Shannen Leahy
Laboratory Technician II
Nothing ruins the peaceful retreat of your garden quite like a swarm of mosquitoes. In Southwest Florida, where the warm, humid climate supports a wide variety of plant choices for home gardeners, your landscaping decisions can play a major role in determining which insects you attract. With thoughtful planning, your yard can attract beneficial pollinators, like native bees and butterflies, while discouraging mosquitoes. The key lies in understanding how plant selection, water management, and garden design influence the backyard ecosystem you create.
Plant Power: Fact or Fiction
Would simply incorporating specific plants in the home garden effectively repel mosquitoes? While big box retailers suggest that plants such as citronella, lavender, lemongrass, and rosemary will deter mosquitoes from your home garden, the answer, unfortunately, is not a definitive yes.
Historically, these aromatic plants have been used for thousands of years to deter mosquitoes. Ancient man bruised and hung these plants by home entrances or burned them to release the key essential oils (Maia and Moore, 2011). These essential oils interact with a female mosquito’s olfactory receptors, or “sense of smell”, and prevent her from being able to recognize her host easily (Kalita et al, 2013).
Dozens of plant compounds have been shown to repel mosquitoes. But here’s the catch: the plants themselves don’t constantly give off those helpful oils. You must crush or burn or concentrate them to get the effect. Merely planting swaths of these herbs and shrubs in your garden won’t do much to protect you from mosquitoes. In fact, one study found that mosquitoes landed on people surrounded by these plants more often than those without them (Cilek and Schreiber, 1994). So, while the idea of using plants to ward off mosquitoes sounds great, it only really works if you actively release and concentrate their oils, not just by having them grow nearby.
Home gardeners may also look at incorporating carnivorous plants as a tool to combat mosquito populations. Carnivorous plants like Venus flytraps and sundews often utilize a sticky, sweet nectar to lure insects into their reach; however, this bait is not specific to mosquitoes. While they may occasionally catch mosquitoes, these plants will have a minimal effect on the overall mosquito population in the backyard garden. Additionally, aquatic carnivorous plants that are effective at controlling mosquito larvae, like the bladderwort, require a bog environment to thrive, which also provides a haven for mosquitoes (Mohanty et al, 2024). So, unless you’re ready to maintain a backyard bog (and the mosquito issues that come with it), these plants probably aren’t a practical solution either.
Mosquito Havens
Ultimately, the best method for any home gardener to combat mosquitoes is to eliminate standing water as much as possible in their backyard. Female mosquitoes can utilize a water source as minimal as a bottle cap to lay their eggs; so, reducing the available habitats for larvae to thrive is crucial.
Unfortunately, some of the most popular plants used in Florida landscaping can also provide the perfect habitat for our mosquito species. Any plant that can hold standing water can serve as a potential breeding ground. Bromeliads are relatively easy to care for, given our humid, subtropical climate; however, the center of some exotic species of bromeliad can hold enough water for larval mosquitoes to survive. And some of these harbor disease-carrying mosquito species (Wilke et al, 2018; Watkins et al, 2021).The hollow center of many tropical bamboo plants can also serve as a mosquito reservoir, as well as the large leaves of plants like the canna lily or taro that can collect water during heavy rains (Singh et al, 2020; Pratt, 1948).
If these happen to be some of your favorite garden plants, don’t worry. You can still enjoy these plants and keep the mosquitoes at bay. The key is regular maintenance. Be sure to flush out standing water from these plants every five days to break the mosquito life cycle. You can also treat the water safely with a product containing Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis or Bti for short. This is a naturally occurring soil bacterium that specifically targets mosquito larvae without harming pets, people, or beneficial insects. Another smart option is to choose varieties of these plants that still share the striking bromeliad look, with a reduced or absent central reservoir for water, such as species of Cryptanthus or Tillandsia (Romero-Weaver et al, 2021).
Beyond plant care, home gardeners should always look to eliminate any sources of standing water, like unused pots, plant saucers or dishes, neglected pools, clogged gutters, and any other containers that can hold water. Removing debris and general de-cluttering of your yard not only keeps your yard looking clean, but also helps to reduce any mosquito breeding habitats and resting areas.
Stock your Ponds with Mosquitofish
Another great way to reduce mosquitoes in your yard is by stocking your ornamental ponds or other permanent water features with mosquitofish. These small, native fish are a proven form of biological control, known for their ability to devour large numbers of mosquito larvae (Walton, 2007) and even discourage adult mosquitoes from laying eggs in the water (Ritchie et al, 1994; Shteindel et al, 2014). Mosquitofish are naturally found in Southwest Florida and are an important part of the District’s integrated mosquito management strategy. Residents interested in adding mosquitofish to their property can learn more and request them for free by visiting our website: https://cmcd.org/science/mosquitofish/.
