Natural Mosquito repellants

D

dragonzim

Active Member
I'm looking for something that I can spray my yard with to repel or kill mosquitoes that is non toxic and as natural as possible because of my boys running around barefoot and loving to roll around in the grass. I've seen a few sites where people say that making a mix of garlic, hot peppers and oil, then mixing that with water and spraying the yard works great. Anyone ever try this? I've used the heavy duty insecticides in the past and while the work well, I dont want my kids rolling around in that....
One of the recipes I've seen calls for:
2 heads of garlic
2 habanero peppers
1tbs dish soap
1 cup vegetable oil
Blend all this and add enough water to make 1 gallon of mix
You are supposed to let this overnight then strain out the solids. Take a quarter cup of this and mix with 1 gallon of water in a sprayer and spray down your grass and trees.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
You would need to spray that concoction over everything every day. Most repellents need to go on people and pets to be effective. For a lot of money you can buy mosquito control systems that are supposed to be effective and safe.
If you are really having a bad mosquito problem you may want to be sure to contact your local mosquito control and ask them to spray. Mosquitoes carry some serious infections, such as West Nile. Most Mosquito Control agencies take infestations seriously and will spray your neighborhood if you call in.
Of course be sure there is no standing water around your house.
If you want to do organic, there are some plants that are supposedly repellents, such as catnip, garlic basil; but, again, you would need to have these plants all over your property.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Unfortunately, all of Long Island is one big mosquito breeding ground. You could call in and complain all you want, your neighborhood won't get sprayed any quicker.
Out by where DragonZim is, which is only 10 minutes further east than I am, there's water EVERYWHERE, the problem is bad.
DragonZim, I've had my yard professionally sprayed with a garlic/natural/organic mix and it did help a little for a few days, but ultimately it was a waste of money.
The best natural repellent I've found is a tea tree mixture. There are different recipes online, but it's safe and also repels ticks. The only thing that really works for me are Off Clip On Mosquito Repellent Fans. I have one clipped to my babies carrier and it keeps the bugs away. The spray is minimal, but enough to keep the bugs at bay.
 
darthtang aw

darthtang aw

Active Member
cutter makes a natural outdoor fogger based from lemongrass oil. they also make a similar personal repellant. both are natural and both work. just fog before the kids go out....or put the natural repellent on them...and they will smell like lmons as an added bonus. works against other flying bastions of evil as well as ticks.
darth (advice for the year) Tang
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
Thanks all. I think I am still going to try the garlic mixture. It'll only cost me about $5 to get the stuff I dont already have so its not as if I'll be wasting a ton of money if it doesnt work. From what I am reading, people are saying that this mix can last a few weeks between applications.
I also just ordered some natural citronella and lemongrass oils. A lot of sites are saying that if you mix about 10 drops of both of those with 4 ounces of baby oil it makes a great all natural repellent to spray on yourself, kids and pets. That cost me all of $10 and it should be enough of the oils to make enough to equal about 10 cans of OFF or Cutter so its much cheaper in the long run too.
 
darthtang aw

darthtang aw

Active Member
Thanks all.  I think I am still going to try the garlic mixture.  It'll only cost me about $5 to get the stuff I dont already have so its not as if I'll be wasting a ton of money if it doesnt work.  From what I am reading, people are saying that this mix can last a few weeks between applications.
I also just ordered some natural citronella and lemongrass oils.  A lot of sites are saying that if you mix about 10 drops of both of those with 4 ounces of baby oil it makes a great all natural repellent to spray on yourself, kids and pets.  That cost me all of $10 and it should be enough of the oils to make enough to equal about 10 cans of OFF or Cutter so its much cheaper in the long run too.
Just make sure they are true oils and not synthetic oils. Synthetic oils have saturated the market and are not as effective. You will know if yours is synthetic or not...true oils are not cheap....so if you paid under 15 dollars for a small vial, maybe an ounce total...you have bought synthetic most likely.
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darthtang AW http:///t/392069/natural-mosquito-repellants#post_3479789
Just make sure they are true oils and not synthetic oils. Synthetic oils have saturated the market and are not as effective. You will know if yours is synthetic or not...true oils are not cheap....so if you paid under 15 dollars for a small vial, maybe an ounce total...you have bought synthetic most likely.
Hmm, they were cheap... Doesnt say on the site if they are synthetic or not.
Not sure if this is allowed, but this is one of them..
http://www.amazon.com/Citronella-Oil-1-oz-EssOil/dp/B000MGOZJ4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
 
