Natural Ways To Repel Mosquitoes
Q. What are some natural ways to repel mosquitoes?
A. It’s not for everyone but as an avid hiker i swear by rubbing a garlic clove pinched to get the juiceflowing all over exposed skin. this is better, and cheaper than dangerous deet products. also avoid perfumed soaps, cosmetics, hair goop or anything that smells even like deodorant
A. I have been making a tea out of herbs from my herb garden of cat mint and rosemary and it is working for me! I just cut the leaves and stems up in a cup and pour in a cup of boiling water and let it steep for an hour or so, then keep it in spray bottle in the fridge. Also, tea tree oil works.
A. When we lived in Malaysia, the locals swore that eating lots of bananas provided the best protection against mosquitoes. The only rider was that they had to be the small bananas (lady fingers, we called them). Don’t know how you feel about bananas, but it seemed to work for us :) Cheers – Hush
A.
I like these two: Rub citronella oil on exposed areas or burn citronella candles.
Tansy or basil planted near a door will repel mosquitoes
A. We have plenty here too. We apply Avon Skin so Soft liberally before going outside. It really works, it’s a little oily but washes off with soap when we come back in and shower. I have read where rubbing a Bounce (fabric softener) sheet on arms, legs and face deters them. Golfers hang a sheet from their belts, but I haven’t tried this. Hope this info. helps you, God Bless you and yours. – Shirley
A. I, also, live in the Blue Ridge Mountains and mosquitoes can be a problem here. First I don’t wear perfume of any kind: shower gel, deodorant, shampoos all without perfumes. No attractants. Next, when I know I’ll be outside I take garlic supplements or eat foods with garlic. An excellent repellent. Also, I use Skin So Soft Original Scent products. I have, also, used pennyroyal and mint crushed and wrapped in a bandana wore around my neck. Don’t forget the pets. They can be wiped down with Skin So Soft and wear an herbal necklace, too. Lastly, if bitten I never scratch the biten area but I will slap it to bring blood and antihistamines to the area.
A. Bob, a fisherman, takes one vitamin B-1 tablet a day April through October . He said it works. He was right. The odor the tablet gives out through your skin (YOU can not smell it) repels mosquitos, black flies, no seeum’s, and gnats. It does not work on stinging insects. Hasn’t had a mosquito bite in 33 years. Try it. Every one he has talked into trying it works on them. Vitamin B-1( Thiamine Hydrochloride 100 mg.) Kenn said NPR reports that if you eat bananas, the mosquitoes like you, something about the banana oil as your body processes it. (Maybe they need the potassium too- lol) Stop eating bananas for the summer and the mosquitoes will be much less interested.
This is going to floor you, but one of the best insect repellents someone found (who is in the woods every day), is Vick’s Vaporub.
Plant marigolds around the yard, the flowers give off a smell that bugs do not like, so plant some in that garden also to help ward off bugs without using insecticides. "Tough guy" Marines who spend a great deal of time "camping out" say that the very best mosquito repellant you can use is Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil mixed about half and half with alcohol. mix your own: 20 drops Eucalyptus oil 20 drops Cedarwood oil 10 drops Tea Tree oil 10 drops Geranium oil 2 oz. carrier oil ( such as Jojoba ) Mix together in a 4 oz. container. Apply to skin as needed avoiding the eye area. Keep out of reach of children. Test on a small area of skin for sensitivities . Experiment with different percentages of essential oil One of the best natural insect repellants that I’ve discovered is made from the clear real vanilla (not the grocery store vanilla extract which is mostly alcohol). This is the pure vanilla that is sold in Mexico. It’s cheap there if you know of someone that lives there or in the US close to the border. If not, health food stores usually carry it or can order it for you. I use it half vanilla and half water and find that it works great for mosquitoes and ticks, don’t know about other insects. when all else fails–get a frog – JoAnne
A. grow rosemary in your backyard. Mosquitoes hate it and you can use it for cooking all year round. BB
Please Note: Caution should be used with cats
The best way to combat mosquitoes is to ask those soldiers who fight in jungles for months..Malaysia’s oldest rainforest in the world where you can find the biggest flower in the world that smells like dead bodies…Malaysia is infested with different breed of mosquitoes and surely the mosquitoes in jungles are huge.According to those soldiers who fought the communists, they had special pills that make their blood bitter thus keeping the mosquitoes at bay.
It’s hopefully B-1, but I wouldn’t encourage taking anything the military regularly gives troops. Troops are canon fodder to the military; their well being is not really considered. Yeah, harsh. Also true.
Great Piece!
Lavender works really well. We had a mosquito problem in our bathroom until my mum stuck a huge bunch of lavender we bought in there and within a week there wasn’t a single mosquito. Lavender oil works if you can’t grow it (like you live in a tropical country like I do).
Also citronella oil is pure awesome. Heat up some tealight candles until the wax is all liquid and clear, mix in citronella oil, and let it solidify. Either that or get/make some nice wood carvings and soak them in the oil, and set them out. Mosquitoes will avoid that area like the plague. If you really hate mosquitoes and your skin is fairly tough, I once spilled some citronella oil on my bed sheets and washed them with everything else. My clothes smelled like citronella oil but no mosquitoes. I can also attest to the whole lady’s fingers=no mosquitoes. It works, and apparently so does eating bittergourd a lot. Bonus is that it’s good for your skin.
