Rats will avoid your home all summer when these three herbs are used

The prime breeding season for rats is underway, with these unwelcome rodents becoming increasingly active in the summer months, especially in the UK, which offers ideal climate conditions for these pests to flourish and easily find food and shelter.

Kitchens, gardens, garages, barns, rooftops and cellars, these are just a few of the areas the disease-infested vermin love infiltrating in homes, often causing considerable damage and leaving behind havoc in their wake.

While rats are unwelcome pests in any home or garden, thankfully there are a few effective ways to deter them naturally without resorting to harmful and inhumane methods such as instant kill traps or baits.

Rats are known to have poor vision, yet they have an exceptionally sharp and highly developed sense of smell. This also means their noses are extra sensitive, and it’s this physical trait that can be exploited to repel these creatures from homes.

While professional pest control services are always encouraged in case of serious infestations, there are certain scents that massively irritate a rat’s respiratory system, ultimately resulting in deterring these pests from invading homes.

Three herbs that repel rats

There are three herbs that massively help in the battle against rats, and using them in the below listed unique and straightforward ways will repel these pests from your home.

Basil

Deploying the herbal aroma of basil oil against rats with the help of a spray or diffuser is an ingenious hack that will humanely aid you in getting rid of rats in your home, as the smell of basil is very unpleasant to these rodents.

Keeping basil plants close to entrances, potential entry points, and areas where there is suspected rat activity will also help deter these pests.

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is another herb that repels rats, and is often cited as an excellent natural rat deterrent.

All you have to do is steep lemongrass, separately purchased or from your garden, in hot water to make a tea. This potent tea can then be transferred to a spray bottle and sprayed around your home to repel rats.

Another way to use this herb to deter rats in homes is by taking potent lemongrass or citronella essential oils and putting them in a diffuser to spread the strong fragrance around your home.

Be aware that burning a lemongrass or citronella candle in one little area of your home will not be sufficient to completely repel rats.

Thyme

Several cultivated varieties of thyme can be used in the fight against rats. These cultivars emit pungent, strong scents which will immediately repel rats when placed in the right areas around your home.

Thyme oil in a scent diffuser, or as a diluted spray in a bottle, are also commonly recommended methods through which rats can be deterred inside homes.

Another rat-repelling remedy is to grow common thyme (thymus vulgaris) or golden lemon thyme (thymus x citriodorus ‘aureus’) in gardens to repel rats from gardens.

Peppermint and citrus scents are also highly disliked and exceptionally effective against rats, as well as the scent of cayenne pepper and chilli flakes.