# Alternative/Natural MOSQUITO repellent please!!



## therunbunch (Oct 5, 2009)

The New England mosquitos are VICIOUS! Nothing like our wimpy little mosquitos back in TX. These things are heavier, bigger, scary looking, and PAINFUL! The welps they leave are dime to nickel-sized and so itchy and painful. I practically bathe the kids in OFF! but is there anything safer/more effective/cheaper?? We need relief. My 3 year old bleeds really badly after getting bitten.. like to the point you'd think he'd been cut open.. it's horrible.


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## jamala (May 4, 2007)

I got 2 "mosquito plants" at lowes and have them and rosemary planted in pots on my porch and so far they haven't bothered us while we are on the porch. I thought about picking a few branches and tucking them into my hat while I garden and walk to see if that will help when I am not on the porch. They cover me while walking in the evening.


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## KnowOneSpecial (Sep 12, 2010)

My neighbor used to squirt vinegar and water on her grandkids. You have to reapply often, but it's natural. 

What about getting real Bounce dryer sheets and trying them into his belt loops? That's what I do with my kids.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I have heard about people taking B-complex then extra B1 a few times a day. It's water soluble, so you can't overdose. I've heard people claim it works, but I haven't ever heard about any studies on it, nor have I ever heard anyone discuss it at alternative conferences which makes me wonder if it does work. Usually, if something does work, you hear about it at classes or conferences.
Here's a google search on the subject.
[ame]http://www.google.com/search?q=vit+b+bug+repellent&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a#hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&pq=vit%20b%20bug%20repellent&xhr=t&q=vit+b1+bug&cp=6&pf=p&sclient=psy&client=firefox-a&hs=Y6M&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&source=hp&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=vit+b1+bug+repellent&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=a34f7f1872f21971&biw=1280&bih=598[/ame]


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## therunbunch (Oct 5, 2009)

Bounce dryer sheets huh??? I'll try that too.. and mosquito plants.. never heard of them but I'll look into that!!!


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## Pink_Carnation (Apr 21, 2006)

Repel Plant Based Lemon Eucalyptus 

Which is basically oil of lemon eucalyptus and it really does work.


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## therunbunch (Oct 5, 2009)

I bought some Bounce sheets.. I'll let you know how they work for us.


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## KnowOneSpecial (Sep 12, 2010)

When my brother was playing soldier up at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin they would eat three match heads a day. They were made of sulfur and they would sweat it out. Of course they stank to high heaven, but they said it was a "manly stench" and the other guys didn't tease them as much as the guy who brought Avon Skin So Soft. :bash::hysterical:


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## Helena (May 10, 2002)

Use Burt's Bees insect stick repellent. Seems to work good for me. But, also have used and been told by others that the Avon Skin so Soft bath oil does repel bugs too. How about those little gadgets that you see in garden catalogs that you put on your wrist or hang from your belt that repel bugs by some "sound". Good Luck !!


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## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

My grandma made us put garlic in our socks. It absorbs through your skin and comes out all of your pours. Stinks, though!


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## grandmajo (Mar 25, 2008)

I made some goat milk lotion and used cedarwood essential oil to scent it. And ended up being pleasantly surprised to discover that it repels mosquitoes!


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## mommathea (May 27, 2009)

Right now I have an organic bug spray my mom got for free. It's J/A/S/O/N. The main ingredient is Geranium oil. It works on the dog to get rid of the Gnats bothering her. Thankfully the mosquitos aren't out in full force yet here. So I dont' know how it will work of them.
I'm slowly buying the Eo's I need to make my own. Lemon oil, Eucalyptus oil, and geranium oil


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Make sure the Geranium is ROSE GERANIUM, big difference.

Yarrow leaves and flowers soaked in 100 proof Vodka or Apple Cider Vinegar seems to work around here, of course it has to be applied often.


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## therunbunch (Oct 5, 2009)

We have some skin-so-soft.. I should use that too and see what happens..


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

therunbunch said:


> We have some skin-so-soft.. I should use that too and see what happens..


It works great as long as you apply it often enough. My youngest daughter was allergic to mosquitoes when she was little. A bite on her arm would swell all the way up to her shoulder all red and hot, her eyelids would swell shut, she would sometimes have to go get steroid cream and even steroid shots if the bite were near her face. And instead of fading in a few hours or a day or two like on normal people, she would stay swollen up for a week at a time. It was awful. As she grew up, she didn't react as badly to them, but she still gets huge red, hot welts worse than a normal person does. She's 20.

