The scents I’m using at home this summer to help deter flies, wasps, mosquitoes and a few other unwanted visitors.
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I have both loved and moaned about this year’s hot weather. At times, it has felt like we’re living in Spain or the South of France — just without the sea views, or tapas and wine around every corner.
But I do love the sun, so it’s definitely been more of a love affair than a catalogue of moans.
The one downside — and I don’t know if it’s been the same everywhere else in the UK — has been the bugs. So. Many. Bugs.
We seem to have a hornet’s nest somewhere nearby, with six having buzzed their last flight in our house this week alone. The wasps have actually been a little less persistent than in previous years, but the flies, tiny flying things and assorted other unwanted visitors seem to be everywhere. Argh!
One of the most natural options I’ve found myself using every day is essential oils in my diffuser. I already use a diffuser regularly because I love having the house smelling lovely, so finding scents that may also make it a little less appealing to some of our unwanted summer visitors feels like a win.
After our little invasion of hornets, I was galvanised into doing rather more research into which essential oils may actually help deter some of the bugs we’re dealing with here in the UK.
Nothing is going to create an invisible force field around the house — sadly — and effectiveness varies depending on the insect, oil and how it’s used. But if they can help make the house and patio a little less appealing to unwanted visitors while making everything smell heavenly, I’m very happy to give them a try.
So, after rather more reading about wasps, flies and mosquitoes than I ever expected to do, these are the scents that have made my shortlist.
A quick note on the oils: My cupboard is a mixture of brands, and you’ll see a few different ones featured here. Many of these essential oils are also available through my Neal’s Yard Remedies shop, or through Amazon – any purchases made through these links may mean that I receive a small commission, but at no extra cost to you.
Peppermint
A strong, clean scent that makes a good base for a blend of oils rather than using it on its own. At the moment, I’ve been combining it with lemongrass and lavender, which softens the peppermint slightly while still leaving the house smelling incredibly fresh.
There’s some interesting research behind peppermint too, particularly when it comes to wasps. Peppermint is naturally rich in menthol, and research involving the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) — one of our familiar UK species — has found that menthol seems to have a repellent effect.
There’s also evidence that these scents don’t simply disguise the tempting smell of food; wasps can actively avoid areas where certain essential-oil scents are present.
I’m certainly not claiming that a few drops in my diffuser will guarantee a wasp-free lunch, but there’s enough behind it for peppermint to have earned a regular place in my summer diffuser.
Pairs well with: Lemongrass + Lavender
Lemongrass
Fresh, citrusy and a little bit tropical — without the unmistakable “I’m trying to repel mosquitoes” smell of citronella. Lemongrass is an easy one to have running through the house and, happily, it has more going for it than just smelling good.
Flies, I’m looking at you.
Research using the common housefly (Musca domestica) found that lemongrass essential oil seems to have a repellent effect. Even more interestingly, lemongrass and peppermint performed particularly well when used together — which rather supports one of my favourite summer combinations.
There’s also evidence around mosquitoes and some species of wasp, making this one of the more versatile oils on my list.
Pairs well with: Peppermint + Lavender
Clove
Warm, rich and spicy, clove is perhaps not the first scent that springs to mind in the middle of summer. Use too much and we could quickly find ourselves somewhere between sunny patio and Christmas market — but in the right blend, it’s gorgeous.
It’s also a surprisingly interesting one when it comes to bugs. Studies have found clove oil can have a repellent effect on both social wasps and the common housefly, with eugenol — one of the main compounds behind that distinctive spicy scent — appearing to play a part.
I definitely wouldn’t diffuse this one heavily on its own. Mixed with fresher citrus or floral scents, though, you get the warmth and spice without wondering whether someone has started mulling the wine in August.
Pairs well with: Lemongrass + Geranium
Geranium
One of the prettier options on the list. Geranium has a fresh, floral, slightly rosy scent that feels much more summer garden than bug spray — which is rather the point of all this.
But don’t let the flowers fool you. Geranium essential oil has shown repellent effects against a range of insects, including the common housefly, and it’s also one of the oils that has been studied for its potential against mosquitoes.
It also crops up in one particularly interesting wasp study: geranium, lemongrass and clove used together completely stopped the wasps in the experiment being attracted to the baited traps. Those weren’t our UK wasp species, so I’m not promising miracles around the garden table, but it’s certainly a blend I’m interested in trying.
Pairs well with: Lemongrass + Clove
Lavender
Probably the easiest one on this list to love — and certainly one I’d happily have drifting through the house whether there were bugs around or not.
