Citrosa – Use as Mosquito Repellent
Q: Is the citrosa plant effective against mosquitoes? Is it an annual or a perennial?
A: The citrosa is actually a scented geranium. Many plant oils are somewhat repellent to insects – lemon balm actually contains more citronellal oil than the citrosa does.
If you rub the plant leaves on your skin, insects will be kept away for a short time. One experimenter estimated plant oils to be 40 – 60 percent as effective as DEET (click for sources)
Personally, I use a different repellent: picaridin (click for sources)
If you depend on the citrosa plant to keep mosquitoes away from your patio, you’ll be disappointed.
On the other hand, a pedestal-mounted oscillating fan works very well in my experience.
The citrosa is grown as an annual in Atlanta. It may be perennial in places where frost is rare.
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