Add These Bug-Repelling Plants to Your Kitchen Today
Certain houseplants don't just look good -- they can also help repel common bugs. With the right plants in the right spots, you can protect your home while making it feel fresher and more inviting. If you're looking for a low-maintenance solution to summer pests, these houseplants are a smart place to start.
You may not have considered using houseplants to rid your home of bugs, but some common herbs and other plants can act as natural repellents. As a bonus, these plants add visual charm to your home and some can be used to add flavor to your cooking or cocktails. Below you'll find six houseplants known to deter insects naturally.
Read more: This Houseplant Cleans Air 30 Times Better Than a Typical Plant
For more, see the best plants for cooling the air in your home, find out which plants are easiest to keep alive and peruse our list of the best places to buy plants online.
Best plants to repel bugs
Herbs
Herbs can do double duty as flavor enhancers and bug repellents.
Kay Fochtmann/EyeEm
Potent herbs like basil, mint, sage and rosemary are great for topping spaghetti or making mojitos, but their scent stops insects like house and fruit flies from coming near. Consider lining a sunny kitchen window with a few of your favorite food and drink garnishes. Not only will the bugs stay away, but you'll enjoy the benefits of fresh herbs year-round and without the hefty price tags found in most supermarkets.
Pro tip: Lemongrass contains citronella oil, which is often used in candles and sprays to repel mosquitos.
Marigold
Marigolds give off a potent scent that not all critters enjoy.
Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
The yellow and orange flower is so much more than a pretty accent to an oversized pot or home garden -- it's a gnat- and midge-fighting beast that emits a distinct and powerful odor that sends critters scurrying. Perhaps best of all, marigolds are an easy plant to cultivate within your home since they require little maintenance and grow quickly.
Lavender
Lavender is soothing for us humans, but not so much for certain insects.
nevarpp/Getty Images
Lavender boasts calming properties that help us drift to sleep at night, but it has the opposite effect on insects like moths and beetles. Snip a few purple stems and incorporate them into an elegant flower bouquet to ward off any unwelcome visitors. You can buy live lavander plants on FastGrowingTrees.com and other sites.
Catnip
Alina Bradford/CNET
Your feline friend may experience an immediate sense of euphoria when exposed to catnip, but roaches and mosquitoes have the opposite reaction. According to scientists, the plant contains an active component that triggers the chemical receptor in insects that causes pain and itchiness. Like humans, when insects feel the slightest bit of discomfort, they tend to retreat and not return to the source of suffering. Amazon sells a four-pack of catnip plants for $23.
Chrysanthemums
Try some Chrysanthemum to slow down common kitchen insects.
Corbis
This popular flower is an insect's worst enemy. In fact, a chrysanthemum's hit list is extensive and includes roaches, ants, silverfish, lice, bed bugs and mites. Keep these away from your pets, though, as they can be toxic when ingested.
Carnivorous plants
The Venus flytrap is the most famous bug eliminator in the plant kingdom.
Joel's Carnivorous Plants
Lean into the obvious choice and opt for the endlessly entertaining carnivorous plant. Typically, these hungry wonders, like the Venus flytrap, lure in unsuspecting prey with a scent that mirrors delicious fruits and flowers. Once its hairlike lobes, otherwise known as trichomes, are activated, its leaves snap shut and reopen 10 days after the insect has been completely digested. Of course, you'll need a whole lot of carnivorous plants to tackle swarms, but they make great additions to target the occasional fly or two.
No matter your preference, these plants, flowers and herbs make wonderful (and natural!) additions to a kitchen pest management plan. They also happen to be delicious and/or beautiful. If you're still not convinced, consider other all-natural alternatives like coffee grounds, essential oils, banana peels, white vinegar and onions. Each has also been proven to stave off an infestation if left out on kitchen counters.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
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Furry Travis Kelce and the great men's grooming debate: To wax, shave or leave body hair be?
