Posts tagged with "natural mosquito repellents"
Natural Ways to Keep Mosquitoes at Bay
Posted by lmulford on 06/30/11
With summer celebrations in full swing, you’re sure to be spending more time outdoors maybe at a BBQ or watching a fireworks display. Unfortunately, the swarm of pesky mosquitos will be there too. Here are a few tips on how to keep them at bay in some natural ways instead of spraying all those chemical-infused insect repellents
- Mosquito Dunks - If you have water features in your yard like bird baths, rain barrels or ponds, consider getting some mosquito dunks available at hardware stores and garden centers. Also called larvacides, mosquito dunks are bacteria tablets that you can drop in standing water to kill mosquito larvae.
- Burn some citronella candles - They have been shown to reduce mosquito bites by up to 42 percent.
- Rub on some herbs. A handful of crushed herbs gently rubbed on the skin releases their essential oils that often will repel bugs for a short period of time. Try lavender, lemon balm, lemongrass (where citronella comes from), lemon thyme, and even basil or rosemary. Check out this video to learn about more plants that repel mosquitoes.
- Love those scented geraniums – many gardeners say that swishing their hands through the leaves of geraniums gives some protection against bites. Also catnip is said to be 10 times more effective than DEET. While it’s a very invasive plant, a pot or two on the patio couldn’t hurt.
- Try a product called Bite Blocker. It contains soy, coconut and geranium oils and is much safer than putting chemicals on your skin.
- Learn more about outsmarting mosquitoes here.
Do you have a favorite natural way to fend off mosquitoes? Let us know either here or on our Facebook page.
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