natural mosquito repellent

[Elizabeth86]

Since the weather is warming up, I have something on my mind.  Last year mosquitos were terrible at our house and we spend a ton of time outside.  I cannot stand to use bug spray, dh put it on the kids last year and the overspray literally killed the grass.  Yikes!  I also cannot stand being covered with mosquito bites, scary.  Is there a natural repellent you ladies make or buy that works?  Anything safe for a 1 year old?

[JIN MOUSA]

I've used this - https://www.amazon.com/All-Terrain-DEET-Free-Repellent-Activities/dp/B000MWDYAY/ref=sr_1_1

It doesn't spray on nice and smooth like aerosol cans, but I just spray a bunch in my hands and then rub it in. I think it smells nice for bug spray and does a decent job of keeping the mosquitos away. 

For the 1-year old, there's also a Kids' version. As with most things and a 1-year old, I'd be concerned about anything on their hands that would end up in their mouth. 

 

[gardenmom5]

put up bat houses - where kids won't go through the guano.  a single bat can eat 1,200 mosquitos an hour.

we sit outside, and at dusk - watch the bats feast on mosquitos. (no, we don't have bat houses.  I don't know where they live, we're in a wooded area - but they come out at dusk.)

[PrincessMommy]

6 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

put up bat houses - where kids won't go through the guano.  a single bat can eat 1,200 mosquitos an hour.

we sit outside, and at dusk - watch the bats feast on mosquitos. (no, we don't have bat houses.  I don't know where they live, we're in a wooded area - but they come out at dusk.)

that is a great idea.   I love bats but I do worry about rabies.  How long did it take for them to move in once you put up the house?

 

We have a very shady yard and deal with mosquitoes.  Added to that my granddaughter is allergic and is a mosquito magnet.  She gets terrible welts all over her legs and arms.    We used a Dynatrap last year.  It seemed to work great at the beginning of the season but I moved it and it didn't work so great.  I'm going to give it another year to see how it works.  

[gardenmom5]

1 minute ago, PrincessMommy said:

that is a great idea.   I love bats but I do worry about rabies.  How long did it take for them to move in once you put up the house?

 

We have a very shady yard and deal with mosquitoes.  Added to that my granddaughter is allergic and is a mosquito magnet.  She gets terrible welts all over her legs and arms.    We used a Dynatrap last year.  It seemed to work great at the beginning of the season but I moved it and it didn't work so great.  I'm going to give it another year to see how it works.  

I don't have bat houses - I'm in a heavily wooded area, and they live here.

 

[Junie]

Burt's Bees makes a natural mosquito repellent.  It is amazing!

I am a mosquito magnet (as are some of my dc).  We can easily walk away from an outdoor event with dozens of mosquito bites each.  When we have used this we end up with only one or two each.  (For those of us who are most mosquito prone, I take the spray cap off and pour the repellent on our arms and legs to make sure we get enough coverage.)

[Pen]

Swallows also eat mosquitoes with no rabies concerns.   

Make sure you don’t have water standing where they are breeding.  

Some growing plants can help repel.  

Electric zappers.  

Mosquito net hats...  they even come in pink for girls...

 

citronella candles if a patio is involved where it could be safe

we have used Burt’s bees repellent, and it is enough in our home circumstances, but Ds went camping in a terrible mosquito area and it wasn’t enough for extremely hungry mosquitoes 

myrtle/California Laurel if you have that in your area, mosquitoes don’t like the oils .  Native Americans used it by crumpling leaves and rubbing on skin.  It works where we are.  Don’t know if it would have with excessively hungry mosquitoes

 

[ktgrok]

What did you use before? Was it DEET or Picardin or Lemon Eucalyptus, or what? There are several options that actually work and a whole truckload of ones that don't work hardly at all. 

Due to the Zika scare a few summers ago, when I was not so conveniently pregnant and living in the same state as the outbreak, I did a ton of research on insect repellent, most of which matched up with my personal, anecdotal experience having lived in Florida all my life AND having spent a summer working at a camp literally IN a swamp in the Everglades. 

So, a lot of stuff works, the issue is how long it works. Some stuff doesn't even last 30 minutes - mostly the "natural" ones made with essential oils. It's really not even worth spraying on. The ones that actually work, and last, are either DEET at fairly high concentrations or Picardin sprays. I don't have a huge issue with DEET if for single weekend, but for everyday use I'm not so willing. Lemon Eucalyptus works, but causes skin reactions in two of us, and honestly the smell is pretty over powering. So, based on that plus effectiveness we went with Picardin based sprays. Sawyer brand got the absolute top ratings, and if you get the kind in the pump rather than aerosol it doesn't have much of an odor at all. Doesn't make you feel weirdly sticky either. The Natrapel was an aerosol with Picardin but I didn't like it at all. Felt weird, didn't like the smell, etc. 

This year I saw that OFF brand has a Picardin one, called Deep Woods Sportsmen, and I picked up a can. Smells pretty nice, definitely a stronger smell than the Sawyer pump but way nicer than the Natrapel one. I like it so far, and it seems to work well. No one has ever had a reaction to any of the Picardin ones in my house. And I'm not willing to go "natural" if it means either skin reactions/burning like the lemon eucalyptus ones or getting eaten alive by mosquitos, like with the essential oil ones - looking at you California Baby spray! 

Also, low levels of DEET are pointless, you'd have to keep applying, so if I'm using DEET I get one with enough concentration to last. But again, I only use that if it's a short term thing, not daily all summer, given that Picardin works so well. Maybe it's not natural, but it works, and the diseases that mosquitoes carry are NOT something I want to mess with, even if they are natural illness 🙂

This link is old, so the new OFF Sportsmen with Picardin doesn't show up on it, but it has the same levels as the ones they rate at the top. 

https://www.today.com/health/5-mosquito-repellents-best-protect-against-zika-virus-consumer-reports-t72761

(and if anyone wants a recommendation for sunscreen, from a redhead living in Florida, I swear by Banana Boat Sport, in the orange bottle. I can use the SPF30 and not burn at all, which is pretty darned miraculous. I've been using it for a decade now and still am amazed by it. Never had it sting anyone's eyes or anything either.)

Edited March 30, 2019 by Ktgrok

[klmama]

We have a Mosquito Magnet machine that runs on propane; it attracts and then vacuums up the mosquitos. It takes a few weeks to really bring down the numbers from the many 1000's that are out there at first, but it works. We run it all summer, but it makes the most difference in the first 6 weeks, as it rains more early on and new eggs hatch each time it does.  Once the first few batches are gone, there aren't as many left to bite or to lay more eggs.

[athena1277]

19 minutes ago, klmama said:

We have a Mosquito Magnet machine that runs on propane; it attracts and then vacuums up the mosquitos. It takes a few weeks to really bring down the numbers from the many 1000's that are out there at first, but it works. We run it all summer, but it makes the most difference in the first 6 weeks, as it rains more early on and new eggs hatch each time it does.  Once the first few batches are gone, there aren't as many left to bite or to lay more eggs.

I’ve never heard of that.  How does it work?  Does it run continuously, do you turn it on every evening, or what?

[PrincessMommy]

26 minutes ago, klmama said:

We have a Mosquito Magnet machine that runs on propane; it attracts and then vacuums up the mosquitos. It takes a few weeks to really bring down the numbers from the many 1000's that are out there at first, but it works. We run it all summer, but it makes the most difference in the first 6 weeks, as it rains more early on and new eggs hatch each time it does.  Once the first few batches are gone, there aren't as many left to bite or to lay more eggs.

link?

 

[klmama]

It runs continuously.  I suppose you could turn it off, if you wanted, but we have a shady yard and so daytime has almost as many as night.  The carbon dioxide it gives off attracts the mosquitos, they get vacuumed up into a net, and they dehydrate within a day. There may be more to it than that, but dh takes care of it.  I just know it makes our yard useable.  

[math teacher]

This isn't "natural", but since I've started taking zyrtec for allergies, mosquitoes leave me alone. Before then, I was miserable from bites.

[KungFuPanda]

My mosquito magnet kid uses that green bracelet thing.  It has a strong smell, but it works.  Also, if we're sitting on the patio we keep an oscillating fan out there.  Wind is the best mosquito repellent.

[klmama]

5 hours ago, PrincessMommy said:

link?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mosquito-Magnet-Patriot-Plus-Mosquito-Trap-MM4200B/305302047  It's pricey.  It also requires Octenol, but I don't know if it comes with the original purchase or if you have to order separately.  However, if you look at the similar items appearing lower on the page, the cheaper Dynatrap appears to have better ratings and a lower price.  It also requires Octenol, but I don't know if it comes with the machine or not.  It appears the Dynatrap also uses a light to attract insects, which means it's also capturing beneficial ones, like moths - the Mosquito Magnet doesn't do that, at least in this model. I suggest you read the reviews to determine fit for your situation.