If you’re dealing with insect pests eating your garden plants, planting them around the perimeter or even inside the garden will help. Other Plants That Keep Rats Away. This is where lavender comes handy. The fact that rats and mice spread a variety of diseases makes these creatures so uninviting. Garlic is most effective at repelling insects that attack plant roots and tubers, as well as nasty aphids. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This beautiful and useful perennial is disliked by most insects and rodents. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Lavender is among several plants with rodent-repelling properties. Putting a bat house on your property is inexpensive, easy, and can make a big difference in your mosquito populations. We like to plant garlic around the perimeter of our garden to keep pests at bay, and when the gardening season is over, we dig it up and enjoy it in the kitchen. Garlic is used to keep fleas and ticks away from the house. Plant citronella grass near thresholds to your house to keep out flies and mosquitoes. Landscaping isn’t only for good looks, it can help in so many ways. Whether you know or not rats, mice, etc. Dip cotton balls in mint oil and leave them wherever you suspect rats, especially around windows and doors. Scare Them With Owl’s Feathers. Can’t find citronella grass in your area? Plant lavender as a companion plant near plants that are traditionally attractive to mice or create a hedge of lavender to border a garden. If you’re having issues with mosquitoes or flies on your property, planting repelling plants around the perimeter as well as in pots and window boxes near the house will help. Mums look beautiful when interspersed with garden veggies, and their presence will ward of pests like nobody’s business! This beautiful and useful perennial is disliked by most insects and rodents. Any of these can be spread around a house, outbuildings or garden to keep them out. Meredith Skyer is a writer, artist, and homesteader residing in Western New York with her husband and menagerie of farm critters. Rats are rodents that you surely do not want in your house, garden or lawn. The strong and pungent smell of peppermint annoy rats and prevent them from coming to your house and yard. This giant can grow to 3-6 feet tall! If you want to plant marigolds from seed this year, be sure to start them indoors super early, because they take a long time to germinate. Make a peppermint spray by chopping some mint leaves and adding them to boiling water. Strain the solution into a spray bottle and spray it over areas that are infested by rats. Dried herbs can be hung near windows, placed in sachets inside drawers and cupboards, or used in decorations like wreaths and bouquets. Alternatively sprinkle garlic powder around the house or around the garden to repel rodents. The smell deters them from entering or roaming around in the first place. Killing them off is, of course, the fastest and surest method for getting rid of outdoor rats, but there are several reasons you may not want to go this route. When planting lemongrass, be sure to give it plenty of space. In addition to rodents, peppermint also repels fleas, ticks and ants. Does peppermint oil repel rats? Peppermint oil really does work, but it has to be used correctly. The ultimate goal is to keep rats and rodents out of the garden without using harmful chemicals, poisons, and pesticides that post a threat to your pets or your children. Dip cotton balls in mint oil and leave them wherever you suspect rats, especially around windows and doors. Secure all food in glass, thick plastic bins, or metal containers to keep rodents from having a feast. Make a simple spray by adding garlic cloves to boiling water. Peppermint has a pleasant aroma to most humans. Our favorite solution for getting rid of bugs and rodents is using pest repelling plants to ward them off. Her biggest passion is working in conjunction with the natural world to harvest healthy, organic food from her own backyard. Do rats hate the smell of bleach? While peppermint will make your home smell nice, is there any evidence that peppermint can repel rats? Dispersing tomato plant leaves around the house and garden will help in keeping rats away. Catnip is one of the best mosquito deterrents, and it’s all natural. Rub the leaves directly on your skin, or use it in a homemade bug spray to drive away these biting pests. Yet another way to use fresh herbs is to make a tincture using alcohol or vinegar. Tom Don has been a freelance writer and editor since 2005. The best thing about using plants to repel pests is it’s 100% natural, so there’s no harm, and you add more beauty to your garden. Plant lavender in your herb garden once, and it will come back year after year to do the work of driving pests away. The only reasons mice, rats, and chipmunks like to hang around in homes and barns is because of the free access to food. Lavender can be harvested, dried, and hung around the home, or made into herb sachets and tucked into drawers and cupboards to keep away moths and other pests. The first is growing peppermint plants and leaving them around the house. If there is rodent activity in your house, then this rat repellent will be helpful, as mice and rats can’t stand the way ammonia smells. She has spent the last 12 years learning and implementing a myriad of homesteading skills, specializing in growing food and animal husbandry. She also contributes articles to Mother Earth News Online, From Scratch Magazine, and Grit. Oregano, sage, black pepper and cayenne are effective in repelling rats and other rodents. There’s no sugar coating it, common pesticides like insecticides and rodenticides are poison. So you need to place a better pest controlled to lessen browsing and all the destruction they cause. Marigolds have a strong smell that is disliked by rodents.The lavender flowering plant has purple budlike flowers that emit a fresh scent that people enjoy, but will keep rodents at bay. Lavender as a Rodent Repellent Any of multiple forms of lavender may be used to repel rodents, particularly mice. Be sure to plant this crop in pots, or in an area that you don’t mind it spreading, because it sure will. Amazingly Easy Natural Ways to Repel Rats Homemade Rat Repellent. Rats hate smells that represent danger. Don holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration and Master of Science in website administration from Johns Hopkins University. A repellent is often the best method to control rodents for people who despise handling mousetraps and are hesitant to use poisons to rid their homes of rodents because they have small children and pets. Much like naphthalene, it is suggested that the frequency of ultrasonic sound waves needed to successfully repel rats and mice fully would be strong enough that it would cause damage and harm to humans and domestic animals. Marigolds can also be planted in window boxes outside of your windows to keep out flies and mosquitos. These plants can also be used fresh. Homemade Rat Repellent Recipe . There is actually some scientific research which shows that rats do avoid the smell of peppermint. Mice that are killed with poison are frequently eaten by wildlife such as owls, hawks, and cats, which poisons them as well. You can visit her at www.backyardchickenproject.com. But the truth is, bats are one of the top natural pest control measures. Marigolds have a strong smell that is disliked by rodents.The lavender flowering plant has purple budlike flowers that emit a fresh scent that people enjoy, but will keep rodents at bay. This can be poured into a spray bottle for easy homemade bug spray. Many websites claim that rats do not like the strong smell of peppermint while other websites claim that peppermint does not affect rats at all. Many people take the freshly picked leaves and rub them between their hands to release the oils, then spread them on exposed skin to ward off bugs. are smart species with strong instincts. The best place for pest repelling plants is wherever their meal of choice happens to be. Marigolds are well known for their pest repellent stink. Related Reading: 9 Natural Ways To Repel Mosquitoes And 4 Methods That Really Don’t Work. Planting marigolds has also been known to deter rabbits and deer from visiting your garden. By planting garlic in the garden, rodents will be kept at bay. Copyright © 2020 Rural Sprout on the Seasoned Pro Theme. Peppermint has a pleasant aroma to most humans. King County; How to Get Rid of Rats; 2011, Grandma's Home Remedies: Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Mice, Ecology Center: Least-Toxic Mice and Rat Control, The Daily Puppy; Herbs to Get Rid of Rats; Jenn Foreacre; 2011, Garden Cincinnati; Better Know A Flower: Marigolds; 2010. They’re poison for the insects, and they’re poison for your family. Lavender. A whiff of peppermint certainly does keep them away. Besides humans, mice are the most common mammal species in cities. Read on to learn more about rat and mouse repellents. Pour this solution into bowls and keep it in places most visited by them.