I asked awhile ago about all the lovely bugs here and got a lot of helpful responses. I bought garlic tablets, Vitamin B. Probably haven't been taking those long enough to work yet.
I also got online and looked up homemade bug repellents. I have tried mixes of witch hazel with citronella oil, lavender and tea tree. I swear, its making it worse!!?? It as if they travel UP and DOWN my clothes now to bite me!
Has anyone had success with a home made concoction? I still rarely see anything that bites me. And now I do have the big welts that seem to be mosquitoes. And it's still just me they love. My kids get an occasional bite, but I have a few new ones daily. I quit wearing my perfume, have unscented hair spray for the little amount I do use. And I'm trying to get inside before dusk.....
Just curious if anyone has had success with a recipe they can share. I did buy the %100 essential oils too.
Am I doomed to be a bug buffet? :)
D.-
When we eat dinner in my parent's backyard, we grab a big box fan and set it on high and point it towards the dinner table. A strong wind can keep the bugs off of you.
Might that work for you?
I've also heard good things about eating bananas.
Best,
F. B.
Add peppermint oil to the lavender and tea tree oil. You may also need to add a few more drops to the water mixture. The bugs don't like the smell of these oils.
I would also not use laundry detergent or softeners that are scented. Flowery scents will attract bugs.
That is not fun. I live in Minnesota and get bit by every mosquito out there. It seems as though there can be ten people and I am the only one the bugs are driving nuts. This summer I finally found something that actually works. I can't remember what it's called but it's a little machine that you put a pad of some sort of bug repellant into. There is a cartridge of (propane?) that you put in the bottom that runs the thing. BEST BUY EVER!!! I can now be outside even at night and I really rarely get bit so long as I have it by me. It is meant to be set on a table and says it covers 15 feet but I carry it with me and just set it on my lap or very close by. They do sell a belt type thing if you want that. It is a little more expensive but, who cares, it works. I bought mine at Fleet Farm. I don't know if you have those in Florida but I would think any big box store would have it. It did cost about $30.00 or so for the machine and then refills were maybe another $20? Well worth the money.
I tried all of those things with the same result. You know what I use now? Listerine!! I just pour the basic, brown variety into a spray bottle and spray us with it. Didn't get bit all summer! It was fantastic. I will say that because it evaporates more quickly, you need to reapply more often. But we love it. Good luck!
My mom swears by avons skin so soft. It comes in a spray bottle. And benefit it doesn't smell nasty. I know it's not home made but it's not off etc.
I have had about a 99% success rate for the below mixture using a coconut/beeswax base:
60 drops lavender oil
60 drops frankincense
60 drops lemongrass
30 drops thyme
The plus side is the lemongrass has a much nicer smell than the citronella and more gentle for the skin. I use this as my all-purpose lotion as each ingredient is good for the skin, senses and works well as a natural bug repellent.
My girls and I would always get eaten up until I started using this on them 24/7. I've had friends/family who have used it as a bug repellent. There was only one person (female) that it didn't work for but I think it's because of all the other scents she uses. Hopefully it will work for you!
We went to an outside wedding last year and I was a bit floored when I saw dryer sheets all over the food table.
Doncha know....dryer sheets keep bugs away! Who knew?
Maybe put some dryer sheets on your person. lol You will always smell clean!
L.
I will be honest, no, I have never found a homemade natural concoction that can stand up to the blood suckers we have here.
As a matter of fact, about 3 weeks ago, one of the mosquitoes got me at a car wash, where I was helping my husband detail his truck, I forgot to take spray and ended up with my legs and ankles, eaten up.
I did not even realize I was scratching one of my legs so badly, that I actually ended up with a huge scrape on my shin, that ended up infected and I had to go on heavy duty antibiotics! I still have a terrible thick scab on the my leg.. Not pretty.
At our child's daycare they used to use natural vanilla extract with water to make a spray and that worked pretty well.
I have a sensitivity to strong odors, Avon''s skin so soft gives me migraines
So I have had to make the decision to either, spray the chemicals on me, or totally spray down our yard.
I also do special events and there is no better way to have people leave early than to have then fighting off mosquitoes, so again, I usually spray down the yard.
I use this product. It really works, but you MUST follow the directions. I can spray this and for months, not have a problem. "Cutter Backyard spray". You attach it to a water hose.
Do this days before an event. I usually spray it in the early evening so it can really settle into the yard, all night.
Remember mosquitoes love moist or wet areas. So you must make sure there is no standing water. Also no use spraying up in the air, misquotes breed and live down on the ground, so spray the edges of the yard and house. And around the bottoms of shrubs flower puts, trees etc.
If I am away from home, I have to use commercial sprays, like "Cutter." I spray the creases of my body wear I sweat and places you can find a pulse. Crook of your arm, ankles, neck. Of course you have to remember to take it with you or actually spray it on your body.. learn from my mistake.. ....
Move to AZ, we don't have a bug problem. lol I actually remember reading something years and years ago that made sense and for some reason stuck with me. It said those bug traps you can buy actually attract MORE bugs than you start with. It said if you buy them for the back yard, to hang them in the far corner, not by where you will be sitting. So they must have something that makes the bugs come near then it kills them. Maybe that's what your homemade stuff does but doesn't mean to? I don't know but I feel for you. I hate bug bites and would not like dealing with it every day. I hope you find something that works for you.
Skin so soft from Avon works.
It depends a lot on what's biting you. Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide you exhale, but they are deterred by a breeze (as in the fan example listed blow). Biting flies or gnats may be attracted by some of what you are doing. Spiders are another entire category. Garlic is useful for fleas but I'm not sure for much else. Vitamin B? Never ever heard of that although it's good for the Vitamin B manufacturers! I work in food science and we don't recommend individual vitamins for anything, and we've heard no anecdotal evidence nor seen any clinical trials about ingesting a particular nutrient for overall relief from bug bites. We have seen results when people do contract something, such as tick-borne illnesses like Lyme, Babesiosis and Erlichiosis, but that's for recovery rather than prevention.
It's also important to remember what you are trying to prevent - if it's a question of EEE or West Nile virus (which we have in New England), then you use what works!
i do the vitamin B thing and it usually helps a little (although there's nothing but deep woods off that works when the mosquitoes bloom in early summer, or ticks if i'm going to be in the woods) but for some reason i'm being FEASTED upon right now. about 2 dozen huge, insanely itchy bites. probably because i got hay this weekend.
i do make homemade stuff for the less voracious times of year, and it's reasonably effective against gnats and normal mosquitoes<G>. i use white vinegar, Skin-So-Soft, citronella and lavender oils.
khairete
S.