64% of Americans find back hair on men unattractive. Travis Kelce is a lot of things. He's a three-time Super Bowl champion, a family man, a successful podcaster and a famous boyfriend to superstar Taylor Swift. He's also hairy and not shy about it. Photos from the football player's latest GQ profile featured his bearlike appearance. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was photographed in a Florida swamp driving an ATV, riding in an airboat and cuddling reptiles while wearing couture jackets without shirts, putting his full hairy chest, shoulders and stomach on display. Kelce's back, which did not get captured by the magazine, is also covered in fur, which was revealed when paparazzi pics in May of the 35-year-old sparked headlines, memes and a fresh conversation about male body hair. 'I looked at this [photo] and I'm like, get your back waxed, dude,' comedian Jared Freid shared on an episode of The JTrain Podcast while commenting on trending pop culture conversations. He's one to talk. 'I've been getting waxed once a month for the last 15 years of my life,' Freid tells Yahoo. 'When it comes to grooming, it's a very normal thing.' He's not an anomaly. While not every man talks about it, many trim, shave or wax parts of their body beyond the face. Smooth-chested actors, glossy Calvin Klein models and increasingly groomed beachgoers all hint at the trend. But the grooming conversation still carries stigma, especially when it moves beyond beards and mustaches. The quiet business of men's grooming Whether hair removal is a rare task or a routine, most men are doing it to some capacity. In fact, shaving trends and products are a part of the current boom in the market of men's grooming. The conversation around it, though, can still be touchy. While Gillette ads showing men shaving facial hair have been normalized over the years, examples of hair removal on other parts of the body are seen less often, and mostly as a joke. 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TV personality Derek Zagami says classmates teased his early hair growth in middle school, even stuffing razors in his mailbox. His mom would use Nair on his upper lip and brows, but it wasn't until he was swimming competitively that he started removing hair from other parts of his body. 'Obviously, that makes you faster,' the 31-year-old recalls thinking. Now, he enjoys the look of keeping his chest and leg hair trimmed — and he's noticed that other men feel the same, given the appearance of bare arms, legs and backs at the gym. How are they doing it? Zagami has never been a fan of using shaving cream with a razor, but he's graduated from the hair removal cream to an electric shaver. He usually grooms when he has a specific occasion and focuses on keeping hair short, rather than removing it completely. 'I don't like leg hair as much, so I trim it and clean it up a little bit. Chest hair, I hate because you look like you have more weight on you when you're not trimmed,' he says. On a regular basis, he can get away with grooming just the top part of his chest and even focusing on his arms rather than his underarms. But if he's going topless, it's all got to be taken care of. 'I have to call my boyfriend in to do the back.' Zagami has started considering other alternatives like waxing or even lasering certain parts of his body for more permanent hair removal. Freid is ritualistic when it comes to his full back wax. 'I like doing it and I can't see why any man wouldn't,' he says. Back hair remains the most controversial While methods of hair removal are varied, there's one thing that the men I spoke with agreed on: Back hair is a no-go. Hence, the response to Kelce's patchy back. He's far from the only man to be seen with a hairy back, but he stands out in having it on display when people have made their preferences against it known, especially as somebody in the public eye. While a 2021 YouGov poll found that 64% of Americans find back hair on men unattractive, hairless backs shown across popular media had already confirmed how most feel. So much so that Seth Rogen's furry back became a notable part of a sex scene in the movie Neighbors. Aramouni doesn't see that stigma changing. He shows off his well-maintained chest, arm and leg hair on social media, while a shot of his back will reveal that it's bare. 'Honestly, I don't think I'll ever be able to justify having hair on my back,' he says. Freid says back hair makes him feel dirty, and having it waxed off ultimately helps him to feel more confident. 'I know that it's a better day when I get that done,' he says. The bottom line For as many negative reactions to Kelce's back, there were also positive ones normalizing body hair. Even among subreddits dedicated to male grooming, there remains a balance between men who are unbothered by it and those who feel uncomfortable with it. 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Yahoo
2 hours ago
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Furry Travis Kelce and the great men's grooming debate: To wax, shave or leave body hair be?
