Neem oil is one of nature’s greatest natural remedies for a wide array of pests.
The natural Neem oil extract can be used in a wide range of applications, with even solid wastes being a useful pesticidal compost.
Garlic is one way to ward off mosquitoes, but creating a homemade neem oil mosquito repellent also works.
Best of all, Neem oil is safe for use around people and pets and won’t harm beneficial bugs when applied correctly.
In its concentrated form, it can cause skin irritations in some people, so always use it diluted with coconut oil, olive oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil, lavender oil, tea tree oil, lemongrass oil, or another carrier oil.
Neem oil has a strong smell that some people find unpleasant, so you can use other essential oils in the mix for a better fragrance.
But there’s one common summer pest that loves feeding off of people instead of plants.
As a malaria-carrying mosquito isn’t very likely to come in contact with your prized rose bushes, you may be wondering.
How to Use Neem Oil to Repel Mosquitoes?
Surprisingly, Neem oil will easily protect against pests that aren’t interested in plants.
This product is extracted from the Neem tree, commonly called the tree of life. Neem oil has traditionally been used as a natural insecticide to repel harmful insects, including mosquitoes.
You need to get this effective repellent for people who wish to choose a safe and natural mosquito repellent that offers extra protection.
This organic acid has a rancid smell similar to certain aged alcohol products, in addition to a distinctly sharp, sour, bitter taste detested by mosquitoes.
Neem has long been used in several health and beauty products and can provide the same protections for humans as it does for plants when applied properly.
Many essential oils repel mosquitoes, and burning candles containing these scents is an efficient way to keep mosquitoes out of your home.
How Neem Affects Mosquitoes
You’ve likely heard of the main chemical in raw neem oil, the active ingredient Azadirachtin, which is often extracted for use in commercial pesticides.
However, multiple components of neem can affect insects, including the lesser-known Sallanin.
These two chemicals disrupt reproduction, reduce mosquito larvae, interrupt development, and can suffocate on contact.
Mosquitos are biting insects that feed on blood to mate and lay a new generation of eggs in their life cycle.
One way to avoid mosquitoes taking over your space is to avoid stagnant water. Mosquitoes mostly breed in ponds and moist areas surrounding your house.
While you can use insecticides to kill mosquitoes, research indicates that these chemicals contain toxic elements that harm the human body and the environment over time.
Many essential oils repel mosquitoes, and burning candles containing these scents is an efficient way to keep mosquitoes out of your home.
It is easy to find candles in stores or make your own using the essential oils in your fragrance mix.
Mosquitoes are repelled by certain applications of the repellent spray and will suffer a population decline when coming into contact with or ingesting the oil.
Mix the ingredients in a small spray bottle. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator for a cooling mist during the hot summer months.
Related: Learn How Neem Oil Kills Plant Pests
Neem Lawn Spray
Those who’ve heard of or used neem oil before will be quite familiar with its use in foliar sprays.
Apply at dusk or dawn to minimize the risk of harming beneficial insects, and neem foliar sprays use clarified hydrophobic neem oil, which has only .5 to 3% percent Azadirachtin content.
The reason behind the effective performance of lemon eucalyptus oil is the main ingredient, citronella, which constitutes 85% of the mixture.
Homemade sprays dissipate in an hour or less, leaving behind no residue unless additional ingredients, such as insecticidal soap, are used.
You can choose to use pure neem oil when working on larger lawn areas that lack flowers.
Follow the instructions on the container for lawn application, add it to your sprayer, and treat your entire lawn.
This will help keep mosquitoes from your yard. It can also combat fungus and harmful pests such as lawn grubs.
Neem Body Protection
Working in the garden during the warmer months can turn you into a walking meal for mosquitoes.
Thankfully, neem oil can be used as part of your daily protection routine. To achieve optimal results, consider mixing neem oil with coconut oil. Alternatively, you can burn neem leaves to repel mosquitoes.
Be sure to test neem on a small portion of your body before full application. Some individuals may experience skin irritation.
To use, add 10 to 20 teaspoons of 100% percent cold-pressed raw neem oil into your lotion or emulsified water.
Apply this to your skin to provide up to three hours of protection from mosquito bites without dipping into long-term and natural repellents such as Off!
Note that neem oil, while effective, is estimated only to stop about 70% percent of bothersome mosquito bites, although the ones that bite you will ingest some of the neem as a result.
Protecting Flowering Plants
While mosquitoes aren’t interested in your garden, they do look for standing water.
This means there’s a good chance they’ll visit your ornamental plants or vegetable garden on a watering day or after it rains.
A neem soil soak will be largely ineffective, although they may ingest or come in contact with some neem if you use neem cakes as organic compost.
In addition, using neem foliar sprays can catch a resting mosquito off-guard, killing it.
Neem oil used appropriately won’t harm bees, butterflies, squash bugs, powdery mildew, and ladybugs. Pollinators are becoming rare.
However, you should not rely on neem oil alone to keep mosquitoes away from your garden, as their efficacy is greatly reduced against this insect.
Instead, pair a regular neem routine with a variety of mosquito-repelling plants, such as basil or lemongrass.
These plants not only help keep mosquitoes away, but they’re also healthy herbs for use in the kitchen.