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A natural way to keep your outdoor spaces spider free.

The sun is shining, the smell of fresh flowers fill the air, birds are chirping and calling you outside. You grab your favorite book and an ice cold beverage and head out the door for some peace and quiet. You sit down on your beautiful lounge chair and open your book. But before you even get to your next page, you see that spider crawling way too close to your foot! Yikes! Nothing can ruin your time outdoors quite like the paranoia of creepy crawlers lurking around you. 

Instead of ruining your beautiful patio cushions (and plants) by spraying them with harsh chemical repellents, there are natural ways we can keep pests away from our yards, while benefitting ourselves in the process.  By adding fresh herbs to our yards, or planting beautiful vegetation and flowers, we can both spruce up our lawns and ward off bugs and worms.  Below is a list of plants you can place around your yard and patio to prevent insects from invading your space:

• Basil: will repel mosquitoes and flies (make sure to place in an area that gets lots of sunlight; water often).
• Marigolds: deters mosquitoes 
• Lavender: plant to rid your yard of moths, flies, fleas, and mosquitoes
• Lemongrass: an enemy to the mosquito because it contains citronella; plant in a space that receives lots of sunshine
• Mint: a good plant for warding off all types of bugs, especially spiders (make sure to plant your mint in pots as it is a rapid growing plant and will be hard to maintain once planted into the ground/garden)
• Bay leaves: prevents flies
• Fennel: repels slugs and snails
• Thyme: fend off a variety of garden worms
• Parsley and chives: deter beetles
• Chrysanthemums: keeps roaches and spider mites at bay
• Rosemary: helps protect your vegetables/garden  from crawling predators
• Cilantro: prevents spider mites
• Garlic: can help control your ant population

*For an easy way to secure your perimeter and keeps plants in the sun, plant all these herbs and flowers in hanging baskets/boxes or small garden boxes so you can move them about your lawn based on sun and pest  locations. 

Not wanting to dig up your yard or keep up with the maintenance of planting? Is your space too small for a variety of plants? No worries! There are also essential oils you can use to keep your outdoor space insect free!  The oils can be sprayed around any surface that you wish to keep bug-free. Simply mix 1 ounces of white vinegar, 3 ounces of water, and 2 or 3 drops of essentials oil to a spray bottle. Shake well before use! Below is a list of pests and the oils used to repel them:

Peppermint: most insects but especially spiders

• Spearmint: caterpillars, gnats, and spiders
• Black pepper: ants
• Thyme: beetles and ticks
• Lemongrass: Fleas, ticks, mosquitos
• Tea Tree: flies
• Eucalyptus: gnats, moths, and spiders
• Cedar wood: moths, slugs, and snails
• Pine: slugs and snails
• Lavender: chiggers, fleas, flies, mosquitos, and ticks

*Make sure to use proper  hand washing precaution before and after dealing with these products