Lavender has been studied for its effects on several insects, including mosquitoes. Interestingly, research involving Culex pipiens — a mosquito species we have here in the UK — found lavender amongst the essential oils showing a repellent response.
For me, though, lavender really earns its place in the blend. It takes the sharp edge off peppermint, softens the citrus scents and changes the whole thing into something that feels far more indulgent — less homemade bug repellent, more lazing beside the pool at a villa in Provence, with the scent of lavender drifting across on the warm air.
Potentially useful against mosquitoes while mentally transporting me to the South of France? I’m sold.
Pairs well with: Peppermint + Lemongrass
Eucalyptus
Cool, green and wonderfully fresh — eucalyptus has that slightly spa-like quality that makes the whole house feel cleaner and calmer. Open windows, warm breeze, fresh linen and that just-back-from-the-spa feeling, without actually having to go anywhere.
Happily, there may be something useful behind all that freshness too. Eucalyptus essential oil has shown repellent effects against insects including the common housefly, and eucalyptus oils have also been studied for their effects on mosquitoes.
For me, this is another oil I’d choose for the scent alone, so any potential help with our unwanted summer visitors is a very welcome bonus.
Pairs well with: Peppermint + Lavender
Citronella
The obvious one. But there’s a reason for that.
Citronella is almost synonymous with summer bug repellent — that distinctive citrusy scent instantly conjures up warm evenings outside, candles flickering on the patio, something cold in your glass and everyone stubbornly refusing to go indoors even though the sun disappeared an hour ago.
It’s also one of the better-known plant-based mosquito repellents and has been studied considerably more than many of the other oils on my list. Research has found that citronella can have a repellent effect against several types of mosquito, although citronella is quite volatile, so that effect doesn’t necessarily last as long as conventional topical repellents.
I probably wouldn’t choose citronella as my everyday house fragrance on its own, but blended with something softer or fresher, it becomes much more appealing — and outside on a summer evening, it feels completely at home.
Pairs well with: Lemongrass + Lavender
A quick note on the oils: My cupboard is a mixture of brands, and you’ll see a few different ones featured here. Many of these essential oils are also available through my Neal’s Yard Remedies shop, or through Amazon
Prefer a Ready-Made Blend?
If mixing your own blends feels like a step too much right now — or you simply want to test the theory before committing to a small army of essential oils — Nikura has two ready-made options at a very friendly price.
A few drops in the diffuser, and the mixing has already been done for you.
Diffuse or Burn?
I’m firmly on Team Diffuser.
An ultrasonic diffuser uses water and a cool mist to disperse essential oils into the room, rather than warming them over a flame. I find the fragrance softer and more consistent — and I also like that the oils aren’t deliberately heated, as heat can change how some of their aromatic compounds evaporate.
I prefer a water-based diffuser to the waterless versions too. Adding my oils to water means I can play around with different combinations and the number of drops I use, depending on the blend and how strong I want the fragrance that day.
Practically, there’s no candle to keep an eye on or flame to remember to blow out, and many diffusers switch themselves off automatically when the water runs out. For me, they’re wonderfully easy to have quietly fragrancing the house in the background.
Oil burners absolutely have their place (and I’ll include a few below), but for everyday use, my diffusers win every time.
What I use
My own diffuser is the ASAKUKI 500ml Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser and, for what I’m using it for at the moment, the larger capacity is a definite plus.
The 500ml capacity gives me plenty of flexibility with how many drops I use, but more importantly it means far less topping up when I want to keep a consistent scent running through the house. There are different timer settings if I only want it on for a while, or I can simply let it run until the water is finished — at which point it automatically switches itself off.
It does need to stay plugged in, but we have outdoor sockets so I can move it out onto the patio when we’re sitting outside, or pop it on the kitchen windowsill with the doors open — wherever I want the scent that day.
Something more your style?
If you don’t need quite as much capacity — or want something that fits your room a little differently — there are plenty of other ultrasonic options, including cordless ones that are fabulous for outdoor living albeit with a smaller capacity.
Prefer an Oil Burner?
My lovely friends over at Carousel Home have some gorgeous essential oil burners to choose from, so I’ve picked out a few favourites below.
Bonus: shopping these means supporting not one, but two small businesses. 💛
So, these are the scents and blends I’ve come to really like after rather more geeky bug research than I ever anticipated doing this summer!
I’d love to know what you’re using too. Any blends I need to try, oils I’ve completely overlooked, or even just a deliciously summery combination that makes the house smell heavenly?
Pop your recommendations in the comments below — apparently, I’m collecting essential oils now.
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