Repelling Herbs

Santolina

• Santolina is also known as cotton lavender and gray santolina. Santolina is useful as a repellent because it repels every type of insect, according to the Denver Plants website. Branches and stems from the plant repel common household insects such as moths. Hang a branch in the closet or add it to a sachet.

Pyrethrum

• Pyrethrum, a member of the chrysanthemum family, is also known as dalmatian chrysanthemum and dalmatian pellitory. People have used pyrethrum for centuries as a natural insect repellent. Growing pyrethrum along the walkways will repel moths, mosquitoes, flies, ants, cockroaches and mice.

Mint

• Mint includes peppermint and spearmint. Mint repels a wide range of insects such as mosquitoes, gnats, aphids, flies, fleas, ants, chiggers, cabbage lopers and squash bugs. In the garden, mint will protect roses if it is planted nearby. Mint will also repel mice and rats. Use mint inside the home by scattering the leaves or adding it to a sachet. Rubbing mint on clothes will protect hikers from ticks latching on to clothing, according to the Repel All website.

Rue

• The scent of rue is effective for repelling cats in the garden. Also known as herb of grace and herbygrass, rue will repel Japanese beetles and fleas. For indoor use, add rue to insect-repellent sachets.

Garlic and Marigold

• Garlic and marigold will repel rabbits. Garlic will also repel garden insects such as cabbage lopers, aphids, peach borers and Japanese beetles, along with slugs and snails. Planted in the garden, marigold will repel corn earworms, cucumber beetles and Mexican bean beetles.

Additional Repelling Herbs

• Additional herbs that repel a wide range of insects include catnip, lavender and wormwood.

  Catnip will repel the Colorado potato bug, aphids, cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles, squash bugs and mosquitoes. Use dried lavender flowers indoors in sachets as a moth repellent. The herb also repels silverfish, mosquitoes, gnats and flies. Wormwood is also known as green ginger and absinthe wormwood. Dried wormwood leaves repel slugs, flies, ants, beetles, cabbage maggots, white flies and moths.