Maintaining organic mulch in the soil could be highly demanding because most insects are drawn to it naturally. After all, it's a source of food and a place of comfort for them.
However, it would still be recommended for your plants' growth and protection against weeds and from endangering insects and animals.
Cedar mulch would in one way or the other be recommended as the best organic mulch to repel insects, but this also depends on how long its repelling nutrients last.
But does cedar mulch repel mosquitoes? Yes, cedar mulch is known to be a very active mosquito repellant due to several reasons, which we shall discuss below.
Table of Contents
Why Cedar Mulch?
It's been proven that cedar contains some common ingredients: thujone which the insects find offensive, especially mosquitoes! Cedar regulates soil temperature and limits soil moisture evaporation.
Still, just like every other organic or inorganic mulch, this chemical would keep mosquitoes at bay for as long as it is there. But what happens when they wear off? This would be answered in this article too.
Besides cedars mulch's ability to keep pests and insects off your home and plants, cedar mulch could also affect the good organisms that would naturally help in the growth of your plants because of the thujone.
Does Cedar Mulch Repel Mosquitoes?
We all agree that mosquitoes are stubborn; these blood-sucking minute insects would virtually live in any environment uninvited, preferably in wet areas most especially tepid water, the field of tall grass.
Mosquitoes also breed in stagnant water. However, one thing is certain; the mosquito eggs never mature in any offensive environments.
Having known how offensive cedar mulch could be to not just mosquitoes but to other insects too, it is important to note that mosquitoes could be persistent, especially if and when the cedar mulch is allowed to absorb so much water making it hard for it to dry up.
So does cedar mulch repel mosquitoes?
Yes! Cedar mulch repels mosquitoes. This is because mosquitoes find cedar an enemy and wouldn't enjoy being around it.
The natural ingredients found in cedar mulch serves as a repellant and contributes to its ability to chase off these stubborn insects.
However, it won't b wrong if you were bothered still because these ingredients wear off after some time.
Here's why!
The more the mulch receives direct sunlight, the more it is susceptible to dryness, and as it dries, the natural ingredients thujone that repels the mosquitoes wears off too.
What Happens When Cedar Mulch Dries Up?
Almost all insects are attracted to wood because of its moist nature, so basically mosquitoes are attracted to humid environments, and woods are not excluded.
Now naturally, there wouldn't be any mosquitoes if the cedar dries up and is not left wet. Nonetheless, suppose the cedar mulch has been rendered powerless (without the thujone) and is left in moist places.
In that case, the mosquitoes revisit the environment and would invite the rest of its species. You do not want that!
What to Do to Keep Mosquitoes at Bay
- Replace the cedar mulch when you notice it's dried up and is no longer useful or serves as the repellant it was gotten for
- Don't get mulch in wet areas. To keep mosquitoes off your yard, it's not necessary to get mulch in wet areas, allow it to be dry enough before considering any mulch
- Do not overwater the mulch, overwatering it would still invite the unwanted guests, mosquitoes! Not necessarily near the mulch but around your home too
- Get cedar mulch 2-3 inches thick, anything thicker is not advisable, and I am sure you know why
If you are still not comfortable having the cedar mulch alone since it wears off quickly, you could use other natural ingredients to stave off mosquitoes.
Other Natural Ways to Repel Mosquitoes
- Use peppermint, and mosquitoes are positively repelled by its scent.
- Lavender oil could be used too; they contain the ingredients that mosquitoes find quite offensive.
- Use garlic too.
NOTE: you would need to apply these still more often, replace garlic after some time to make the scents last long.
Read Also: Does Mulch Attract Cockroaches?
Conclusion
It may seem easier to choose other mulches over cedar mulch because it requires a bit of too much effort and replacing it more often would make it relatively more expensive than other mulches.
However, when used in the right way, cedar does repel mosquitoes having the nutrients, but wouldn't without the nutrients.
Note: when getting cedar or replacing it, get it in a lighter portion and make sure to follow the procedures in this article to keep the mulch clean at all times.
Get a cedar mulch today! And don't forget always to replace them!
