List of pest-repelling plants

This list of pest-repelling plants includes plants used for their ability to repel insects, nematodes, and other pests. They have been used in companion planting as pest control in agricultural and garden situations, and in households.

Certain plants have shown effectiveness as topical repellents for haematophagous insects, such as the use of lemon eucalyptus in PMD, but incomplete research and misunderstood applications can produce variable results.^[1]

The essential oils of many plants are also well known for their pest-repellent properties. Oils from the families Lamiaceae (mints), Poaceae (true grasses), and Pinaceae (pines) are common haematophagous insect repellents worldwide.^[1]

Table of pest-repelling plants

Plants that can be planted or used fresh to repel pests include:

Plant	Image	Pests
Artemisias		repels insects,[2] including ants, cabbage looper, cabbage maggot, carrot fly, codling moth, flea beetles, whiteflies, the Cabbage White, and the Small White, as well as mice[3]
Basil		repels flies, including mosquitoes[2][4] the carrot fly, asparagus beetles and whiteflies[3]
Borage		repels tomato hornworm and cabbage worms[2]
Castor bean		repels moles[3]
Catnip		repels ants, flea beetles, aphids, the Japanese beetle, squash bugs, weevils,[2] the Colorado potato beetle, the cabbage looper,[3] and cockroaches.[4] May attract cats.
Chamomile		repels flying insects[4]
Chives		repels carrot fly, Japanese beetle,[2] and aphids[3]
Chrysanthemums		repel roaches, ants, the Japanese beetle, ticks, silverfish, lice, fleas, bedbugs, and root-knot nematodes[2]
Citronella grass		repels insects, may deter cats[5]
Citrosa		proven not to repel mosquitoes[6]
Clovers		repel aphids and wireworms[3]
Common lantana		repels mosquitoes[1]
Coriander		repels aphids, Colorado potato beetle, and spider mites[3]
Cosmos		repel the corn earworm
Crown imperial		repel rabbits, mice, moles, voles and ground squirrels[7]
Dahlias		repel nematodes[2]
Dill		repels aphids, squash bugs, spider mites,[2] the cabbage looper, and the Small White[3]
Epazote		repels spider mites,[8] thrips, aphids, and whitefly[9]
Eucalyptus		repels aphids, the cabbage looper, and the Colorado potato beetle[3]
Fennel		repels aphids, slugs, and snails[3]
Fever tea		repels mosquitoes[1]
Four o'clocks		attract and poison the Japanese beetle[2]
French marigold		repels whiteflies, kills nematodes[2]
Garlic		repels root maggots,[2] cabbage looper, Mexican bean beetle, and peach tree borer.
Geranium		repel leafhoppers, the corn earworm, and the Small White[3]
Hyssop		repels the cabbage looper and the Small White[3]
Larkspurs		repel aphids[3]
Lavender		repels moths, scorpions, water scorpions, fleas, and flies, including mosquitoes[4]
Leek		repels carrot fly[3]
Lemongrass		repels mosquitoes[10]
Lemon balm		repels mosquitoes[4]
Lemon thyme		repels mosquitoes[4]
Lettuce		repels carrot fly[3]
Lime basil		repels mosquitoes[1]
Mexican marigold		repels insects and rabbits[2]
Myrrh		repels insects[5]
Narcissus		repel moles[3]
Nasturtiums		repel squash bugs,[2] aphids (though there is conflicting information with some sources stating it attracts aphids),[11] many beetles, and the cabbage looper[3]
Onion		repels rabbits, the cabbage looper, and the Small White[3]
Oregano		repellent to many pests[3]
Parsley		repels asparagus beetles[3]
Peppermint		repels aphids, cabbage looper, flea beetles, squash bugs, whiteflies, and the Small White[3]
Petunias		repel aphids, tomato hornworm, asparagus beetles, leafhoppers,[2] and squash bugs[3]
Pitcher plants		traps and ingests insects
Radish		repels cabbage maggot and cucumber beetles[3]
Rosemary		repels cabbage looper, carrot fly, cockroaches and mosquitoes,[12] slugs, snails, as well as the Mexican bean beetle[3]
Russian sage		repels wasps
Rue		repels cucumber and flea beetles
Sarracenia pitcher plants		are especially proficient at trapping yellowjacket wasps
Spearmint		repels fleas, moths, ants, beetles, rodents,[4] aphids, squash bugs, and the cabbage looper[3]
Spiny amaranth		repels cutworms
Stone root		repels mosquitoes[5]
Summer savory		repels bean beetles[3]
Tansy		repels ants, many beetles and flies, squash bugs, cutworms, Small White, and Cabbage White[3]
Thyme		repels cabbage looper, cabbage maggot, corn earworm, whiteflies, tomato hornworm, and Small White
Tobacco		repels carrot fly, flea beetles and worms.[3]
Tomato		repels asparagus beetles[3]
Venus flytrap		ingests insects[4]

References

1. Maia MF, Moore SJ (March 2011). "Plant-based insect repellents: a review of their efficacy, development and testing". Malaria Journal. 10 (Suppl 1): S11. doi:10.1186/1475-2875-10-S1-S11. PMC 3059459. PMID 21411012.
2. Hummel, K. Use plants for pest control. Archived 2015-02-14 at the Wayback Machine Coles County Yard and Garden. University of Illinois Extension.
3. "Companion Planting" (PDF). Cornell Cooperative Extension. Chemung County. May 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2014.
4. Clarke, C. Indoor pest-repellent plants. SFGate: San Francisco Chronicle.
5. Plants help keep mosquitoes away. Colorado State University & Denver County Extension Master Gardener. 2010.
6. "Mosquito Plant, Pelargonium Citrosum - The Citrosa Plant". 2015-06-08. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
7. Diana Beresford-Kroeger (2004). A Garden for Life: The Natural Approach to Designing, Planting, and Maintaining a North Temperate Garden. University of Michigan Press. p. 171. ISBN 9780472030125.
8. Chiasson, H.; Bostanian, N. J.; Vincent, C. (August 2004). "Acaricidal properties of a Chenopodium-based botanical". Journal of Economic Entomology. 97 (4): 1373–1377. doi:10.1093/jee/97.4.1373. ISSN 0022-0493. PMID 15384350.
9. Chiasson, H.; Vincent, C.; Bostanian, N. J. (August 2004). "Insecticidal properties of a Chenopodium-based botanical". Journal of Economic Entomology. 97 (4): 1378–1383. doi:10.1093/jee/97.4.1378. ISSN 0022-0493. PMID 15384351.
10. "12 plants that repel unwanted insects". 2014-10-02. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
11. "Managing Pests in Gardens: Floriculture: Nasturtium—UC IPM".
12. "5 Herbs That Keep Bugs Away". YouTube. 2017-07-08. Retrieved 2018-08-04.^{[dead YouTube link]}