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From basil to a Venus flytrap…
While we can bask in the sunshine, enjoy picnics and relax in the comfort of our own gardens during spring and summer, it's also the season when you're more likely to see flies and other insects enter the home, which can be incredibly annoying. But good news: there is a natural solution to repelling flies – houseplants.
Thejoyofplants.co.uk has shared with us the top houseplants that deter flies and keep bugs at bay, from basil to a Venus flytrap. So rather than reaching for the bug spray or insect repellent, bring these plants into your home for a more eco-friendly way to keep pest outs.
If you want to keep those pesky flies and mosquitoes away then try keeping basil in your home. The herb has been used for pest control since ancient times due to its strong aroma and oil. As a bonus, it also makes for a tasty garnish.
Lavender is a good natural choice for keeping bugs at bay. Not only does the herb smell amazing but it also repels flies, beetles and even fleas – this is due to the lavender oil. And if that wasn’t enough, the plant looks great as a table decoration, and is an ideal plant for the bedroom as it's a great natural sleep aid.
You may just think of rosemary as a wonderful ingredient to dishes, but the herb is also great for repelling bugs. Its intense fragrance will ward off irritating gnats and midges. It's best to keep an entire rosemary plant in your kitchen – close at hand for cooking but also useful to keep insects out of your house.
The leaves of lemon balm are ideal for adding a citrusy edge to sweet or savoury dishes. But what makes lemon balm so effective as an insect repellent is its high levels of a compound called citronella. So rather than using toxic chemical repellents, just place a lemon balm plant in your home to repel insects.
Thanks to its strong flavour and aroma, sage is a versatile ingredient for cooking, or adding to cocktails and teas. Sage's strong smell and oil both act in repelling mosquitoes and flies. Keep a sage plant in your home, and then take cuttings and burn them once the leaves are dried out.
A vibrant showstopper, the fast-growing common marigold (Calendula officinalis) features heads of vivid orange daisy-like flowers with aromatic leaves.
The scent of common marigold deters flies, gnats, mosquitoes and midges, so there's no need to buy mosquito spray when you have this natural, bright and beautiful insect repellent.
One of the more obvious ways to banish flies is to buy a carnivorous plant like Venus flytrap (Dionaea Muscipula). With jaw-like traps, the evergreen Venus flytrap attracts prey using sweet nectar, and in spring, pretty white flowers appear on its stem.
Venus flytrap catches insects and arachnids via tiny hairs on the inner surface of their leaves. The trap is often flushed pink or red on the inside, and is edged with tooth-like bristles that interlock when the trap closes. It might sound a little gross, but it works.
Other carnivorous plants include Sarracenia leucophylla, Drosera capensis and Drosera paradoxa.
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