Enjoying Outside, Inside - Natural Pest Repellants

Kristie Ehrhardt • February 12, 2024

Pelargonium citronellum  by Gawie Malan

Okay, okay; having outside critters sneaking inside your house maybe doesn’t really count as “enjoying outside, inside” but it’s bound to happen when someone opens a door. I found some natural and maybe even pleasant ways to help keep those little buggers outside where they belong.

Most of us have probably been around a citronella candle to keep mosquitoes away but did you know that you can grow a citronella plant in your back yard or in a pot on your patio? Citronella essential oil comes from a type of lemongrass (C ymbopogon ) but there is also a citronella plant ( Pelargonium citronellum ) that is in the geranium family and can easily be grown in Northern California. Simply having the plant nearby doesn’t repel mosquitoes but if you “fluff” it up a bit to expose the oil or crush up a couple of leaves and rub the oil on your exposed skin, it should repel those nasty little guys. Side note, the citronella plant, also known as a mosquito plant, has also been known to repel black flies, fleas, and ticks too. And if that wasn’t a good enough reason to plant one, it’s bee and hummingbird friendly too!

If you have ant invaders, try and spice things up by sprinkling ground cinnamon, paprika or garlic around doors and windows where they can sneak in. You may have to repeat the application weekly to keep the spiciness fresh though and do watch out for your kitties and pups as the spices might repel them as well. And do keep in mind that garlic is harmful to dogs so maybe only use that in places where Fido’s nose can’t reach. If ants have already made their way into your house, try a one-to-one mixture of vinegar and water to wipe down areas where you found them. Ants leave a pheromone trail to help other ants find the food source and vinegar works to neutralize the PH level of that pheromone. Fun fact, if you squish an ant and take a whiff, you can actually smell the pheromone.

If your furry friend is adventurous and likes to explore areas where the vegetation is tall and thick, it can be pretty easy for them to carry hitch hikers like fleas and ticks back inside the house. Those buggers can be hard to spot on dogs and cats with long hair and even harder to get rid of. Using a few drops of essential oils on your pet’s neck can help repel them. Some good ones to try include:

  • Cedarwood - actually deadly to ticks and their larvae but safe for people and pets and it has a great musky, outdoorsy scent
  • Lavender - also toxic to ticks and tick larvae and smells so, so nice!
  • Peppermint - not only smells fresh but ticks (and rodents) hate it. Typically, kitties don’t care for it either so maybe make sure they’re ok with smelling like toothpaste before you put it on them because bathing a cat is no fun
  • Citronella - has already been hailed as a great mosquito repellant but combine it with Thyme essential oil and you’ve got a very effective at tick repellant
  • Pennyroyal - a robust member of the mint family but it’s best used on rugs or under patio cushions, not on skin
  • Garlic - also effective against ticks but nobody wants to smell like they’ve been in the kitchen all day so it’s best used on outdoor areas where you don’t stick your face

Fun fact, ticks are icky and hopefully you won’t find one but if you do, look closely. Bugs like beetles and ants have six legs but ticks have eight and are related to spiders.

If you’re finding cockroaches inside your house it’s because they like hanging out in nice places too. If you really prefer they NOT be inside your house, try diatomaceous earth which is widely available in the gardening section of your local hardware store. Diatomaceous earth is the fossilized remains of diatoms; minute aquatic organisms that have accumulated the bottoms of oceans, lakes, rivers and streams. It’s essentially nontoxic to fish, wildlife, pets, and people but kills all kinds of things we don’t really like having inside including cockroaches, crickets, fleas, ticks and spiders. It works as a desiccant and dehydrates them from the inside out. It can be used indoors or out and even though it’s non-toxic to pets, I’d still only use it in places where curious pets won’t disturb it.

Hopefully these ideas will help keep the outside critters from enjoying the inside of your home.

-Kristie Ehrhardt ( kehrhardt@tuleyome.org )

Tuleyome Land Conservation Program Manager

Looking for more articles like this? Click the hashtag below!

RECENT ARTICLES

Women's Equality Day 2026

By Kristie Ehrhardt • August 26, 2026
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution - granting women the right to vote - was certified on August 26, 1920. In commemoration of this, in 1973 Congress designated August 26 as "Women's Equality Day" to remind us of the heroic women who advanced the Women's Suffrage movement. In recognition of Women's Equality Day, Tuleyome is highlighting three women who are dedicated to conservation: Sheila Pratt (Cache Creek Conservancy), Corky Quirk (NorCal Bats and Yolo Basin Foundation), and Cathy Little (Yolo Habitat Conservancy). Please share in a round of applause for our friends for their passion and dedication to conservation.

