Natural Mosquito Repellents

Mosquitoes can be very irritating, especially if you have sensitive skin and do not want to use a chemical based mosquito repellent. Fortunately, several natural remedies exist to keep those pesky bugs at bay.

Garlic may not be the first thing you think of when considering natural mosquito repellents. However, rubbing a pinched garlic clove over exposed skin has been effective for some people. Consuming garlic, in food or supplements, can work as well. This may also keep away annoying neighbors and vampires.

Some people have also had success with eating lots of bananas. The small variety, sometimes called 'lady fingers', seems to be best. Even if this doesn't keep mosquitoes off of you, you will at least be improving your health.

Conversely, many believe that eating high-potassium foods cause you to release more lactic acid, which attracts mosquitoes.

Others have found that a homemade tea repels mosquitoes quite well. Cut the leaves and stems of cat mint and rosemary, then mix with a cup of boiling water. After letting it steep for about an hour, refrigerate. Advocates of this tea keep it in a spray bottle so they can mist themselves with it later.

Certain plant oils also serve as effective mosquito repellents. Lemon eucalyptus oil, castor oil, cinnamon oil, and peppermint oil are just a few of these.

To keep mosquitoes away from your yard, try planting marigolds or rosemary. Mosquitoes do not like how either plant smells. Plus, the rosemary has an added benefit - you can dry it and use it in cooking year round.

Another addition to your yard is a citrosa plant. These plants are genetically engineered to emit that lovely citronella smell. Tests of this plant showed that mosquitoes actually land on the leaves, so it is not a particularly effective repellent yet. Perhaps a new variation of the plant will be introduced in the future.

Mosquitoes are attracted by carbon dioxide, so carbon dioxide traps are particularly effective. These traps convert propane gas into carbon dioxide, which lures mosquitoes into some kind of trap, which varies among products. These work well but should be used outdoors, as far away from people as possible.

A certain type of repellent may work better on a certain type of mosquito than another, so using two is recommended by some. Once you find one repellent that works really well for you, sticking with that one should do you fine.

Sources:

http://www.thefrugallife.com/mosquitoes.html
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa050503a.htm
http://www.co.hernando.fl.us/mosquito/protection.htm