The great weather we’re going to have this Memorial Day weekend reminded me just how much I love warm summer nights! There’s nothing better than sitting outside and spending some time with family and friends in the great outdoors. Unfortunately, it always seems that with the summer nights come some unwelcome party crashers. They typically sound something like this…
“ZZZZZzzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzzz…”
Sound familiar? Are you batting at your ears yet? You guessed it – I’m talking about mosquitos! There are many choices for insect repellant these days. Bug sprays are commonly used to repel mosquitoes, flies, fleas, chiggers and ticks. While the active ingredient, DEET, is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for mosquitoes that may carry the West Nile virus, it is still toxic and should be handled with care and responsibility.
If you are looking to find alternatives to products containing DEET, you’re in luck! The oils below are natural repellants but require a more frequent application of at least every two hours:
- Citronella Oil
- Lemon Eucalyptus Oil
- Cinnamon Oil
- Castor Oil
- Rosemary Oil
- Lemongrass Oil
- Cedar Oil
- Peppermint Oil
- Clove Oil
- Geranium Oil
The lemon eucalyptus oil, found in Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Repellent was shown in a study to be more effective at repelling mosquitoes than a product with low level DEET. Interestingly enough, Cinnamon oil also was found to have more potent compounds for warding off mosquitoes than DEET.
So whatever your bug repellent of choice, here’s to hoping everyone can have a mosquito bite free summer! How do you ward off bugs during the summer? I’d love to hear how other people handle these summer pests!