Mint as insect repellant

[thor]

I live in an old house that becomes infested with ants in the spring/summer and when it rains heavily. I have heard that mint will help repel them and I am interested in planting it around some of my foundation plantings. Would it make a good ground cover around shrubs? I know it is very invasive.

 

[Rio_Lindo_AZ]

I live in an old house that becomes infested with ants in the spring/summer and when it rains heavily. I have heard that mint will help repel them and I am interested in planting it around some of my foundation plantings. Would it make a good ground cover around shrubs? I know it is very invasive.

I have also heard that Mint repels bugs, but have never used it for that purpose. But It's worth a try.
Mint does make a good ground cover, you just have to make sure it's not near any of your garden beds.

 

[lesa]

How large/tall are your foundation plants? I like the idea, but my mint gets at least a foot tall. If you had small shrubs, etc they would be covered up. If you have mature landscaping, should be fine. If the mint starts to take over (and it will) just pull a bunch out...Let us know if you see a difference in ant population..

 

[SarahFair]

I heard its good for fleas

 

[DawnSuiter]

Well.. all I can say is that mint grows wild around the perimeter of my home & scattered throughout the property and I love that... but I'm still dealing with tons of ants... ants live in the mint... sooooooooo... maybe not always?!!!??

Fleas.... as DH and I discussed yesterday... we don't have any of those... it's been 5 years and I've never seen a single one here. But at the shelter it's a big problem as is everywhere else. So this year we decided to try giving heart worm meds only and saving a bunch of cash by skipping flea & tick meds for the dogs.

Is it the mint? I dunno... but it COULD be

 

[SarahFair]

Well.. all I can say is that mint grows wild around the perimeter of my home & scattered throughout the property and I love that... but I'm still dealing with tons of ants... ants live in the mint... sooooooooo... maybe not always?!!!??

Fleas.... as DH and I discussed yesterday... we don't have any of those... it's been 5 years and I've never seen a single one here. But at the shelter it's a big problem as is everywhere else. So this year we decided to try giving heart worm meds only and saving a bunch of cash by skipping flea & tick meds for the dogs.

Is it the mint? I dunno... but it COULD be

Can you plant mint around the shelter?

 

[DawnSuiter]

Well.. I could but I don't think that it would work... the only way to keep the shelter flea free would be to plant some kind of dog repellent LOL

 

[hoodat]

I've heard rue recommended as an ant repellant but I haven't tried it to see.

 

[ducks4you]

Hope it does!! I am having a love affair with my peppermint, spearmint and chocolate mint. I have let it fill in where weeds once lived. I just keep it mowed so it doesn't reseed and spread. I certainly can pull it out of the ground MUCH easier than even a dandelion, which, BTW, is listed as a garden vegetable in a circa 1970 gardening book that I own. If I find that it super-spreads, I will be the FIRST to let you know.

 

[lesa]

Ducks, I don't want to rain on your mint parade- but it will spread. It is not the reseeding that is a problem. The roots spread like crazy under ground. No doubt, you can pull it up- but it can be challenging! Just be careful where you plant it. Enjoy!