Comments on Cranky Fitness: Mosquitoes? Yikes! DEET vs Alternatives

Thanks MissMatch--Suggestions about things that wo...

2008-07-29T06:44:00.000-04:00

Thanks MissMatch--
Suggestions about things that work are always welcome! Thanks for stopping by.

Kind of late in the game here, not sure if anyone ...

2008-07-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

Kind of late in the game here, not sure if anyone is still reading this post! But I bought a product called the family buzz patch from an online store called Nayla Natural Care. The patch works good even though mosquitos love me. You just break the beads inside the patch and the smell is released. It has citronella in it. Here is a link to the store I got it from:

http://www.naylanaturalcare.com/store/Scripts/prodView_outdoors.asp?idproduct=793

I've tried deet in the past. i've used it on hats,...

2008-06-30T06:14:00.000-04:00

I've tried deet in the past. i've used it on hats, golf shirts etc. I hate mosquitoes!!

I cannot stand mosquitoes! The MN bird is the mosq...

2008-06-27T10:19:00.000-04:00

I cannot stand mosquitoes! The MN bird is the mosquito, ya know?

We've tried a combo of lemongrass e. oil/citronell...

2008-06-25T21:21:00.000-04:00

We've tried a combo of lemongrass e. oil/citronella oil/eucalyptus eo., cedarwood eo. and peppermint e. So far so good!

When I was a young teen going to summer camp, my d...

2008-06-25T16:39:00.000-04:00

When I was a young teen going to summer camp, my dad had me take garlic supplements. It seems to help a lot (I'm really sensitive to mosquitos) but I always thought it gave me a distinctive odor :( With West Nile seeming to become more prevalent, we've been using DEET -- Here in Iowa the Mosquitos are AWFUL after the flooding.

Tea tree oil? Great, another thing that works that...

2008-06-25T08:07:00.000-04:00

Tea tree oil? Great, another thing that works that I'm allergic to. (It's the flavor-of-the-month in dog shampoo, so I have to read the label of shampoos I've used for years to see if they've added any.)

Mary Anne in Kentucky

I mixed up a spray with tea tree oil, eucalyptus o...

2008-06-24T21:22:00.000-04:00

I mixed up a spray with tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, and citronella with some water and that really helped. I found I had to reapply frequently, but that it worked. I hate DEET as it irritates my skin and smells awful, plus I'm not a huge fan of toxic chemicals.

Lets try this again.I am so allergic to the little...

2008-06-24T20:24:00.000-04:00

Lets try this again.

I am so allergic to the little blood suckers, it actually hurts. Unfortunately I am also allergic to citronella, lavender and eucalyptus.

I grow a citronella geranium in a pot on my patio, and as long as I don't brush against it, I can live with it there and it helps. Otherwise, if I am camping or out in the evening it is DEET for me. Which amazingly I am not allergic too.

I don't like DEET or mosquitoes! Hate that buzzin...

2008-06-24T18:34:00.000-04:00

I don't like DEET or mosquitoes! Hate that buzzing sound mosquitoes make in your ear!

Strangely enough, though; they don't bite me! Either I'm not allergic to their bites or they can't smell me (or I taste bad to them)... and that's fine with me! :)

I've heard that mosquitoes are attracted to dark clothing, perfumes, hair products, and even candles. Maybe trying to reduce one's attractiveness to mosquitoes will help keep more of them away.

I am pretty much ALWAYS a mosquito sandwich. I've...

2008-06-24T14:41:00.000-04:00

I am pretty much ALWAYS a mosquito sandwich. I've used DEET, I've used Avon, I've used dryer sheets, nothing - not even DEET - has ever worked very well (if at all). (Although in all fairness, I haven't tried that lemon-eucalyptus oil.)

The ONLY thing I've ever found that worked, and worked all the time (!) was tea tree oil, diluted in water. I put 2 or 3 drops in a little spray bottle, and fill the rest with water. It smells really strong when I spray it on, but when it dries there's no detectable fragrance at all (which is nice if you like to wear perfume).

And it works! Woo-hoo! ::::happy dance, happy dance::::

You guys are seriously scaring me! Great comments...

2008-06-24T13:27:00.000-04:00

You guys are seriously scaring me! Great comments, and lots of awesome advice.

Actually, I did go on an extended camping trip to Alaska fresh out of college. We took some sort of B vitamin (must have been b-1) but ended up relying on DEET, which at the time you could only get in Canada.

Still got bit a ton of bites, because we were sloppy about applying it often enough, but discovered that after a while we stopped reacting to them.

Haven't had to deal with the problem much since then--glad there are finally some new alternatives.

mrspaj - if you're going to Alaska, you're going p...

2008-06-24T12:52:00.000-04:00

mrspaj - if you're going to Alaska, you're going practically right past my house! And if I were you, I'd bring some Deep Woods Off! as a supplement, just in case! Because the mosquitoes around here could suckle a cow moose, and I've heard they are bigger in Alaska!! (you aren't taking a small dog with you, are you....?!)

i bought the repel lemon eucalyptus one for our tr...

2008-06-24T12:38:00.000-04:00

i bought the repel lemon eucalyptus one for our trip to alaska in july as we've heard their state bird is the mosquito (eep!)...haven't tried it yet but i'll let you know!

Cat on my head!Cat on my head!ahemI've tried them ...

2008-06-24T11:40:00.000-04:00

Cat on my head!
Cat on my head!

ahem

I've tried them all and they work OK, but unfortunately when you camp in the Saskatchewan wilderness you have to resort to the deep woods DEET stuff sometimes to keep from being eaten.
I just wash it off as soon as I can.

