Summer is a joy for the vast majority of Swedes, but for many there is also an annoying nuisance – the mosquitoes. This year, a lot of tips are also being spread about how to get rid of the pain and they shift from various housewife tips to gadgets of various kinds.
One of the more common tips is to grow plants that are very fragrant, such as lemon balm, lavender, mint, basil and tagetes. If they are placed by doors, windows and patios, the idea with this tip is that the strong smell will help keep mosquitoes away.
Sweden’s leading mosquito expert Anders Lindström, who is a mosquito researcher at the state’s veterinary medical institution, criticizes the plant method and says that it can actually be counterproductive.
– Mosquitoes also want the carbohydrates in the nectar found in the plants, and if you’re unlucky, you can attract them instead.
Anders Lindström is not aware of any scientific studies that support the thesis that plants themselves, or the smell of them, should repel mosquitoes. But the content of different plants can actually help against mosquitoes.
– In geraniums, for example, there are about 30 aromatic oils that can keep mosquitoes away with varying degrees of success.
– But then you have to extract them from the plants and then apply these oils to the skin in some way. But there is no scientific support for just planting the plants.