to eliminate mosquitoes.

Peppermint oil repel mosquitoes

To some extent, peppermint oil is able to keep mosquitoes away. It even eliminates some of the mosquitoes and their larvae but not all the mosquitoes. The effectiveness of peppermint oil is still in doubt as there is no guarantee that the oil can give full protection against mosquitoes or not.

Mosquitoes are quite irritating when you find them. They would roam around while making irritating noises that would disturb the mind. As a result, it even moves our focus from work. Most importantly, mosquitoes can even spread deadly diseases. The disease would only bring misery.

If you have a sewer nearby or any place where dirty water is accumulating, the mosquitoes would form their home in those places. People nearby have the highest tendency to get bitten by the mosquitoes there. Especially if the mosquitoes are carrying germs, it would lead to disease. To repel mosquitoes there are hardly any effective ways.

Even though some repellent works on mosquitoes, it’s more like for a temporary time. Moreover, it would not last long. Peppermint is a herb that is used for many health benefits. On the other hand, peppermint oil can also serve to repel bugs.

They can also repel mosquitoes to some extent and temporarily. The peppermint oil has a strong smell which is mainly disliked by the bugs. Well, mosquitoes dislike it as well. That’s why they would keep themselves away from the peppermint smell. You can definitely spray the peppermint oil in the room and get an effective result. It would give better results in the closed areas.

But it also depends on how long the smell would last in the air. The peppermint oil would dissipate in the air and spread the smell throughout the room. With time the smell would be reduced so the effectiveness. With the temporary effect, it is highly not enough for the mosquitoes.

You should not completely depend on peppermint to repel mosquitoes. Rather use some other repellents. For temporary use, peppermint oil would be worth trying.

Does peppermint oil terminate mosquitoes?

Yes, peppermint oil terminates mosquitoes effectively. But not all the mosquitoes. Peppermint might have a strong impact on the mosquitoes but it is difficult to have total faith in the essential oil. Well, mosquitoes would always ignore the strong and irritating smell.

Though the smell of peppermint oil is appealing to humans, it is not the same case for bugs and mosquitoes. The smell would drive them away. You can repel the mosquitoes for a temporary time. But it does not have long time effectiveness. Still, it can manage to terminate some of the mosquitoes.

Moreover, peppermint oil can be used to terminate mosquitoes. But it needs a long exposure. Long exposure to the peppermint oil would terminate mosquitoes. Even larvae can be terminated. The long exposure to peppermint would suffocate to death. To operate this, you might need a closed place so that mosquitoes do not run away.

Reasons peppermint oil repels mosquitoes

Peppermint oil is not only effective to repel bugs but also the mosquitoes. Well, other repellents would work more effectively on the mosquitoes rather than the peppermint oil. Yet, you can not completely avoid the effectiveness of peppermint oil though it works on certain species of mosquitoes.

The reasons for peppermint oil being a good repellent to mosquitoes are given below.

Smell:

The smell of the peppermint oil is the only reason why all the bugs and even mosquitoes get scared of the peppermint oil. Peppermint is actually an effective herb that is able to provide many health benefits. You can use essential oil to reduce bodily pain. Even the smell is good enough that you can eat it.

Eating peppermint with salads would definitely have a great impact on your health. Overall, which would not be bad. Even essential oil is of use. The strong smell of essential oil would drive away from the mosquitoes. Well, mosquitoes are sensitive to smell. The strong and weird smell of the peppermint is too much for the mosquitoes.

They can not tolerate the smell at all and ignore the places which contain the smell. That’s how peppermint oil repels mosquitoes. By spreading the smell, the peppermint oil blocks the entry of mosquitoes. But not all mosquitoes are affected by it. Only a few species of mosquitoes can be repelled. Long exposure to the smell can damage the mosquitoes the most.

What is the ratio of peppermint oil to the water for mosquito spray?

The ratio of the peppermint oil to the water should be 2:1. Well, oil doesn’t dissolve in water. It would rather leave a layer of oil on the surface of the water. You need to shake the mixture to mix them up. The ratio should be 2:1 which means the essential has to be larger in amount than the water.

If you are using 1 ounce of water, use 10 drops of oil. If you are using 2 ounces of water, you can use 15 or more drops of oil. And mix it up to prepare the spray. This is the ratio at which you should mix up the repellent.

Then fill a jar or spray bottle with the mixture and spray it on the places. It would temporarily do a good job of repelling the mosquitoes and bugs. Applying this method at home is quite easier and more effective.

How do you use peppermint oil to repel mosquitoes?

Peppermint oil is somehow effective at repelling mosquitoes. Though it is only a few species, yet enough to keep the mosquitoes away. Even peppermint itself is effective against mosquitoes and so is the peppermint oil. You would definitely not get disappointed by using it.

To use peppermint oil as a repellent, you should definitely know how to use it. From preparing to spraying everything needs to be known. Well, to minimize the effort, below the steps to use peppermint oil as mosquito repellent is included.

Make the repellent:

The peppermint itself can be used as a repellent. You can take the peppermint leaves and wash them. And rub it on the skin. Well, the peppermint fragrance would keep the mosquitoes away from you. It is quite effective as the bites of the mosquitoes would not even hurt much.

In the case of peppermint oil, you can buy it from the market. There is a variety of peppermint essential oils found that you can use for various purposes. As a result, buying would not go in vain.

You can also make the essential oil by yourself. To do that, crush the peppermint or mince them and put them in a jar of oil. Keep it for weeks. Almost 1 to 2 weeks do it better. Finally, you can use it. To make the peppermint oil spray for repelling bugs, you would need peppermint oil.

To make the oil spray, you can start by putting peppermint oil and water together. Almost 2 ounces of water would go with 15 drops of oil. You can also add a bit more drops but this one would do the work. That’s how you can make repellent for mosquitoes.

Spray the repellent:

Now, it is finally time to spray the repellent. You can spray the repellent around the corners of the room. Well, mosquitoes like the corner and mostly get themselves hidden there. To repel them in a few moments, spray the repellent to the places where the mosquitoes would generally be at.

You can also spray peppermint oil on the windows and doors. Moreover, if there is any sewer nearby, spraying the repellent would work. Closed areas would do better to repel mosquitoes.

Final Thoughts

Overall, peppermint can effectively drive away mosquitoes to some extent. The effectiveness of the peppermint oil would not last long necessarily as the smell would disappear with time. The temporary effect is still better yet you can use other repellents to get most benefit and repel mosquitoes.