Flies Hate Herbs: Plant This Easy Perennial One To Banish Them

When there's beautiful summer weather outside, the best way to enjoy it is by kicking back on your patio and soaking in the rays with a cold drink in your hand. However, it's all too easy for that moment to get ruined by a swarm of flies. The constant buzzing and swatting are enough to make you retreat back inside. No one wants to spend their weekends spraying sticky chemical bug repellents or setting up ugly traps around their patio to keep the area fly-free. Fortunately, Mother Nature offers a great alternative: catmint (Nepeta).

Catmint is a fragrant perennial herb and part of the mint family. While gardeners love its spikes of lavender-to-blue flowers and silver-colored foliage, flies are luckily repelled by it. Why? Because of nepetalactone, an organic compound found in the stems and leaves of catmint. This potent essential oil is what gives the plant its gentle minty aroma. Although it smells pleasant to humans, it acts as a major irritant to flies' sensory receptors. Studies have even shown that the oils in catmint can be more effective at repelling some insects than DEET. By planting a little catmint around your patio, you can help build an invisible barrier around your space that tells flies to stay away. There's even one catmint variety that can suppress weed growth. Talk about a helpful plant!

Beyond the annoyance factor, keeping flies away from your outdoor dining areas and home entryways is important for hygiene. Houseflies famously land on garbage and animal waste, picking up all kinds of harmful pathogens. When they scoot from the trash can to your barbecue spread or kitchen counter, they bring they're harmful germs with them.

Using natural deterrents like catmint can help minimize this risk without adding other toxins into the spaces where your family and pets play and eat. While no single plant is guaranteed to keep you healthy, adding catmint to your pest-repelling strategy might make a big difference. You can even plant these reliable garden companions near it for a more stylish look.

If you're wondering how to care for catmint plants, know that it's incredibly low-maintenance, making this perfect for both expert and novice gardeners alike. It's drought-tolerant, loves basking in full sun each day, thrives in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 8, and is rarely bothered by any hungry deer passing by. To get the most out of its fly-repelling abilities, put it where the pests bother you the most. Plant a border of catmint around your patio area or even place potted varieties near your doors or on your patio dining table. Whenever you brush past the leaves or when they or their stems get crushed, the plant releases potent oils. And as a bonus? While files will steer clear, you'll be treated to visits from friendly pollinators like bees and butterflies that adore the purple blooms.