“ARE you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.” These are the first two lines of the old song, Scarborough Fair, popularized by Simon and Garfunkel. I’ve been singing this song since high school not knowing that the words in the second line are herbs. They are not just herbs, they are natural insect repellents too.
Natural insect repellents are Mother Earth’s answer to chemical-based insecticides and pesticides. These chemicals are linked to health problems and loss of friendly insects like bees and even birds. So my dear plantitos and plantitas, you may want to grow these herbs instead of ornamental plants. They are not just for aesthetics, they are food and insect repellents, too. Here’s a list from the article “16 Plants That Repel Unwanted Insects,” published in the website Treehugger.
First in the list is lemongrass, known locally as "tanglad." This grass is not only used for cooking, like my favorite pinaupong manok, it is also a natural mosquito repellent. Citronella is a natural oil found in lemongrass, and citronella candles keep mosquitoes away. By the way, lemongrass is also used for making a healthy tea.
Next is Rosemary. This plant has a very strong aroma. It repels mosquitoes and a variety of insects harmful to vegetable plants. You can make a simple repellent spray by boiling one quart of dried rosemary in a quart of water for 20 to 30 minutes and then straining the liquid into a container at least a half-gallon in size that contains a quart of cool water.
Another is Basil. It’s not only great on your spaghetti, it also repels house flies and mosquitoes. To make an insect repellent spray, pour four ounces of boiling water into a container holding four to six ounces of clean, fresh basil leaves (stems can be attached), letting the leaves steep for several hours, removing the leaves and squeezing all of the leaves' moisture into the mixture. Then, thoroughly mix four ounces of vodka with the basil-water mixture. Store in the refrigerator and apply as a spray when going outdoors.
Mint, used as food and tea, also repels mosquitoes. Mint is best grown in pots rather than the ground because it spreads aggressively. The plant's aromatic oils can be extracted and combined with apple cider vinegar and cheap vodka to make a mosquito repellent. Containers of mint strategically placed in the garden or on the patio will help keep nearby plants insect-free.
Oregano, a herbal medicine and food additive, is also used as an effective pest control. Essential oil derived from Oregano plants contains thymol and carvacol (these two compounds are found in thyme as well and are repulsive to insects), which make it effective pest control against houseflies and moths along with mosquitoes.
Parsley repels asparagus beetles. It is also used a herbal medicine. Sage can be used to make a bug repellant spray. Thyme repels whiteflies, cabbage loopers, cabbage maggots, corn earworms, whiteflies, tomato hornworms and small whites.