The rainy season in the tropics means cooler, balmy weather and abundance of food from harvests of crops and vegetables. The environment is a beautiful lush green with bright colorful blooms everywhere.
Some highly fragrant plants perfume the air. The drawback of the rainy months, from around May to October, is when seasonal malaria disease-carrying mosquitoes ravage the populations. In the efforts to combat malaria, various campaigns that were launched, whether as preventive or as treatment measures for infected persons, eventually fail as the parasite that causes malaria develops widespread resistance against anti-malaria moves.
Citronella grass: It is an old favourite, sort of the original for bug repelling, with a powerful lemony scent. Everyone knows it is the most commonly used natural ingredient in many commercial insect repellants and candles are used around outdoor eating and seating areas. Citronella is a great mosquito repellant and it can be planted and used in a similar way as citronella candles, to keep flying insects away.
Marigold : Popular annuals marigold are also found in flower beds, border and container as flowering ornamentals, but their mosquito-repelling ability hasn’t been widely advertised. Many gardeners use them in the vegetable garden as companion plants to deter insects, but as mosquito repellant, marigold is better in areas with fertilised soil that can be exposed to full sunlight at all times.
Catnip : It is a perennial in the mint family. A perennial with quite a reputable history as a herb. One trait that the plant is least known for is its mosquitoes-repelling ability. Nepetactone, the essential oil within the leaves that gives catnip its distinct smell, has been proven to be ten times more effective than DEET at repelling mosquitoes. Plant catnip around your patio garden.
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