Whenever you’re bringing a plant into your home, it’s worth considering what, if any, effect it may have on attracting or repelling insects. After all, each plant is uniquely made and its chemical makeup will have different effects on what appeals to bugs who may make their way into your home.

While you will mostly hear from people about indoor plants attracting bugs, there are also instances in which indoor plants can actually repel some types of bugs. In the case of eucalyptus, it is a combination; fresh eucalyptus attracts certain insects while also repelling others.

Let's break down why having plants indoors can attract pests and which eucalyptus specifically attracts and repels insects! 

Why do indoor plants attract bugs?

First of all, it's important to understand what causes indoor plants to attract bugs. Two main factors are at work here: high humidity and low air circulation. 

Insects need areas high in moisture in order to survive; therefore, high humidity environments are perfect for them. This is why you see more bugs in more humid regions of the U.S. such as Florida than you do in drier climates like Montana. In a home, the temperature is more stable than outdoors and typically hovers between 60 and 80 degrees which is the ideal range for many insects. Low air circulation further promotes the high humidity and also mimics conditions in wet, moist areas that bugs thrive in. 

Therefore, bugs are already enticed to the inside of your house, but indoor plants add an extra incentive. They provide food and nutrients to bugs as bugs live off of plant matter. Plants also provide a water source. The water provided to the plants serves as an easy water source to insects seeking a comfortable habitat. Incidentally, this water also increases the humidity in the room and further attracting pests. This is exacerbated when plants are overwatered and water is left pooling at the bottom of plant pots. 

The lack of air circulation around plants can also make it easier for bugs to gather around. This typically happens when there is little to no ventilation or when plants are crowded too close together with no space for air to flow through. This creates a more comfortable atmosphere where bugs do not face the element of wind, making it a more hospitable location for bugs to stay. 

It is important to note that cuttings do not attract bugs to the same extent that plants do. This is because cuttings do not have the ongoing growth that provides long-term sustainment for bugs and they also tend to lack dirt and a long-term easily accessible water supply. 

Essentially, bugs will always want to be inside your house, especially when there are water and nutrients readily available. Now let's take a look at eucalyptus specifically. 

What bugs does eucalyptus attract?

There's a key distinction to be made here. Eucalyptus plants are not the same as eucalyptus cuttings. 

Eucalyptus plants, as in plants living in dirt and being watered, have the tendency to attract beetles, psyllids, and beetle borers. Beetles and psyllids are known to chew holes in the leaves while beetle borers chew at the wood of the eucalyptus bark. All three insects can have detrimental impacts on the lifespan of the eucalyptus plant or tree. 

Meanwhile, eucalyptus cuttings are not nearly as susceptible to insects. Beetle borers will not approach a eucalyptus cutting as it does not have enough bark to sustain them long-term. Although beetles can easily be carried inside from a cutting, it is rare to find eucalyptus bundles with beetles on them. These cuttings simply do not provide a sustainable source of nutrition for beetles, psyllids, and beetle borers to live off of long-term. Beetles in particular do not like living in high-traffic areas indoors which means that they will likely not live in an area with high levels of light or movement. So, as long as your eucalyptus is in a fairly utilized area of your house, you should be in the clear. 

While eucalyptus does attract several types of insects, fresh eucalyptus bundles are less at risk than eucalyptus plants or trees as they are smaller, do not live in dirt or receive water regularly, and some of the species that are attracted to them do not live in high-use areas indoors. 

What bugs does eucalyptus repel?

Eucalyptus has the unique quality of having insect-repellent qualities! This can be a great advantage of adding eucalyptus to your indoor space; after all, who doesn't want to have less bugs in their home? 

Eucalyptus has a strong scent that impedes many insects' sense of smell which makes it difficult for them to locate their target and drives them away from the area. This is especially helpful when it comes to mosquitoes as eucalyptus has similar effects as citronella which also deters mosquitoes. 

However, the oil present in eucalyptus goes even further than being a mosquito-repellent. Eucalyptus oil has been proven to repel roaches, ants, flies, spiders, lice, and more. For a more complete list, check out VerminKill's article on the effects of eucalyptus oil on various pests. 

Will having eucalyptus in my shower attract bugs?

So, eucalyptus can attract certain bugs but also repels others. What will the impact be of having eucalyptus hung in your shower? 

To begin with, a fresh eucalyptus bundle is a cutting, not a plant, so it runs less risk of attracting bugs. It has no roots and you don't water it other than when you soak it in water overnight which is a very temporary situation. This means that there is less to draw bugs in as it does not offer a chance for longterm benefits.

The shower is also a high-traffic area which will make it more unappealing to bugs potentially entering the area. Just as you don't like to see bugs, they don't like to see you, so they tend to shy away from frequent flyer areas. 

Additionally, having the eucalyptus in the shower will most likely repel more bugs than it attracts. The oils in the eucalyptus will be steadily released over time through the moisture of the shower and provide a long-lasting barrier against all kinds of pests that may currently frequent your bathroom from spiders to ants to roaches. 

Overall, placing a eucalyptus bundle in the shower will not attract bugs and will most likely decrease the amount of bugs you face in your bathroom due to its insect-repellent qualities! 

Now that you've learned about the incredible insect-repellent powers of eucalyptus as well as the limited and unlikely pests that it has been known to attract, you're ready to treat yourself to a eucalyptus bundle for your shower! At Self-Care Shower, we offer a wide variety of options in eucalyptus bundles for your shower ranging from the original eucalyptus bundle to other scents such as a fresh myrtle and a lavender and eucalyptus combination! No matter what you choose, you can refresh your bathroom with a Self-Care Shower bundle, sustainably hand-picked and grown in the United States, without worrying about pests. 

Image Sources:

Daria Shevtsova || Pexels 

Self-Care Shower Stock Photo

Huy Phan || Pexels 

Egor Kamelev || Pexels 

Egor Kamelev || Pexels

Self-Care Shower Stock Photo