Whether you are venturing to a far away land and want to keep yourself protected from malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, or are just around the patio and don’t want to be swatting away the little buggers during your next barbeque, there are a number of homeopathic remedies and repellants that can keep you bite free. Read on, and itch no more!
Mosquitoes are grossed out by certain smells (that aren’t so distasteful to us!) Experts say you can try planting marigolds, catnip, and rosemary around your house and patio to ward them off.
Others suggest pinning dryer sheets to your clothes, but I’m personally not sure how one is supposed to pull that off… (Maybe make it look as ironic as possible?)
Perhaps better, try spritzing yourself with lemon eucalyptus oil to repel them on the go. The suggestion is 5 drops oil to 1 cup of water in a plastic spray bottle - a few good sprays and you should be set. Lemon eucalyptus oil has been reviewed and recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Center for Disease Control, so you know it’s not just an old wives tale.
Other natural oils and compounds that act as mosquito repellants include geranium oil, soybean oil, fennel, thyme, clove oil, celery extract, neem oil, and garlic.
You can also burn citronella candles around the patio and the house at night because skeeters hate citronella. The more you burn, the better; try making a ring around the table to protect yourselves from all sides.
Furthermore, mosquitoes loooove stagnant/sitting water and use it as a breeding ground. Even a cup or pot with a little bit of rainwater is like a mosquito hotel, so make sure you don’t leave receptacles around that can fill up with water, or at least remove the water ASAP
If you are by a lake or in another place where the mosquitoes are going to be a problem even if you light an army of candles, you can also try putting up mosquito netting which has tons of tiny holes that allow you to see through it but keeps the bugs out.
At the end of the day, synthetic repellents with high concentrations of DEET seem to be the most objectively effective, but since there are speculations that it can be harmful to your health, try some of these remedies first!
