I have seen a lot of tips on catnip as a mosquito repellent, but, if I plant catnip somewhere in my yard, won't I have all the cats in the neighborhood pokin' around in it?
If you put a sturdy cage around your catnip patch, the plants can grow strong & not be broken or trampled down. You can harvest plenty of catnip yet the neighour cats can still enjoy it. If anyone is handy, this isn't too hard to make, Or get a neighbour to make it for you since their cats use your catnip! I wish I could show a diagram but I hope this gives you the right idea.
Use some sturdy wire racks from on old fridge or from old stove ovens & tie together with metal wires so the finished cage will fit over your catnip patch & is 1-2 feet high from the ground. It will have 5 sides to it with the open end over the patch at ground level. The plants can grow through the wires & the cats can still roll on top the cage but not damaged the plants. If one is specially handy, you can build one with 2x2 inch boards & tack fencing wire over the frame. You need to anchor down the cage on the corners into the ground or the cats could tip it over in their eagerness to get at it.
If you put a sturdy cage around your catnip patch, the plants can grow strong & not be broken or trampled down. You can harvest plenty of catnip yet the neighour cats can still enjoy it. If anyone is handy, this isn't too hard to make, Or get a neighbour to make it for you since their cats use your catnip! I wish I could show a diagram but I hope this gives you the right idea.
Use some sturdy wire racks from on old fridge or from old stove ovens & tie together with metal wirse so the finished cage will fit over your catnip patch & is 1-2 feet high from the ground. It will have 5 sides to it with the open end over the patch at ground level. The plants can grow through the wires & the cats can still roll on top the cage but not damaged the plants. If one is specially handy, you can build one with 2x2 inch boards & tack fencing wire over the frame. You need to anchor down the cage on the corners into the ground or the cats could tip it over in their eagerness to get at it.
I found this quote about catnip as an insect repellent, it talks about the active chemical in catmint- 'Nepetalactone is one of the major components (~ 40%) of the essential oils from Catnip, Nepeta cataria (photo above), a member of the mint family Labiatae. Other compounds found in the oils are common plant compounds like citral, geraniol, citronellol, nerol and limonene. When they inhale it, many (but not all) cats show a response lasting for a few minutes; symptoms include a head-over roll, body rubbing and kicking. Eating it has no effect, the vapour of the nepetalactone has to reach a receptor above the palate in the vomeronasal organ. The behaviour is believed to be an inherited characteristic related to an autosomal dominant gene. Nepetalactone has also been shown to be an active repellent for cockroaches, and recent tests on yellow fever mosquitoes showed that it was a more effective repellent than DEET (N,N diethyl-m-toluamide), the most popular synthetic insect repellent.'
Does anyone know, is there a difference between the plants "catnip" and "catmint"? I have a very large plant growing out there that my cats seem to like, but not sure exactly what it is. Seems like they don't get too crazed over it, wondering if it's not truly catnip? Guy who gave it said catnip, but I've heard of a catmint also. Help?? Please.
I planted catnip for my cats, and all the cats in the neighborhood rolled around in it so much they almost killed the plant. So I had to put it in a hanging basket way out of reach. Now the cats don't notice it unless we pick a leaf for them to eat. That's solved the problem.
But, I haven't noticed any reduction in mosquitoes, either! What are you supposed to do with the catnip to make it a mosquito repellent?
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