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Post by catonsvillebill on Jul 11, 2019 18:58:57 GMT -8
Does anyone use any of the following to repel mosquitoes: Mint Rosemary Peppermint Safe Lavender Lemon
I am camping in the Adirondacks and am getting chewed up by the critters. Must have been bit about 40 to 60 times since Saturday. I have searched the web this evening and found that the above herbs repel mosquitoes. My plan is to get empty sachet bags on Etsy, say about 2" by 3", and fill them with the aforementioned herbs, or with cotton balls soaked in the essential oils of those herbs. Any feedback is appreciated.
PS. I actually have been bitten a net number of about 30 times as I have gotten quite adept at smashing the little devils.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 12, 2019 12:20:58 GMT -8
I haven’t done extensive research, but what I have done suggests that none of those will actually do much if any good. Consumer Reports does suggest a couple of non-DEET repellants that they claim work as well or better.
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Jul 12, 2019 12:32:27 GMT -8
I haven’t done extensive research, but what I have done suggests that none of those will actually do much if any good. ^This.
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Jul 12, 2019 14:10:01 GMT -8
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schlanky
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Post by schlanky on Jul 12, 2019 15:09:03 GMT -8
If nothing else, consider how pesky mosquitoes are and how simple your proposed solution is. If it were that easy to come up with an all-natural herbal mosquito repellent, someone else would have started selling something like that long ago. On the bright side, even if it doesn't work, you'll be the best smelling guy in the woods! And if do you come up with an all-natural repellent that actually works, you need to head straight to the patent office.
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Jul 12, 2019 15:30:02 GMT -8
^What they all said.
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walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Jul 15, 2019 11:55:59 GMT -8
I'm literally LOL'ing at the notion that Adirondack bugs would be thwarted by some herbs*. All they'll do is give you a distinctive flavor. There is one tried-and-true solution... DEET... 100%-strength if you have it. I'd even suggest using a marker to make the middle "0" into an "8" to make it even stronger (a la Spinal Tap). Even if they were effective, I don't think a sachet bag would work because the cone-of-influence will be too small. *That said, there is an organic product I've used successfully when the bugs are already relatively subdued... Bye-Bye-Blackfly. It's an essential oil-infused wax-based product that you wipe on your skin. Made in Saranac Lake. allnaturalrepellent.com/prd_byebye.html The product made by Bear Mountain under the same name is not the same product.
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bcpete
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Post by bcpete on Jul 17, 2019 17:13:36 GMT -8
I haven’t done extensive research, but what I have done suggests that none of those will actually do much if any good. ^This. This again! Only thing working for me is Deet. BTW ... if you only are getting bit 40 to 60 times during a full day without bug spray, I'd say you don't have a mosquito problem! In the alpine around here during July, 40-60 bites would take less than 5 minutes if your arms, neck, and face are exposed.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 19, 2019 17:46:24 GMT -8
I been using Picaridan for a couple of years now. Seems to work well. Doesn't melt plastic.
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balzaccom
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Post by balzaccom on Jul 19, 2019 18:09:45 GMT -8
The kids on my recent trail crew used pennyroyal as mosquito repellent, and reported good results here in the Sierra.
They heard about it from one of the rangers.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 20, 2019 7:17:06 GMT -8
The kids on my recent trail crew used pennyroyal as mosquito repellent, and reported good results here in the Sierra. They heard about it from one of the rangers. I didn't know what pennyroyal was so I looked it up: www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-480/pennyroyal#You might want to check the side effects tab.
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balzaccom
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Post by balzaccom on Jul 20, 2019 8:05:16 GMT -8
Yow! On the other hand, the suggested use was to place a sprig on your hat brim, or hanging on a cord around your neck--not applied to skin or taken internally!
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swiftdream
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Post by swiftdream on Jul 20, 2019 14:37:15 GMT -8
We’ve used Lemon Eucalyptus oil bottled by Repel for several years and it sure works for our mosquito and gnat problem. I read a study that did rate it close to Deet in performance but it also had how often you needed to reapply and that is where Deet did better. You have to reapply Lemon Eucalyptus more often. This very definitely works in our case. I always keep a small nalgene of this in my hiking kit. Even gnats that don’t bite can make a breakfast or lunch stop miserable but this will drive them off immediately though we do have to reapply it every so often. They have an interesting chart and no at this site; www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/30/623865454/a-guide-to-mosquito-repellents-from-deet-to-gin-and-tonic“Then there is oil of lemon eucalyptus, or PMD, a natural oil extracted from the leaves and twigs of the lemon-scented gum eucalyptus plant, also recommended by the CDC. PMD is the ingredient in the oil that makes it repellent to insects. NMSU researchers found that a product containing oil of lemon eucalyptus was about as effective and as long lasting as products containing DEET.”
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Post by catonsvillebill on Jul 30, 2019 15:40:07 GMT -8
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Jul 30, 2019 17:06:35 GMT -8
Takes care of your vampire problems, too. Multi-use!
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