Wasting Away Again in Mosquitoville...

Oh my gosh....just got back inside from weeding/hoeing/etc. in my perennialbed and back with my milkweeds/butterfly bushes, and grasses.  I am used to being itchy after weeding, and am horribly allergic to poison ivy, but I gotta tell ya, the mosquitoes are HORRIBLE!!!!!!!

I have welting bites on legs, arms, temples, neck, well, just everywhere!  All this rain has made a mosquito heaven here in Ohio!  And I am still on my prednisone from my facial/neck poison ivy issue starting a week ago....

I highly recommend OFF! Deep Woods....and will use  it from today on...it is really too early in the day to have mosquito action???????  what ev, right?

I love DEET

Never had much luck with OFF spray. Or anything. Then again, I'm the type mosquitos will choose over people sitting right next to me. Glad it works for somebody at least.

I'm pretty attractive as well, Scorpio.

Marc and Kelejan....you guys are funny!  I am a mosquito magnet on a normal day but today....really distracting!  Buzzing, biting honestly, really got in my way

100% Deet is what both boys (Eagle Scouts) swore by.....have too look for it....worth it!

Please give high consideration to not use DEET.  It is not good for humans, other mammals, birds, and aquatic life.

DEET has been shown (Duke U Study) to cause adverse neurological issues, and in a few cases, death.  

There are safe alternatives that work as well if not better, and inexpensively.  We make bug sprays all the time, even yard sprays that work for days, or until it rains.

Here is an easy recipe you can make in a couple minutes.  You need a spray bottle of any size, but since I just made this yesterday after using up the previous bottle, I will give proportions for an 8-ounce bottle.

1. Fill the 8-ounce bottle half way with boiled water that has cooled (or RO water or distilled)
2. Add Witch Hazel until it is about 1/2 inch from the top
3. Add 50 drops of a combination of the following essential oils (we usually use at least 5 different oils)

Citronella, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Cedar, Cajeput, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Clove, Catnip, Cinnamon, and Lemongrass

Yesterday's blend was Citronella, Cinnamon, Lavender, Tea Tree, Eucalytpus, and Rosemary

We purchase our oils from multiple sources, but out top two are Mountain Rose and Organic Infusions.

I use a mix of olive or almond oil and essential oils.  Usually my mix contains:

Peppermint, lemon, a little citronella, sage, rosemary, cedarwood, orange, & lavender.

Works like a charm and I'm another magnet for those little stinkers...!

Wow, thanks, Atlanta Marie and Razed Bed, I have never even thought about making my own!  I know DEET has some controversy, especially if you are young, elderly, etc. Around here, Lyme disease and other vector borne illnesses get really bad when it has been so wet.  I unfortunately didn't have anything on to deter those skeeters...I will try to make a non-toxic spray and see how that works.

Which ingredient(s) are indispensible in the spray?

AtlantaMarie wrote:I use a mix of olive or almond oil and essential oils.  Usually my mix contains:

Peppermint, lemon, a little citronella, sage, rosemary, cedarwood, orange, & lavender.

Works like a charm and I'm another magnet for those little stinkers...!

I like your blend Marie.  I'm allergic to tea tree and eucalyptus, so that mix sounds nice.  Where do you buy your essential oils?  My poor wife gets feasted on whenever she goes out.  We have an abundance of neem oil from last year's order.  It's still effective on plants, but, believe it or not, it makes a nifty lotion that's good to keep away the skeeters.  We don't mind the scent...  we've gotten quite used to it.  Your blend sounds very pleasant though.

Hi Windmere!

I get my oils from any of our local health-food stores.  I just make sure they're organic.  (Most of them are.)  You can try Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Nutrition Depot, etc.

I just go with whatever smells good to me.

Mine has lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, bay in olive oil. That one is called Shoo Fly from Fredericksburgherbfarm.com.

Then I made a water based spray with lavender, catmint, witch hazel & glycerin. This one works OK but needs to be re-applied often. I won't use the witch hazel again as my skin is already too dry. And I'd prefer catnip but only have catmint in my garden. I'd have to cage in a catnip to grow it.

CC

CC, is that Rosemary and lavendar oil?

Scorpio Rising wrote:CC, is that Rosemary and lavendar oil?

It doesn't say that on the bottle but my guess is yes, they are probably oils made from the plants at the Fredericksburg herb farm. The website has a phone # if you want to call and ask them.

CC

Around the house we use natural stuff but in my boat, jeep and messenger bag I keep either cutters or repel 100% deet they work in deep swamps of south Louisiana when nothing else does.  They are cheap and ya can get a pump spray bottle on sale for 3 $ so I have a few bottles scattered around so they are handy when I need them.  Around the house I am ahppy with natural oils and candles and torches and such but when the chips are down and sceeters are thick enough to cut with a knife its time to bring out the old standard DEET when ya figure the countless thousands of lifes that stuff has saved in the jungles I am willing to risk a few highly published rare incidents.

I did find a really old non aerosol sprayer of Deep Woods Off! after my last trip to the garden...I normally don't use anything to just go out there and putz, but with all the rain will have to re-think that strategy!  I would try a non-DEET formula, just never have.  

Oh, yeah, Cappy, I bet those babies could tote off a small mammal down there!  lol