mantisman51

mantisman51

Active Member
http://www.nowfoods.com/Personal-Care/Products/Aromatherapy/100-Pures/M003318.htm
Their website says it is made from 100% citronella grass.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///t/392069/natural-mosquito-repellants#post_3479761
You could call in and complain all you want, your neighborhood won't get sprayed any quicker.
That's amazing considering its NYC. Too much funding going to anti-terrorist activities maybe Considering the outrageously high NY taxes and the very real threat of a host of serious and even deadly diseases mosquitoes and ticks carry, that is unacceptable.
In the FLA Keys where I am from, mostly you don't even need to call. I was out in my yard cutting back bougainvilleas an hour before sundown a couple of weeks ago and got a mosquito bite. Was going to go inside to google the number for mosquito control when I heard that familiar sound of the mosquito control truck spray. Sure enough, the truck past right down my street and around the block. However, there have been many outbreaks of dengue here in the past few years.
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beth http:///t/392069/natural-mosquito-repellants#post_3479798
That's amazing considering its NYC. Too much funding going to anti-terrorist activities maybe Considering the outrageously high NY taxes and the very real threat of a host of serious and even deadly diseases mosquitoes and ticks carry, that is unacceptable.
In the FLA Keys where I am from, mostly you don't even need to call. I was out in my yard cutting back bougainvilleas an hour before sundown a couple of weeks ago and got a mosquito bite. Was going to go inside to google the number for mosquito control when I heard that familiar sound of the mosquito control truck spray. Sure enough, the truck past right down my street and around the block. However, there have been many outbreaks of dengue here in the past few years.
We arent in NYC. BTLDReef lives about 60 miles east of NYC on Long Island and I am about 70 miles out. We've had some birds get tested positive for West Nile but no human cases that I am aware of.
 
