I read somewhere that mint will keep flies away from an area. Does anyone have experience with this? We have small flies/gnats that congregate at our front door and get into the house. I'm looking for a plant to put in a pot there that might help. Found some ground cover mint that requires afternoon shade, but it is such a small pot right now, I have no idea if it will help yet. The area gets morning sun, then bright light for most of the day.
Does mint deter flies?
We have lots of wild mint growing along our streams & rivers,and the biting bugs are just as fierce near these mint patches as away from them.
i've heard it helps deter skeeters but doesn't seem to around here .
You might have more luck with scented geraniums. I've had phenomenal luck getting them to grow. I was afraid it would be too wet and hot here, but I now have 6 or 7 where I'd planted 3! I've HEARD bugs don't like them.
I can't grow scented geraniums through the summer here. The hot humid weather, always gives them this weird yellow fungus in the dirt, and most of mine do well during the fall/winter/spring but are dead after the summer months. I've finally given them up after years of trying. they are quite beautiful .
Hmmm...well, perhaps I should try those. We had peppermint geraniums by the door of our old house and every time the screen door pushed back on the plant there was a whiff of peppermint, which was nice.
I'm really enchanted with mine -- though I'll probably let them get out of hand. Oh, well -- beats letting the aphids get out of hand!
Our peppermint threatened to eat the house a couple of times, it's true. Cutting it back worked, though.
The folklore with basil states that basil was hung in Italian households to deter flies. One day, someone was cooking with tomatoes and in dropped some basil, the rest is marinara history!
I'm going to try the plastic bag filled with water trick for now and see if it works.
I'd love to have basil out there, but I don't think there's enough sun.
plastic bag thingy doesn't work LOL been there done that, what's suppose to make that bag filled with water work anyways? I never could figure that out.
neat story betty
I think it was supposed to be seeing their reflection in the bag. The image would be larger and frighten them away? Some people have said it worked for them.
Yes, forgot to say I liked the marinara story. Wouldn't surprise me if it was true. :-)
the water in the bag trick works for us, my daughter worked in a convenience store and a customer told her to try it near the front door and it worked .
I learned today that Pelargonium citrosum http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54668/ is one of the plants that repels mosquitoes - don't know if it will work for flies, but it's worth a try.
Another theory is that most scented geraniums will work - don't know about that.
KaperC, in giving companion planting a shot I stuck a little basil between two tomatoes and behind a monarda. The 'maters and monarda are close to 3' tall now, and completely surround the basil, but it is thriving. Give it a shot!