Keeping Mosquitoes Away

[Jeepers]

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/07/10/cheap-bug-insect-repellant-savings-experiment?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl14|sec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D499789

 

 

Pests can keep you from enjoying the peacefulness of your backyard. Here are a few more safe and cost-effective ways to keep ants and other bugs away during the warm-weather months.

 

If the mosquitoes are eating you alive, try rubbing a few lemon or orange peels on your skin. The citrus oil and scent act as a natural repellent, and it works great for gnats too. If you don't have any fruit handy, a little vanilla extract or baby oil can also do the trick.

 

Another potent tool to have in your arsenal is lemon-eucalyptus spray. This natural mosquito, flea and tick repellent is government-approved for being just as effective as DEET. On top of that, you can easily make your own spray for around $2 a bottle.

 

Here's the recipe: Simply take a small spray bottle and fill it up halfway with distilled or boiled water. Next, fill up the rest of with some witch hazel from your local pharmacy. Then top it all off with 50 drops of lemon-eucalyptus oil, commonly found at most health food stores.

 

This solution is also safe for your skin just dab a few drops on a cotton ball and apply. For those of you who don't want to deal with sprays and topical treatments, you can help keep the bugs away by using a candle warmer. These cost an average of $10-$15 at most big-box stores, and are really easy to use.

 

Just fill the top dish with a little water, add a few drops of essential oil, plug it in and let the heat naturally disperse the scented oil through the air. Just be sure to use insect-repelling oils like citronella, lavendar and lemon eucalptus for the best effect.

 

Before you spend money on overpriced bug sprays, give these safe and low-cost remedies a try. You'll keep your budget tight and the bugs at bay.

 

 

Edited to add:

I don't know about the price of getting the oils from a health food store. Probably expensive. I get oils from a craft outlet. This one is local enough to me that I can go pick it up without shipping. You might check out your craft places before a health food store. http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/ProductFilter.aspx?FBK=Lemon+Eucalyptus&x=53&y=11

Edited July 12, 2014 by Jeepers

[BigM]

We make our bug spray out of water, lemon juice and vanilla. I keep meaning to look into something to add that keeps off biting gnats to add to it. They are as bad as the mosquitoes here!

[Jeepers]

I hate those little devils too. They just fly all around your face and knees won't leave you alone. I didn't know they bit though.

[The WE2's]

I've suffered for years from mosquito bites, whelped up like crazy and took weeks to heal. THEN...I found "my" secret! When I get bit, I immediately give it a good scrubbing with T-tree oil and every time it itches I do it again. They don't whelp up, don't get nearly as itchy and are gone in no time. Also used it on a couple of tick bites (MrWE2 shared them with me) from CGA's property and the T-tree oil worked the same on them. I'm soooo glad!!! When we've been out where we think we might catch some ticks or chiggers, we just mix up a sink full of mild bleach water and wash your feet and legs down, and then take our showers. Works like a charm to kill the chiggers and makes the ticks want to escape so they're easy to find and kill before they burrow in. I've now started to putting some T-tree oil behind my knees and around my ankles etc. and I think it works! Don't know about biting gnats etc., I don't think we've got them here?

[kappydell]

I'll have to try these! It sure beats fastening flea & tick collars around the ankles of your boots!

[BigM]

I hate those little devils too. They just fly all around your face and knees won't leave you alone. I didn't know they bit though.

 

We had those in Indiana. We (read everyone in my family but me. Guess I'm a prude) called them (ahem) pecker gnats because they always hung around the dogs "sensitive bits". I don't recall them biting either.

[Twilight]

My mix for mosquitoes , haven't had problems with the gnats either

might be the soda. I do not know if this will work with ticks but plan on trying it...

2 cups hot water

1/2 cup vinegar

1T soda

a little salt

let sit over night before pouring in spray bottle

 

for mosquitoes , haven't had problems with the gnats either

might be the soda. I do not know if this will work with ticks but plan on trying it...

[Mt_Rider]

Any of these work for flies....on horses? I always hate to put "the good stuff" on them cuz it's so toxic.

 

MtRider

[BigM]

Look up... repelling biting gnats (??)... When I was looking around there were a few different things about protecting horses.

 

Looks like gnats hate mint. I plan to buy a bottle of extract and add some to my currant solution and see how it does.

[windmorn]

Thanks for the post. They're getting bad in da swamp.

[Jeepers]

You're welcome. And I still think about you and your DD often! I can only imagine the size of the skeeters down your way. I just read where the county I was born and raised in in IN. have West Nile again this year.

 

LOL in in IN.

[Daelith]

I have found that the aloe with lidocaine and menthol helps with the itching of insect bites. Especially ticks.

[RoseMarie]

I'm wondering how you could use this for chickens? Wondering if one could put some little containers around in their pen say high above on the walls to keep the mosquitoes out? Mine have fowl pox now from the things. I put dryer sheets all around their pen in the wire but they still get in to them.

[The WE2's]

I have found that the aloe with lidocaine and menthol helps with the itching of insect bites. Especially ticks.

 

Found a "miracle" for me ... Right Guard deodorant spray. Absolutely do NOT know why, but a little spirt on the bite and the itching is gone! No more welps either. When they do itch, they get another spirt :-) PTL

[Ambergris]

If you have beautyberries where you live, puree the leaves and make a lotion.