Homebrew mosquito repellant

[Masako Morishita]

Hi builders!
Well, autumn is here but the rain, the heat and the mosquitoes aren't
going away , so I'm collecting homebrew recipes to keep the mosquitoes away .Any sane or insane ideas and potions welcome.
Going to the typical home center and buying a spray,lotion. battery operated
infrasound repellant (I guess that's what is called) would be too easy!
I'm thinking more farmer's almanac, grandma told me you could..... kind of a thing.
Well,the ball is out there!
Arigato.

[Wiley]

Re: Homebrew mosquito repellant

In my youth I lived in Alaska and for a time worked on a gold mining dredge in the bush. Now it's been said there are ten times the number of mosquitos in the artic as there are in the tropics and whether ten is the right multiple or not I can testify that they are much more numerous there than anywhere I have been in the tropics. And since then I have been in many places in the tropics.

To keep mosquitos at bay we took bracket fungus from trees and dried them. Bracket fungus looks like small shelves attached to the bark of trees. When dried the fungi were placed in coffee cans that had holes punched in the sides and bottom and which were suspended from simple wire hangers at the four corners of the dredge. The fungi was set alight and then blown out so that there was no flame. Yet they burned like a punk and the gentle light smoke apparently bothered the mosquitos so that they stayed away.

That was almost forty years ago and so far I have suffered no ill effects from breathing that light smoke. Mosquitos prefer the blue end of the spectrum I have seen a blue Levi jacket so covered with them that one could not decern the color. And at the "right" time of the year screen doors so covered that one could not seen thru them.

"Fish" brand mosquito coils work on the same basis I think. I have used them in the South Pacific and in S. America but still think the bracket fungi work as well or better.

Wiley

[Frances]

Re: Homebrew mosquito repellant

I have heard that eating parsley and/or garlic will repell mosquitos, whereas eating anything sweet or drinking alcohol will make you smell more attractive to them.

Apparently they don't like the smell of lavender either. Lavender scented body lotion? Maybe only for female mosquito victims...

But these tricks probably won't help against the swarms you described, Wiley!

[nissanneill]

Re: Homebrew mosquito repellant

The flies and mosquitoes in outback Australia have been known to turn both drovers and their horses mad.
The way they got around the problem was to burn the horse or cow manure and to remain in the smoke - magic, no more bites.
I am planning on putting a commercial ultra violet bug zapper over the top of my outdoor kitchen cupboards to both attract and vaporise the bugs

Neill

[Masako Morishita]

Re: Homebrew mosquito repellant

Hi,Neill !
Well, to that extent dog's poop might do the trick don't you think?
One of my neighbors said that he burns incense, i guess that in the same
manner the scent and smoke drives them away.
thanks.

[Masako Morishita]

Re: Homebrew mosquito repellant

Hello,Wiley!
Around here mosquito coils are quite common but they don't help much
as soon as the winds shifts there goes the protection!
I wish I could get my hands on some of that bracket fungus!

[Masako Morishita]

Re: Homebrew mosquito repellant

Hola, Frances !
I'm going to try rubbing fresh garlic on my arms and let you know　if the tiny
critters bite!
If you hear of any other ways ,please let me know.
Thanks!

[Wiley]

Re: Homebrew mosquito repellant

Humm.... rubbing fresh garlic on your arms seems like a sure way to get a seat on a bus if it doesn't keep mosquitos at bay! It also may make people think you are using DMSO which was a solvent/degreaser that had a fad phase where some homeopath types thought rubbing it on arthritic afflicted joints helped. I don't know that it helped but people who did this ended up smelling like garlic!

As for losing protection usually when the wind picks up a bit the mosquitos leave as they are not too airworthy :-) I'm sure you can find bracket fungi in your woods but I don't know the restrictions on collecting such where you live.

Wiley

[brokencookie]

Re: Homebrew mosquito repellant

We have tried a number of homebrews while camping in the pacific northwest. The one that seems to work the best is Listerene. We put it into a spray bottle and dose one another through out the day.

Drawbacks - you need to apply it 8 to 10 times a day and you end up a little sticky.

Good News - Hey, you're camping. If nothing else you now smell minty fresh instead of "day old camper".