Skin so Soft was a Godsend when she was little though. I would put it in her bath, apply morning/evening/ and even in the afternoon if we were going outside. The poor thing had it all over her from April to Nov. Her hair would even look greasy because I would rub it on my hands then smear it onto her hair to keep them away from her face and neck. I even put it in her bath water so it would be all over her skin. I found that the original works great, but some of the other "fragrances" of the product don't seem to repel them as well. And the oil works better than the lotions, cream, etc.


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## Peggy (Feb 14, 2010)

vitamin b1 has worked for me. I that 1 pill everyday. the mosquitoes will still bite but not as hard and the itchy bump is gone by the next day. B1 does work.


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## WildernesFamily (Mar 11, 2006)

If you have pineapple weed on your property, it makes an excellent insect repellent. Crush the leaves and rub on the skin. You'd probably have to re-apply often though.

Eating garlic really seems to help me repel mozzies, but then you have the garlic breath to deal with. :shrug:


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## ajaxlucy (Jul 18, 2004)

For mosquito bites, I use the homemade bay rum aftershave that I learned to make here:

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=355800&highlight=aftershave

It's not a repellent, but it helps a lot with the itching.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

ajaxlucy... I saw that thread and I'm hoping to make some this year.
"Manly, yes, but I like it too"....~lol~...


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## GeorgiaGirl (Jun 1, 2009)

Skin so soft works good for us.


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## Lannie (Jan 11, 2004)

I think a lot of it has to do with individual body chemistry as well as what you eat. My husband never got bitten by mosquitoes before, when he was a junk food junkie, but me, they'll find me if there's only one mosquito in the whole county. Then hubby cut out the junk food and started eating decently, and now he gets bitten as often as I do. So somewhere is some junk that he was either eating or drinking, that repels them, however I don't know what it is and I wouldn't recommend it anyway! LOL!

We have really vicious mosquitoes here, too, I think because of the short summers. I've tried everything, and some stuff does work, but only for a short time (5 to 15 minutes). Most of the things suggested above I've tried, and some don't work, or they do but not for long enough. The one thing I've found that DOES work, at least for me, is Orange TKO. It's kind of expensive, but I found another one, and it's even made here in the USA, called That Orange Stuff (you can Google it to find where to get it if you're interested). It's basically orange oil with a surfactant in it so it will mix with water, and it's used as a cleaner. It's just orange oil, though, and it's organic, so it's safe to use on your skin. You can mix it with water, or what I do is just dab it on straight out of the bottle. A little goes a long way, and that stuff will keep the skeeters off me for 12 hours under normal conditions, 8 hours if it's unusually warm and humid and the mosquito load is high.

I also dab and rub it on my horses and cows to keep flies off them (it works on flies, too). And it smells nice. 

So if anyone is still getting bitten and really doesn't want to use DEET, try the orange oil and see if that works. 

Another thing I found (someone recommended to me) that helps IF I get bitten is homeopathic staphysagria. I get those huge welts, too, that last for days, when a skeeter bites me, but if I can get a dose of staphysagria in me within a few minutes, it doesn't do that. It'll itch for a minute, then it subsides, and I don't get the welts and swelling.

Mosquitoes are no fun, I know. Before I found the orange oil worked so well, I spent one whole summer in the house because I was AFRAID to go outside. I'd get 10 feet from the door and be mobbed by swarms of mosquitoes. It was awful. Now, they still swarm (they're attracted to the carbon dioxide in your breath), but THEY DON'T LAND. That's priceless!

~Lannie


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## Farmer Dave (Jan 1, 2003)

I make my own insect repellent by using a bar of Red Carbolic Germicidal Bath Soap. I grate some of the soap using a cheese grater and adding just enough Isopropyl Alcohol to melt the soap gratings. I make it in an empty 1lb. margarine or cottage cheese container that has a tight fitting lid to keep the alcohol from evaporating. If it evaporates, no problem...just add more. You can also add more soap shavings to the alcohol if the repellent doesn't seem to be working well enough.

To use, I just put my fingers into the mixture and apply the repellent to any exposed skin. Keep away from the eyes. This repellent works great for me in repelling mosquitoes, knats and other pesky insects. I've never tested it with ticks.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

I use catnip. It grows *everywhere* around here so I just grab a handful when the flies or mosquitoes get bothersome, crush it and rub it on. Works for me.


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