64% of Americans find back hair on men unattractive. Travis Kelce is a lot of things. He's a three-time Super Bowl champion, a family man, a successful podcaster and a famous boyfriend to superstar Taylor Swift. He's also hairy and not shy about it. Photos from the football player's latest GQ profile featured his bearlike appearance. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was photographed in a Florida swamp driving an ATV, riding in an airboat and cuddling reptiles while wearing couture jackets without shirts, putting his full hairy chest, shoulders and stomach on display. Kelce's back, which did not get captured by the magazine, is also covered in fur, which was revealed when paparazzi pics in May of the 35-year-old sparked headlines, memes and a fresh conversation about male body hair. 'I looked at this [photo] and I'm like, get your back waxed, dude,' comedian Jared Freid shared on an episode of The JTrain Podcast while commenting on trending pop culture conversations. He's one to talk. 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Take The 40-Year-Old Virgin, for example, where Steve Carell's chest wax was turned into comedy gold. 'That scene is a disservice. It's not that bad,' says Freid, who believes the portrayal of pain and embarrassment has kept men from getting a wax themselves. That doesn't mean that they aren't doing anything about their furry bodies. 'There's still pressure, especially on social media, for men to be hairless,' Patrick Aramouni, a 36-year-old fitness and food influencer, tells Yahoo. 'There's definitely a stigma, mainly because a lot of guys have no idea what they're supposed to do with their body hair.' When he first noticed his own growing at 16 years old, he didn't get any guidance on how to groom it, or if he was even supposed to. Eventually, it was a conversation with a friend that influenced him to do so. 'He insisted that shaving my chest and abs would make me look more ripped ... I gave in,' says Aramouni. 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While a 2021 YouGov poll found that 64% of Americans find back hair on men unattractive, hairless backs shown across popular media had already confirmed how most feel. So much so that Seth Rogen's furry back became a notable part of a sex scene in the movie Neighbors. Aramouni doesn't see that stigma changing. He shows off his well-maintained chest, arm and leg hair on social media, while a shot of his back will reveal that it's bare. 'Honestly, I don't think I'll ever be able to justify having hair on my back,' he says. Freid says back hair makes him feel dirty, and having it waxed off ultimately helps him to feel more confident. 'I know that it's a better day when I get that done,' he says. The bottom line For as many negative reactions to Kelce's back, there were also positive ones normalizing body hair. Even among subreddits dedicated to male grooming, there remains a balance between men who are unbothered by it and those who feel uncomfortable with it. 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Forbes
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Merit And The Beauty Of Minimalism
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Founded by Katherine Power in 2021, Merit Beauty was not born chasing trends, nor is it looking to create buzz with celebrity campaigns or online virality. In alignment with its branding, Merit embodies effortless style, discreet elegance and affordable quality. With that in mind, the brand initially catered to older women. But Merit's founding CMO Aila Morin shares a different reality: 'While Merit was created by Xillenials with that age group in mind, we've always had a multi-generational clientele. We see ourselves as less catered to a specific demographic than to a psychographic – a busy woman who sees beauty as more of a utility, not a hobby.' This shows when analyzing consumer interest: Morin shares that 50% of website visitors are between the ages of 25 and 45, with just as many visitors over 55 as under 25. Appealing to such a wide demographic is quite unique, and might speak to why the brand resonates: an intentional focus on effortless and efficacious beauty, which is something many women look for regardless of their age. Merit's limited range, which represents complete beauty routine, brings a breath of fresh air to an industry that is highly overwhelming and often confusing to buyers. By providing a curated selection of daily essentials, it makes it easier and faster for women to get ready for any occasion and feel special when doing so. The brand's positioning is very clear, with Morin explaining: 'We're not a 50-shade palette brand, but we are their everyday essentials, and have established cross-category credibility – so we can be a one-stop shop, from skin prep to makeup, to fragrance and even the bag they walk out the door with.' 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Customer feedback, beauty editor reviews and awards are unanimous, showing there is still space after all to leave a mark in the beauty market. Merit's success might very well suggest that in an industry highly obsessed with chasing trends and viral moments, there is a lasting advantage in giving consumers simplicity, through products of high quality, reasonable priced and intentionally brought to life. Its selective launches, attractive collaborations, and clear brand ethos have built not just a loyal customer base, but a brand identity that feels timeless, elegant, and approachable. When asked how to stay relevant in one of the most competitive and saturated industries, Aila Morin's answer echoes what the brand stands for: 'Our North Star is simple makeup and skincare that makes you look like you – and regardless of trends, we believe that for our client, that's inherently timeless.'