reefraff

reefraff

Active Member
If its that much of a concern I'd go this route.
http://eartheasy.com/blog/2011/04/5-easy-to-grow-mosquito-repelling-plants/
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
The garlic based yard spray appears to have worked! I used the recipe above but used 3 habaneros because they were small. Mixed one cup of the garlic mix with about a gallon of water in a pressurized garden sprayer and sprayed my back lawn and bushes this afternoon. I was just outside and walked around in the grass for about 15 minutes then spent about an hour sitting on my patio and didnt see a single mosquito! Not sure how effective it'll be tomorrow since my sprinkler system will be going overnight, but so far so good! The yard definitely smelled like garlic when I was spraying it but a few hours later I didnt smell a thing. Normally, if I had been out at dusk like I just was I would have gotten at least 20 bites in that 15 minutes.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beth http:///t/392069/natural-mosquito-repellants#post_3479798
That's amazing considering its NYC. Too much funding going to anti-terrorist activities maybe Considering the outrageously high NY taxes and the very real threat of a host of serious and even deadly diseases mosquitoes and ticks carry, that is unacceptable.
In the FLA Keys where I am from, mostly you don't even need to call. I was out in my yard cutting back bougainvilleas an hour before sundown a couple of weeks ago and got a mosquito bite. Was going to go inside to google the number for mosquito control when I heard that familiar sound of the mosquito control truck spray. Sure enough, the truck past right down my street and around the block. However, there have been many outbreaks of dengue here in the past few years.
We're not in NYC, we're out on Long Island.
Out here, there is so much water that they spray the beaches, and areas with a lot of water, but they don't spray much. People here are also very concerned with the chemicals, etc, more so than other areas and many people complain about the spraying when it is done. The other issue is that it's basically a waste of their money to spray, since there's so much water, they're just going to breed again. It's a never ending cycle. I've actually never seen my neighborhood sprayed. Basically, if you want your yard sprayed, you're going to have to pay for it to be done yourself. Isn't it nice, we have some of the highest property taxes in the country, and we get squat for them
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by DragonZim http:///t/392069/natural-mosquito-repellants#post_3479907
The garlic based yard spray appears to have worked! I used the recipe above but used 3 habaneros because they were small. Mixed one cup of the garlic mix with about a gallon of water in a pressurized garden sprayer and sprayed my back lawn and bushes this afternoon. I was just outside and walked around in the grass for about 15 minutes then spent about an hour sitting on my patio and didnt see a single mosquito! Not sure how effective it'll be tomorrow since my sprinkler system will be going overnight, but so far so good! The yard definitely smelled like garlic when I was spraying it but a few hours later I didnt smell a thing. Normally, if I had been out at dusk like I just was I would have gotten at least 20 bites in that 15 minutes.
Awesome!
I do really want to know how well this holds up over night and especially after the rain we're expecting Monday. If it works, I might very well start using it. I have a bunch of different mosquito repelling plants, especially around my front, side and back patios. They help, but I still get bit. Now, with the baby, I can't enjoy my yard after 4PM, and it's too hot during the day to have her out there. I feel like I'm trapped in the house unless I use the clip on mosquito repellent. Please do keep us posted :)
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///t/392069/natural-mosquito-repellants#post_3479917
Awesome!
I do really want to know how well this holds up over night and especially after the rain we're expecting Monday. If it works, I might very well start using it. I have a bunch of different mosquito repelling plants, especially around my front, side and back patios. They help, but I still get bit. Now, with the baby, I can't enjoy my yard after 4PM, and it's too hot during the day to have her out there. I feel like I'm trapped in the house unless I use the clip on mosquito repellent. Please do keep us posted :)
Held up fine to my sprinklers being on for 20 minutes last night. I mowed the grass this morning and not a single mosquito to be seen. Will let you know how it does after tonight and tomorrows rain. Even if I only get 2-3 days out of an application, I'm ok with that. I took me all of 15 minutes to do my whole yard so if i have to do it every Friday evening to have a weekend without mosquitoes out back, thats certainly a price I'm happy to pay. The gallon batch of solution that I made will be good for at least 6-8 weeks worth.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by DragonZim http:///t/392069/natural-mosquito-repellants#post_3479938
Held up fine to my sprinklers being on for 20 minutes last night. I mowed the grass this morning and not a single mosquito to be seen. Will let you know how it does after tonight and tomorrows rain. Even if I only get 2-3 days out of an application, I'm ok with that. I took me all of 15 minutes to do my whole yard so if i have to do it every Friday evening to have a weekend without mosquitoes out back, thats certainly a price I'm happy to pay. The gallon batch of solution that I made will be good for at least 6-8 weeks worth.
Definitely worth it's money if it's lasting even two days. I hate fogging my yard, breathing that stuff in is awful and it doesn't last long enough to make it worth it.
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///t/392069/natural-mosquito-repellants#post_3479962
Definitely worth it's money if it's lasting even two days. I hate fogging my yard, breathing that stuff in is awful and it doesn't last long enough to make it worth it.
Absolutely! I used to do a spray of malathion a few times a season. Works well, but just the smell of the stuff tells you its poison. I definitely didnt want my boys running around barefoot and rolling around in it. I have a feeling that after the insane rain we just got that it'll be washed away, but I'll just reapply when it dries out.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by DragonZim http:///t/392069/natural-mosquito-repellants#post_3480016
Absolutely! I used to do a spray of malathion a few times a season. Works well, but just the smell of the stuff tells you its poison. I definitely didnt want my boys running around barefoot and rolling around in it. I have a feeling that after the insane rain we just got that it'll be washed away, but I'll just reapply when it dries out.
todays rain was ridiculous!
my house flooded
 
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