I've never heard that mint can repulse mosquitoes, can be "lemon mint" a sort of mint we have in france we call it " menthe citronnée" or "mentha citrata" the latin name, as it usually use the citonella against mosquitos : http://www.hippocratus.com/metasite/web ... nte=men003

And for the snail, exept chemical product (or hedgehog but we don't have it in Hong Kong) i dont know any solutions.

Could this be the same lemon mint they sell in little pots on Main Street?
Great fragrance and grows very nicely in my own rooftop garden.

Maybe that's why I don't see many mosquitoes up there...
or is it because my fish love devouring the mosquito eggs being laid in their rooftop pond?

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Something the farmers do here to combat snails is bury a cup containing a little beer with the rim even with the soil level. Like many Lamma residents, snails have quite a taste for beer and will slide, walk (not sure what the correct verb would be for snail locamotion) right into the cup and drown. (Please don't call the SPCA on me! )

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That's a new one on me that mint keeps away mosquitoes. And I don't think the mint sold here is Monarda citriodora aka lemon mint. Sometimes they sell Melissa or Lemon Balm which makes a nice soothing infusion and smells very good when you pinch a leaf.

Keep snails at bay, try encouraging them to drown in beer. Go out with a flashlight after 9pm to catch them feasting -- you will be surprised at how many have been hiding among the roots and stems of your plant. The Green Gardener in UK sells copper rings and copper mats that act as snail and slug barriers. Apparently the slime reacts with the copper and the snails don't like it so they go elsewhere.

Supposedly snails and slugs dislike slithering over wood ash -- so spread some left over from your BBQ around your plants and stand pots on a good ring of ash. Of course when it rains the ash will wash away and you have to start again.

Snails and slugs were mostly hibernating through the cold weather, but they will all be coming out to feast and multiply now that it is warmer and more humid. A medium size African snail can wreak havoc in a big patch of mint, young plants or anything else. Newly hatched baby snails are partial to orchid buds. So beware! When you get desperate, buy a packet of snail bait from one of the shops opposite the Macau Ferry Pier. But it is poisonous, so please use it very carefully.

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