Herbal Repellents for Animals, Snails, and Insects
The tables list some of some of the herbs that are useful as deer, rabbit or insect repellants. Two herbs described on another page are:
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Borage, Borage officinalis, Boraginaeae Family, Repels tomato hornworm
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Russian sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia, Repels deer
Laurel Family Lauraceae
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Repels |
|---|---|---|
| Bay, California | Umbellularia californica | Insects |
Lily Family Liliaceae
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Repels |
|---|---|---|
| Chives | Allium Schoenoprasum | Deer, Rabbits; aphids, Japanese beetle |
| Garlic | Allium sativum | Deer, Rabbits; slugs and snails; aphids, cabbage loopers, cabbage maggot, codling moth, Colorado potatoe beetle, imported cabbageworms, Japanese beetle, Peach boorer |
| Onion | Allium Cepa | Deer, Rabbits; cabbage loopers, carrot fly, Colorado potatoe beetles, imported cabbageworms |
Mint Family, Labiatae
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Repels |
|---|---|---|
Catnip |
Nepeta Cataria | Deer; aphid; Colorado potato beetle, cucumber beetle, flea beetle, Japanese beetle, squash bug |
Hyssop |
Hyssopus officinalis | Deer; cabbage looper, imported cabbageworm |
Oregano |
Origanum vulgare | Deer |
Mint |
Peppermint Mentha piperita. Spearmint Mentha spicata | Deer; ants, aphid, cabbage looper, flea beetle, imported cabbageworm (peppermint), squash bug, whitefly (peppermint) |
Pennyroyal |
Mentha Pulegium, Hedeoma pulegioides species | Deer; cabbage looper, imported cabbageworm |
Rosemary |
Rosmarinus officinalis | Deer; slugs and snails; carrot fly, Mexican bean beetle |
Sage |
Salvia officinalis | cabbage looper, cabbage maggot, carrot fly, imported cabbageworm |
| Thyme | Thymus vulgaris | Deer; cabbage looper, imported cabbageworm, whitefly |
Parsely/Carrot Family, Umbelliferae
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Repels |
|---|---|---|
Anise |
Pimpinella Anisum | Aphids |
Coriander/Cilantro |
Coriandrum sativum | Aphid, Carrot Fly |
Dill |
Anethum graveolens | Deer; tomato hornworm, cabbage looper, imported cabbageworm |
Sunflower Family, Compositae
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Repels |
|---|---|---|
Calendula (Pot Marigold) |
Calendula officinalis | Deer. Rabbit; Insects, including aphids, cabbage maggot, corn earworm, cucumber beetle, Mexican bean beetle |
Tansy |
Tanacetum vulgare | Deer; Insects, including ants, Colorado potato beetle, flea beetle, imported cabbageworm, Japanese beetle, squash bug |
Tarragon |
Artemisia Dracunculus | Deer |
Yarrow |
Achillea Millefolium | Deer |
Wormwood |
Artemisia Absinthium | Deer, mice; Insects, including ants, cabbage looper, cabbage maggot, carrot fly, flea beetle, whitefly |
Note: Planted in thick stands, Gopher Purge, Euphorbia lathyrus, a member of the Spurge Family Euphorbiaceae, is used to protect vegetable gardens from moles and gophers. These rodents chew on the roots, which contain a poison, and die. This is a poisonous plant, not a repellent.
Find seeds for these and other herbs and vegetables at the following fine sources: