It's summer, and I remember last year we had a case of West Nile Virus reported on my side of town.
So, here are some of the things I have used to keep pesky mosquitos away:
1. Avon Skin So Soft (straight from the bottle). Works great, pleasant to use, but you have to wash it off.
2. Avon SSS Bug Guard Plus with Sunscreen. Multipurpose product, but I hate the fumes.
3. Perfume. Yes, my sister told me to try this. Most, though not all, perfumes contain synthetic ingredients. If some humans are chemically sensitive to perfumes and colognes, or have allergies that are aggravated by contact with fragrances, it stands to reason that a mosquito would be repelled by the chemicals.
My perfume is Ysatis de Givenchy. So far, so good. Still in the testing phase.
What works for you?
Marisa
I will try the vitamin B1 tip as well. It's an expensive thing to try out.
Did you mean expensive or inexpensive? At only one tablet a day, it's pretty cheap really.
Oops! Didn't see my typing mistake in time. Yes, I meant inexpensive to buy the vitamin.
Burning citronella candles at our family reunion seemed to help the problem. This was a reunion in the deep piney woods of East Texas.
I am going to try vitamin B1 - citronella is really effective, we used to rub only a couple of drops over our horses and it reduced the numbers of mosquito dramatically, we also used it on our hair and clothes but not directly on the skin. The essential oil itself was also really cheap.
Well, Skin-so-Soft doesn't work for me. I went out of my way to get a bottle of it and it made no difference whatsover.
Eating garlic didn't help.
I'm experimenting with a solution to keep them away that I saw on TV, and that is to soak some cloves in apple cider vinegar overnight, then apply solution to skin next evening (mosquitoes don't tend to bite during the day).
Icaridine sprays work great, as do DEET based sprays that you put on your skin. Perfume attracts even more mosquitoes to me. I wrote a few hubs about it.
Best option is not to expose yourself to them. Stay indoors when they are active with windows shut so they can't get in.
Izzy, have you tried taking one vitamin B1 tablet daily?
I was given the tip when I was in the Northern Territory, where there are all kinds of nasty mosquito-borne diseases. I normally get eaten alive by mozzies. The B1 worked like a charm, they didn't come near me. Apparently they don't like the smell.
No I haven't tried this, at least not yet, but I went back on to the atkins diet last week and really my vit B1 levels should be really high by now through dietary intake - eggs, dark leaved vegs, cauliflower etc. Trouble is, I have learned how to avoid mosquitoes so won't know if it works unless I deliberately expose myself to them!
Burn dry cow pads.
When my family were loggers, we used to collect and burn cow poo, which we dried out first.
I don't think it works on your skin though, and was never tempted to find out!
I grew up in midgie land. We used to light bonfires just to keep the tiny terrors away! All insects hate smoke; that's why I stared smoking..most stupid thing I ever did in my life!
Don't know if cow pat smoke is different to other smoke? Did it smell the same to you?
I think that's what mosquito coils are made from, you light them, they smoke and burn slowly and repel the little blood suckers. I use them or a spray on repellent called Tropical Strength AeroGuard.
Deet insect repellent on my skin and my hiking and gardening clothes are treated with permethrian. I live in an area rife Eastern equine encephalitis and lyme disease. The down side is to catastrophic not to take effective precautions.
From the Center for Disease Control "EEE is one of the most severe mosquito-transmitted diseases in the United States with approximately 33% mortality and significant brain damage in most survivors. There is no specific treatment for EEE; care is based on symptoms. You can reduce your risk of being infected with EEEV by using insect repellent, wearing protective clothing."
You are right Nelle, the mosquito repellent clothing is a must for anyone who lives in an area where mosquitoes carry disease.
They are a great invention!
by skagra 10 years ago
Any bug which only rely on mosquito ?
by Moira Garcia Gallaga 14 years ago
Why do some people attract mosquitos more than others?Ever experienced sitting outdoors with a group of friends on nice summer day enjoying cold drinks and a barbecue and notice that the mosquitos all seem attracted to you and not seem to be bothering everyone else?
by Willina 12 years ago
Has anyone done an experiment on mosquitos?By Placing it in a closed Jar to see how long it will survive.
by Hattie 14 years ago
Do you think we could eliminate mosquitos? lol I really find them very irritating!
by ngureco 15 years ago
Why Are Some People Against Bill Gates’ Funding Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes?
by Mary 10 years ago
How do you get rid, of pesky mosquitos?I hate mosquitos those things, they eat my legs up.
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