With summer right around the corner, we are all looking for ways to make the space better and more inviting, and while usually the answer from many is to purchase things to improve the aesthetics, the reality is that it is pests that can make being outside uninviting. Luckily mother nature gives solutions to the same problems it creates, and one little known trick is to use orange peels to keep bugs out of your plants or repel them from your space.
Oranges are a summer staple that we all enjoy, but we do tend to throw away the peels as most of the uses we can think of take a lot of time and effort to accomplish, like candied peels or making our own essential oils. But this summer we encourage you to give another chance to this item that we tend to discard, and we are here to tell you why you should.
How to use oranges to make your patio better this summer
While we usually just go straight to bug sprays to contain pests, they can be expensive, toxic for animals and inefficient in the outdoors, making them a less than ideal alternative, but oranges on the other hand do not have those problem.
A 2001 study published in Bioresource Technology discovered that “extracts from the peels of the Citrus sinensis (sweet orange) species of orange and the Citrus aurantifolia (lime) species were effective repellents against mosquitoes and other insects, including cockroaches and houseflies”. Of course, this was not just tossing orange peels everywhere in the hopes that they would work to repel insects, there was a liquid spray made of orange peel extract that was used to test the theory, but you could just achieve the same effect with the orange peels in their raw state according to pest control professionals, like Orkin.
This is not the only study that recommended this home made remedy, in 2023 a study published in the International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research also recommended leaving orange peels around outdoor spaces to repel mosquitoes. While it did not exactly state how many peels would be necessary, it is a low cost action that you can take with a few oranges and a bit of time to fashion a container for the peels.
There is some science behind the madness, oranges contain a high concentration of limonene in the peels, which is a natural insecticide. As most insecticides, it affects an insect’s respiratory system, making them less likely to approach. However, as high as the concentration might be, this was not a chemical made in a lab, so it has limited effectiveness and lifespan as a repellant, so you will need to replace the peels often.
For those who need a bit more protection and do not mind the smell, or the stickiness, rubbing he peels on your skin can also work as a mosquito repellant, as it will interfere with their ability to detect the lactic acids that attract them to human skin. This will not be for everyone, and if you are not allergic to regular mosquito repellant you might want to stick to using that, especially at night or on children.
As an additional pro, using orange peels as a natural insect repellent around your patio is both eco-friendly and effective. Since they decompose naturally, there is no harm in letting them break down on their own and they will work as nutrients for your soil. That said, if you would rather keep your outdoor space looking tidy, you can always choose to gather and remove them after a while.