Summer is almost here. Although summertime has many wonderful aspects such as warm weather, picnics, and other outdoor activities, it also has mosquitoes. In your endeavors to keep the blood-sucking vermin out of your yard, keep cedar in mind.

Cedar oil for mosquito control

Cedar oil is a great option for repelling mosquitoes. The natural aroma of cedar oil is pleasing to most people but most objectionable to mosquitoes and other pests. An added benefit is that if mosquitoes come into contact with cedar oil, it can kill them, their eggs, and their larvae. It is so damaging to these pests because it pulls the water out of them, neutralizes body fluids, interferes with their respiratory system and their pheromone receptors, which in turn interrupts their behavior.

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Natural oils

Cedar wood contains natural oils with strong aromas that serve to repel insects in general and mosquitoes in particular. It is proven that certain bugs, including mosquitoes, tend to avoid cedar.

Cedar mulch

Many homeowners have enjoyed great success keeping mosquitoes away by the spreading of cedar mulch. When cedar mulch is spread around your garden bed or other areas, you should see a marked reduction in the amount of mosquitoes present. Cedar mulch is resistant to decay, and also adds nutrients to the soil as well as helping with moisture retention.

Over time though, cedar can lose its attractive reddish color while taking on a gray hue which some homeowners find aesthetically unattractive. Nothing to worry about though, as a host of products is available on the market made expressly to re-color your cedar chips. These products can be found at most lawn and garden centers and even come in several attractive colors such as, brown, gold, red, and even black. Mixed with water and applied by spraying directly on to your faded chips, these color rejuvenators are perfect for restoring your color-faded cedar chips to nearly new status. Moreover, the effect lasts nearly a year.

Cedar oil also helps to prevent the next generation of mosquitoes by dissolving their eggs, larvae, and pupae. The oil only needs to come into contact with the pests for it to be effective, the bugs do not have to ingest it. Effective not only on mosquitoes, cedar oil repels ticks and many other insects. It has also been proven an effective treatment against roaches, termites and those cloth-eating moths.

So if you’re looking for a pest control that works, consider incorporating cedar oil or chips as part of your garden and lawn regimen.

To learn more, see our article on where to buy essential oils.