Last weekend we were grilling burgers near the beach, and I could not believe how many flies were around. For some reason I thought if we were close to salt water that there would be less pests in South Florida, but that is clearly not the case. The good news is that there are some natural herbs that deter pests. For example, planting mint in your garden keeps ants away. Flies & mosquitos tend to stay away from sage, lavender, mint, peppermint, lemon balm and eucalyptus, so next time you are planning a cook out, take a bunch and keep them around the table with the food. If you want to keep your windows open, try boiling a pot of water with basil or sage and leave on the window sill. If you don’t have the fresh herbs you can also use essential oils in the water.