My wife and I had seen that eating the fruit Spondias Dulcis popularly called in the South West , Littoral and parts of the South Provinces of Cameroon, Cassa Mango, could repel mosquito bites. We will like some researchers to study and confirm this observation by carrying out detailed and controlled research on this fruit, for this could help many from the effects of mosquito bites: malaria and Dengue fevers.
I live in an area by the Great Lakes badly infested with Mosquitos. I get swarmed by Mosquitos outside the house 6 months out of the year. I started eating carrots by coincidence and no more bites. My family still gets bitten a lot and I hear the Mosquitos buzzing around but no bites.
I’ve had good results (no bites) with these methods:
Wearing patchouli oil perfume.
Eating garlic every day (not excessively, but definitely a clove or more, cooked in foods).
Also, I make a natural “tea” of the following items from my garden and citrus rinds: combine chopped fresh herbs — lavender, rosemary, basil, mint, sage, thyme, oregano (any combination of these, doesn’t need to be all of them) with chopped up orange, lemon, or lime rinds; put in a pot with water and bring to a boil. Boil for about a minute, then remove from heat. Let stand overnight. Strain into a spray bottle. If you want, add some oil — olive, sunflower — just a little. Store in fridge. Mist over your clothing, skin, hair, the dog… before you go outside. If you added oil, give it a good shake before applying.
I spray that “tea” on my outdoor sheer curtains (which are on our patio to help keep bugs away during the evening) and I think it’s helped. On skin, however, and clothing, we reapply frequently. It’s essentially a free bug spray, however, so it doesn’t matter how much we use!
I wouldn’t bite a hippy either :)
If your going for any of the sprays with deet in shops and pharmacies go for Ben 100 its in a small red bottle my wife got for me one time and I used it by a lake were millions of midges came out of the bushes and thank god I was the only one the midges didn’t munch. It was very good. However, do eat garlic if your a fisherman or a soldier etc and don’t wash to often when out an about the midges love moistureand they don’t like body odour. A few drops of Tea tree oil mixed into some baby oil and mix together and rub it on is very very good against mosquitos. Midges don’t like anything oily remember that so try and have some oil in any mix you make. The following are good natural insect repellents. Bog Myrtle Catmint Citronella Euculyptus, Rosemary Basil, Lavender, and Garlic. All can be mixed with boiling water or just some and the water strained and put into a spray bottle and it works well. And the Avon Dry Oil that is also an insect repellent is very good. I sometimes would take a non drowsy antihistamine tablet before I would go out to help prevent any reaction from bites or stings (just in case). I was told that it is only the female midge that bites and she injects a pheromone that attracts other midges. Head Nets are good as well to keep them at bay.
And don’t forget if you are going out in the wild don’t forget to bring a good recommended after bite, and sting, cream from the chemist ……and I also bring savlon cream. they can be purchased in small tubes.
No need for any of those!
MSG literally NEUTRALIZES stings. My personal experiences includes jellyfish, wasps, bees, fire ants, spiders — so I do think it would work for scorpions and centipedes. Don’t recall trying it on mosquito bites, but theirs isn’t a venom, it’s their saliva that’s an irritant. I’d say try it anyway.
Wet the area, spit works, sprinkle, like you’re salting something. In 30 second or less it’s GONE. It won’t swell, welt, itch — because there’s no venom. It’s neutralized.
Brush or wash off the MSG, as it IS a meat tenderizer and you don’t want to break down cell walls — so, obviously, never bandage MSG onto the skin. It only takes seconds and you’re done.
It’s wild. You can see people who may have been sobbing suddenly see something and maybe comment on it. The pain is gone so fast they forget they were in pain. Ask them about the pain and they’ll look bewildered, like “What are you talking about?” Then they remember and their eyes get huge. :-)
Great stuff. Always carry in your vehicle, even in a salt shaker. Can hardly use up a salt shaker’s worth in years and years. Put rice in it to keep it dry if in humidity.
natural plantains are everywhere, and if you just crush them and rub on itch, it is gone..and I would think a bit more healthy than msg…also white vinegar, but I would think any vinegar would do. I was bitten by a hornet approx 8 bites, when I put white vinegar, the pain was gone in minutes.
In a short TV program about African jungles the narrator told that the Chimpanzees eat banana and rub its inner skin on their skins to repel insects including mosquitoes.
I will go with lavender oil.. msg? No thanks…
Very Interesting….
I have heard crows crush ants for formic acid to repel with. I, on the other (slightly human) hand accidentally found out a few weeks ago that something I had included in my rinse cycle seemed to do the job. I am O negative blood and believe me, can get white anklets and wristlets from bugbites. At a picnic with friends, while everyone else chose to apply DEET, I received only one bite. I remember some of the oils I had a couple of drops of in my rinse cycle were cedarwood, lemon, and rosemary. I was outside a good six hours. Has anyone else tried something along these lines? I have heard since that a similar mix with lavender and anything acidic will do the same. I react to lavender however so cannot try it
I have found Windex takes the sting out of a mosquito bite I spray it on my fingers and wipe it over a bite and with in a minute it’s not itching. Vicks vapor rub also deters mosquitoes from you and I take small bits and rub it on diff things around the area I will be around and they stay away ?
Apple Cider Vinegar works well when you let it build up in your blood stream for several days, at least 4 to 5 days, prior to being exposed to mosquitoes. Drink aleast a teaspoon twice a day mixed in a cup of Apple jucice. Mosquitoes hate the sulfur in the Apple Cider Vinegar.