Women's Equality Day 2026 - Cathy Little

By Kristie Ehrhardt • August 25, 2026
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution - granting women the right to vote - was certified on August 26, 1920. In commemoration of this, in 1973 Congress designated August 26 as "Women's Equality Day" to remind us of the heroic women who advanced the Women's Suffrage movement. In recognition of Women's Equality Day, Tuleyome is highlighting three women who are dedicated to conservation: Corky Quirk (NorCal Bats and Yolo Basin Foundation), Sheila Pratt (Cache Creek Conservancy) and Cathy Little (Yolo Habitat Conservancy). Hear about Cathy's journey below and learn about Sheila here and Corky here. Please share in a round of applause for our friends for their passion and dedication to conservation. I received my Bachelor’s Degree at UC Davis in Plant Biology and immediately moved into environmental consulting when I graduated. For the next few years, I had the opportunity to botanize and see lands throughout California. I was working on large river projects and became interested in restoration of riparian habitat and decided to go back to school and get my master’s degree at Chico State. I continued working on restoration projects and started to be more interested in conservation work. I spent the last 16 years working for the Center of Natural Lands Management where I directly managed and acquired lands with listed species and sensitive habitats and led the northern California group. Recently I made a career move to the Yolo Habitat Conservancy where I am now contributing to conservation work in my local County. Through growing up in California I have been able to spend a large amount of time in vast beautiful wilderness areas, but have also witnessed conversion of many lands to development. I have always had a draw to natural lands and observing the amazing intricate ecosystems that they support. When I was working in environmental consulting on designing, building, and monitoring restoration sites, I saw these lands being transferred to entities that managed them in perpetuity, and I knew that I wanted to be part of the effort. I have spent most of my career now doing just that. Throughout my time working in conservation, I have had so many long-term field ecologists inspire me to continue doing this work. Watching others work tirelessly over many years to manage and protect natural lands, and collaborate and share their knowledge, has been so motivating. There is nothing more enjoyable than spending a day in the field with other ecologists and sharing enthusiasm about some small moment of observation, and always learning some new tidbit of information about a certain species or behavior or management tool. My advice to young women starting their career in the environmental/conservation/non-profit sector would be to just get out there and start gaining experience in whatever seems interesting and then collaborate and talk to as many people to learn about all the different opportunities. There are so many aspects of conservation and environmental work and the more time you spend working in it, the more you will be able to figure out how you want to contribute to the community as a whole. I would suggest taking as many opportunities as you can and working with as many different people as possible. Listening to people’s backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can be valuable in navigating your path. I would recommend always advocating for yourself, being open and honest about your abilities, and committing to and communicating your beliefs regarding your work.

Women's Equality Day 2026 - Corky Quirk

By Kristie Ehrhardt • August 25, 2026
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution - granting women the right to vote - was certified on August 26, 1920. In commemoration of this, in 1973 Congress designated August 26 as "Women's Equality Day" to remind us of the heroic women who advanced the Women's Suffrage movement. In recognition of Women's Equality Day, Tuleyome is highlighting three women who are dedicated to conservation: Corky Quirk (NorCal Bats and Yolo Basin Foundation), Sheila Pratt (Cache Creek Conservancy) and Cathy Little (Yolo Habitat Conservancy). Hear about Corky's journey below and learn about Cathy here and Sheila here. Please share in a round of applause for our friends for their passion and dedication to conservation. I came to bats late. I have been involved with outdoor recreation and environmental education most of my life. I have a BS in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Environmental Education from Humboldt State. But, it was learning about them at the Yolo Basin Foundation (YBF) where I found my love for bats. When I started at YBF, there was a woman who we contracted to do 3 programs a summer and I started volunteering for her organization in 2004. I was inspired to work in the conservation/preservation/ecology sector because my parents loved nature. We did many trips to State and National Parks where we camped and hiked. Over the years I have met many people who work in the conservation field and have encouraged me. I greatly enjoy sharing knowledge with the various bat biologists from environmental consultants, to the State to the US government agencies. There are two projects that I am most proud of. I started NorCal Bats in 2006 and now see almost 40,000 people each year to educate them about bats from schools, libraries, garden clubs, festivals, campgrounds and more. I'm also very proud of how popular the Yolo Basin Foundation Bat Talk and Tour program has become. When I took over the program in 2006 we did about 3 nights a summer, now we are conducting about 70. Some of the most profound moments and memories for me are of all the people who have learned about bats both through the Yolo Basin Foundation's Bat Talk and Tour programs and the presentations through NorCal Bats. I don’t have a specific favorite memory but I am proud of the number of times people come to me and say that they were hesitant or afraid of bats, and no longer are due to the presentation. Periodically, when I take the bats to schools through NorCal Bats, I'll have a student who is very fearful. Sometimes they hide under a desk or sit very close to the teacher. I'm most proud when they overcome that fear, ask questions and especially if they say that the bat is cute.