Beauty with Benefits
While many gardeners choose plants that can attract mosquitoes based on their ease of care, like Bromeliads, opting for Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM also offers a low-maintenance, environmentally-friendly option with the added benefit of attracting native pollinators and other beneficial wildlife.
One of the most effective ways to manage mosquitoes is by layering multiple strategies, a method known as integrated mosquito management. Planting native plant species can be a helpful role in this approach. These plants attract natural mosquito predators such as birds, bats, and dragonflies. Dragonflies, for example, thrive near ponds or other wet areas with native aquatic plants. Birds are drawn to native trees and shrubs that provide food and shelter, while bats benefit from night-blooming flowers, water sources, and native vegetation that supports moths (a primary food source), as well as structures like native trees and bat houses. By incorporating native plants into your yard, you’re not only enhancing your outdoor space but also helping create a habitat that supports conservation of CMCD’s natural allies.
It’s important to remember that no single method will eliminate mosquitoes completely, and attracting helpful wildlife is just one piece of a broader strategy. Still, it’s a meaningful step toward making your yard healthier and more enjoyable.
For more information on how you can have a healthy and beautiful landscape that protects Florida’s natural resources using Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM, please visit: https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/ffl-and-you/landscape-design/designing-florida-friendly/
Reimagine Your Florida Garden
Living in Florida means enjoying lush landscapes and vibrant wildlife, but it also means dealing with pests like mosquitoes. Fortunately, the way you design and maintain your garden can make all the difference. By choosing Florida-friendly plants, eliminating standing water, and avoiding plants that create mosquito havens, you can take control of your outdoor space.
Reclaim your garden as a space of comfort, sustainability, and purpose, one that works with Florida’s unique environment, not against it.
Want to learn more about how to keep mosquitoes out of your backyard? Check out the Mosquito Control in Your Community Webinar by UF/IFAS on August 12th from 6:30-7:30 PM.
References
Chandler S. 2013. Mosquitoes and Plants. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Blog. https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/leonco/2013/06/17/649/
Cilek JE, Schreiber ET. 1994. Failure of the “mosquito plant”, Pelargonium x citrosum ‘van Leenii’, to repel adult Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus in Florida. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 10: 473-476.
Kalita B, Bora S, Sharma A. 2013. Plant essential oils as mosquito repellent – a review. International Journal of Research and Development in Pharmacy and Life Sciences. 3: 741-747.
Maia MF, Moore SJ. 2011. Plant-based insect repellents: a review of their efficacy, development and testing. Malar Jl. 10: S11.
Mohanty A, Govekar A, Souza C, Mohapatra A, Janarthanam M, Vukanti R, Montemarano J, Nina P. 2024. Evaluating the carnivorous efficacy of Utricularia aurea (Lamiales: Lentibulariaceae) on the larval stages of Anopheles stephensi, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). J Med Entomol. 61: 719-725.
Pratt, HD. 1948. Relation of plants to malaria control in Puerto Rico (Vol. 200). US Government Printing Office.
Ritchie SA, Laidlaw-Ball C. 1994. Do fish repel oviposition by Aedes taeniorhynchus? J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 10: 380-384.
Romero-Weaver A, Lounibos P, Buckner E. 2021. Mosquitoes and Bromeliads. EDIS 2021(6)
Shteindel N, Gerchman Y, Silberbush A. 2024. Fish microbiota repel ovipositing mosquitoes. J Animal Ecology. 93: 599-605.
Singh B, Baruah C, Saikia D, Gurung J. 2020. Species composition of mosquito breeding in bamboo stumps in Sikkim, India. Journal of Vector Borne Diseases. 57: 96-100.
Walton WE. (2007). Larvivorous fish including Gambusia. J Florida Mosq Control Assoc. 23: 184–220.
Watkins A, Babcock E, Lucas KJ. 2021. Ornamental bromeliads of local Botanical Gardens serve as larval production sites for pyrethroid-resistant Culex quinquefasciatus in Collier County, Florida. J Florida Mosq Control Assoc. 68: 14-23.
Wilke ABB, Vasquez C, Mauriello PJ, Beier JC. 2018. Ornamental bromeliads of Miami-Dade County, Florida are important breeding sites for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). Parasit Vectors. 11: 283.
Shannen Leahy is a Research Laboratory Technician at Collier Mosquito Control District with a background in entomology, agriculture, and microbiology. She has her bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in zoology. She applies her knowledge of the surveillance of invasive species and integrated pest management to support innovative, research-driven approaches to mosquito control.
