Enjoying some fun in the sun shouldn’t mean having to swat away buzzing bees and whizzing wasps. Enhance your landscape and home with six plants that will help keep these pesky insects at bay.

Marigolds

The marigold produces attractive blooms in bold yellow, orange, red, white, and variegated versions, but its scent is anything but attractive to wasps. An added benefit of this colorful and hardy plant is that it requires little maintenance.

Geraniums

The geranium is effective at repelling bees since it has an aroma that they find unpleasant. These flowers enjoy 4 to 6 hours of sun daily.

Citronella

You may be familiar with citronella used as a mosquito deterrent, but its scent is off-putting to bees and wasps, too. Pot this perennial and strategically station it around your next outdoor gathering to ward off pollinating party crashers.

Citronella can grow inside or out and should receive a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight, either by window or outdoors. Always make sure the soil drains well.

Basil

Yes, basil. This aromatic herb found in so many tasty recipes isn’t so fragrant to bees and wasps. Basil needs 6 to 8 hours of full sun daily. Create a basil barricade using well-placed pots. Keep the soil moist, but well-drained.

Mint

The distinctly fresh scent of mint can ward off bees and wasps. If you plan to add this plant to your garden make sure you monitor it closely since it grows very quickly and may dominate your planting bed.

Pennyroyal

Similar to mint in its scent, pennyroyal is great at keeping bees and wasps at bay. It ranges between 6 to 12 inches in height and makes for a great container plant. Although pennyroyal is easy to grow make sure you water it regularly to keep it from drying out.

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