It's why we have a screened in deck - so worth it. Bug free yardy paradise :).

You might also google the benefits of upping your ...

2008-06-24T11:39:00.000-04:00

You might also google the benefits of upping your dose of vitamin B1 a few days before and during your trip, if the buggers are a trip issue. It's pretty chemistry-specific; ie, it works for some people and not at all for others. Alas, I fall in the "not at all" category, but for my husband it works very well and he uses very little DEET spray to supplement on occasion. I have not tried lemon eucalyptus or picaridin yet.

I'm not TOO bothered by them. I do get bitten.. I ...

2008-06-24T10:44:00.000-04:00

I'm not TOO bothered by them. I do get bitten.. I do itch.. but I think I'd rather endure that than add those nasty chemicals to my system. I'd have to be someplace where the bug life is particularly annoying before I'll resort to it.

I too, would rather destroy my brain cells with alcohol. Hold the mosquitoes.. pass the Mojitos!

When I was a child, we would spend some time in So...

2008-06-24T10:43:00.000-04:00

When I was a child, we would spend some time in Southern France, close to the sea. Some places had quite a bit of standing water, and therefore, plenty of mosquitoes. We used lemongrass oil (Citronella). It kept them at bay. Nothing is more annoying, than trying to get to sleep and hear the high pitched buzz of the beast. Grrr!

I've been using the Burt's Bees insect repellent a...

2008-06-24T10:30:00.000-04:00

I've been using the Burt's Bees insect repellent and I am pleasantly surprised. It has lemongrass and citronella and all sorts of other oils. It definitely works on smaller bugs and gnats and keeps *most* mosquitoes away. Plus it smells delicious (it reminds me of gingersnaps)! I really hate bugs swarming around my face so I rub some on my hairline and -poof! - the bugs are gone!

HATE the mosquitoes. I think I'd try just about a...

2008-06-24T10:18:00.000-04:00

HATE the mosquitoes. I think I'd try just about anything to get rid of them... except I'm too lazy:)

I live in Texas, where I swear there has to be mos...

2008-06-24T09:42:00.000-04:00

I live in Texas, where I swear there has to be mosquito farms with the amount of the little boogers that swarm around here.

Burt's Bees has a decent natural spray. I also use Repel's natural oil spray on the family: http://www.repel.com/ProductCategories/Insectrepellents/LemonEucalyptus/

I live in Minnesota. We have over 10,000 lakes, a...

2008-06-24T09:38:00.000-04:00

I live in Minnesota. We have over 10,000 lakes, and therefore over 10,000,000,000,000,000 (NB: figure may be completely made up) mosquitoes. I too have been told that Deet is the only thing that works, and yet everyone hates it because it smells aweful, tastes worse, and is poison. And yes, I always manage to get some on my mouth, one way or another. I haev tried a variety of alternatives over the years. Avon's Skin-So-Soft- doesn't work. I think the mosquitoes around here LIKE it. Citronella oil- seems to work, but requires you to cover yourself in oil, which is icky. I have tried not eating bananas and eating oranges regularly- this was a fun plan, but I don't think the results were very noticeable. When camping, I try to make sure to have shampooed with a less scented shampoo, and this helps, but is not a solution. Eucalyptus works! It is great! I bought some when a friend and I were camping in the superior national forest, and didnt even bring Deet for back-up, and it was awesome! However, still not a good idea to get it in your mouth. The stuff I have says it lasts for 6 hours, but I regret to say that this is a total lie. It kept the mosquitoes off us wonderfully for about an hour at a stretch, and then needed to be re-applied. I have only used it once in the city, as I still hate putting stuff on me, and it seemed to work better, so maybe it just depends on whether there is easier prey around. It smelled pretty good though! be careful putting it on your neck and face, because the smell is strong if close to your nose.

Citronella oil works for me, on mosquitoes and on ...

2008-06-24T09:37:00.000-04:00

Citronella oil works for me, on mosquitoes and on gnats, which I find MUCH more annoying. (I'll have to try lavender--I have lavender growing by the walk.) Avon Skin So Soft is reported to work, but since it also repels me--rapidly--I can't use it.

I don't react badly to mosquitoes, so I'm not too bothered about getting bitten every now and then, but I'd really like to find something I'm not allergic to that keeps ticks off.

Mary Anne in Kentucky, far from the anopheles mosquito

The mosquitoes in my yard laugh at lemon eucalyptu...

2008-06-24T09:29:00.000-04:00

The mosquitoes in my yard laugh at lemon eucalyptus. I've had to go back to DEET or have hive-like spots all over my legs (I'm allergic to the bites more than the average person).

Mosquitoes never, ever leave me alone. I'm actuall...

2008-06-24T09:20:00.000-04:00

Mosquitoes never, ever leave me alone. I'm actually shocked that I haven't gotten a bite yet, as they usually start getting me in April *knock on wood*. When I've gone away on vacation, specifically Maine or Prince Edward Island in the summer, I have to sleep with mosquito repellent on, because if there is one place where mosquitoes can get through into wherever I am sleeping, and bite me into a red bumpy mess. And I could just suck it up and let them bite me, but my bites tend to stick around for a while, usually two or three weeks, so that's a pain, and itching like crazy during that time probably isn't doing much for my mental health either.

The only non-Deet mosquito repellent that I've found that might work is dryer sheets. You take one and rub it all over yourself. Granted, this does not work on Maine or PEI mosquitoes, but for your basic backyard barbecue mosquitoes, I do tend to notice fewer bites than when I don't use anything at all. It could very likely just be coincidence, though.

Mostly I rely on Cutter or Off! Deep Woods, Off! Botaicals also works surprisingly well, and has a lower percentage of Deet.