What Kinds of Plants Eat Mosquitoes?

Who doesn’t love cookouts and outdoor gatherings? Fun in the setting sun, like BBQs and parties with family and friends in the backyard! But that also means you’ll have uninvited guests: mosquitoes.

You would be hard-pressed to find anyone on the planet who actually likes these annoying buzzing insects. Therefore, you’ll probably be pleased to hear that there are some plants that do actually like them — and find them quite tasty, too.

So, what kinds of plants eat mosquitoes? Can you plant an armada of green garden friends to help you naturally control your mosquito problems? In this article, we’ll go over the relationship between mosquitoes and various plants.


What Kinds of Plants Eat Mosquitoes?

Plants that eat insects, like the notorious Venus Flytrap, pitcher plants, and common bladderworts, attract their prey by tempting them with things that they like, such as sweet nectars.

The problem with mosquitoes, though, is that it’s only the males that will be tempted by this bait.

The female mosquitoes that suck on your blood definitely won’t be interested in sipping on a plant’s sweet nectar when your arms and ankles are exposed at sunset ripe for biting.

The female mosquitoes that suck on your blood definitely won’t be interested in sipping on a plant’s sweet nectar when your arms and ankles are exposed at sunset ripe for biting.

And if you have a garden and are considering planting some Venus fly traps, then you should also know that any pollinators you attract, such as bees and butterflies will also be gobbled up by this indiscriminate plant.

Venus fly traps prefer a more nutritious meal than what a common mosquito can offer it.

If you have a garden and are considering planting some Venus fly traps, then you should know that any pollinators you attract like bees and butterflies will also be gobbled up by this indiscriminate plant.

So, this means you’ll also lose these vital pollinators in bigger numbers than you would mosquitoes. The same kind of scenario goes for pitcher plants, which again attract their prey by tempting them with sweet nectar.

This means that you may have some male mosquitoes falling for the temptation of a pitcher plant’s nectar. However, this still won’t get rid of the females wanting to bite you.

In addition, larger varieties of pitcher plants have the ability to attract small animals, which can destabilize your garden’s ecosystem, and even put smaller pets like rodents in danger!

Meanwhile, some female mosquitoes are smart and have adapted to pitcher plants so well that they will lay their eggs inside of them. The eggs and larvae have become immune to the digestive enzymes of the pitcher plant, but will feed on anything that does fall into the bulb to be digested.

And if you were thinking of using common bladderwort to eat mosquitoes, this can also cause more problems than you might think. That’s because this free-floating aquatic plant doesn’t put down roots, and only lives in bogs, swamps, and other places with standing water (maybe use it against water bugs instead)

Female mosquitoes love standing water! It gives them the optimal breeding ground to lay their eggs and produce more female mosquitoes that will feed on your ankles.

Doesn’t it make you itchy even thinking about it?

So, although the common bladderwort will work to eat some of them, the surrounding conditions will produce far more mosquitoes than the plant will be able to consume.

There is one more plant that may kill mosquitoes worth discussing, the marigold. We’ll discuss that below.


What Kind of Plants Repel Mosquitoes?

So those common bug eating plants like Venus fly traps, bladderworts, and pitcher plants won’t be able to manage a mosquito population. Instead, could you choose plants that repel mosquitoes?

Well, luckily, we’ve found some wonderful herbal plants that you can use in your garden that will repel mosquitoes with their pleasant scent alone.

So, let’s take a closer look at them now…

1. Lavender

You may already have this sweet-smelling herb in your garden, but may now want to go out to the garden center and purchase some more! The beautifully pungent purple flowers of the lavender plant not only repel mosquitoes, but they even keep fleas, flies, spiders, and moths away.

Lavender also attracts pollinators like butterflies and bees, all the while repelling the creepy crawlies that you don’t want around. Even better, lavender is completely nontoxic to pets and is drought-resistant. The plant will grow just about anywhere with adequate light.

Plus, the scent of lavender is well known for helping to calm the body’s nervous system, as well as lower blood pressure, elevate your mood, and decrease feelings of anxiety and depression, which is something that’s very needed with the stress of everything happening today.

The scent of lavender is well known for helping to calm the body’s nervous system, as well as lower blood pressure, elevate your mood, and decrease feelings of anxiety and depression.

2. Marigold

Another beautiful plant that will help to attract pollinators to your garden, while at the same time repelling mosquitoes, is the marigold. It contains a naturally occurring chemical called pyrethrum that acts as a pesticide.

And marigolds not only repel mosquitoes — they can kill them too. This makes this plant a natural form of pest control that’s also beautiful.

And marigolds not only repel mosquitoes — they can kill them too.

The bright orange and yellow flowers of the marigold make it an ideal plant for your flower beds and edging your vegetable garden. The marigold’s strong scent creates a ‘wall’ of fragrance that the mosquitoes don’t like. Plus, you can add its light citrus flavored petals to your salads and soups, which makes it even more versatile.

3. Citronella Grass

Although you can’t eat it like marigold, citronella grass is one of the most common plants people think of when considering a natural way to combat mosquitoes.

Citronella grass is very effective at repelling mosquitos, especially when its oils are extracted. And as it’s a perennial plant, it will grow back year after year.

If you have pets, though, you should consider planting your citronella grass in a planter, away from where they could possibly get to it.

That’s because citronella can be quite toxic to your furry friends if they happen to consume it by accident.

4. Basil

Although it’s not a mosquito repeller by design, basil is a fragrant herb that is able to mask the carbon dioxide that you exhale. That’s how the female mosquitoes find you, with their own smell.

Plus, if you have lots of basil growing in your garden, or even on your windowsill, you’ll be able to enjoy this delicious flavor in your food.

Who doesn’t love pesto?!

There are many types of basil that work by releasing their essential oils into the air to create the pungency that mosquitoes dislike. Lemon basil and cinnamon basil varieties tend to work the best at keeping mosquitoes at bay.

Lemon basil and cinnamon basil varieties tend to work the best at keeping mosquitoes at bay.


Preventing Mosquitoes

Something else that you may need to consider if you have a problem with mosquitoes is plants that you already have around the garden which may be what is attracting them in the first place.

As mentioned before, mosquitoes love to hang around anywhere where there’s standing water, and the containers of the following plants can provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes:

  • Bamboo
  • Money Plant
  • Papyrus
  • Taro
  • Waterlilies
  • Water Hyacinths
  • Water Lettuce

So, if you have any of these plants around your home, keep an eye out to make sure that your plant hasn’t become a haven for mosquito eggs and larvae.

And of course, you’ll have the most success keeping mosquitoes away by going around your yard every time it rains and dumping out any little bits of standing water you find. Mosquitoes can breed in a very small amount of water, so any little bit makes a bit of difference.

you’ll have the most success keeping mosquitoes away by going around your yard every time it rains and dumping out any little bits of standing water you find.


Final Buzz

In this article, we’ve discussed what kinds of plants eat mosquitoes, as well as the plants that you can use to repel them. Repelling mosquitoes with plants is a better option for most folks.

Yes, mosquitoes can be a real pain to deal with. But you should be able to spend time in your garden and home while letting plants do the work of repelling them for you.

So, get down to the garden center, and enjoy the rest of your outdoor time without the annoying buzz bothering you.