A special note from Alternative Resources Unlimited
June 15, 2011
Always try your local health food store before using harsh chemical repellents. While the chemicals are absolutely effective, they can also affect your health: lungs, get absorbed in the skin, etc. which can leave you with health issues and no mosquito bites. If you are traveling during Malaria season to third world nations, or simply live in an area where there are mosquitos carrying diseases such as West Nile virus, etc. it is important to experiment with as many natural products as you can before the season hits full force. A product we use is Buzz Away by Quantum (citronella and other oils), especially for spraying our clothes and skin every 2-3 hours. Also, for bites of any kind (bees, mosquitos, spiders) a homeopathic remedy Apis 30c or 30x is excellent. Made from bee venom, it can be purchased in any health food store, the directions are on the bottle. Since this is homeopathic, doses can be safely taken a couple of times per day. There are no known side effects although it is always good to check with your physician on these matters.
There is much information online and in the library about plants and flowers that help deter mosquitos and/or ticks. You can easily have an array of these in flower pots or growing in your garden, like geraniums, marigolds, lemon, eucalyptus, fennel etc.
Our director, Dr. Marsha Woolf has been traveling to India nearly twice per year for 28 years. She and her teams have found that eating less sugar and sweet products, desserts, even fruits, reduce the amount of mosquito attraction greatly. As a matter of fact, when the teams are traveling during mosquito seasons, The Tibetan Refugee Health Care Project recommend that volunteers refrain from anything sweet for at least one month prior to travel as a precautionary. Evidently, mosquitos are attracted to sweet blood.
We have tried this here in the USA before the July/August onslaught! It works. The people who eat less sweets, including fruit juices, appear to be less interesting to those critters! Choose your pleasure, no bites or enjoy your sweets!
An article from About.com, 2006. still helpful:
Natural Mosquito Repellents
Which Natural Mosquito Repellents Work Best?
By Cathy Wong, About.com Guide
Updated June 23, 2006
About.com Health’s Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
Mosquito Free Yard. All natural spray keeps mosquitoes ticks and fleas away up to 30 days. www.MosquitoBarrier.com
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Lemon eucalyptus oil
The most effective natural mosquito repellent at the time of writing is Repel Lemon Eucalyptus.
- A 2002 study in the New England Journal of Medicine compared different synthetic chemical and herbal repellents:Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Repellent provided 120.1 minutes of mosquito protection, more than a repellent with a low concentration of the chemical DEET (Off Skintastic for Kids with 4.75% DEET provided 88.4 minutes of protection) and less than Off Deep Woods with 23.8% DEET, which provided 301.5 minutes of protection.
- A study by the US Department of Agriculture compared four synthetic mosquito repellents and eight natural mosquito repellents and found that Repel Lemon Eucalyptus was the most effective repellent, more so than a 7% DEET repellent.
- Lemon eucalyptus oil repellents, in addition to the chemicals DEET and picaridin, have been registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (which means that the materials have been reviewed and approved for effectiveness and human safety) and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for mosquitoes that may carry the West Nile virus.
- A June 2006 Consumer Reports article stated that after conducting their own tests, Repel Lemon Eucalyptus was the best non-DEET mosquito repellent. However, volunteers criticized its odor.
Repel can be found online or is available at REI, Target and Wal-Mart.
Geranium oil and soybean oil
A repellent called Bite Blocker ranks second.
The New England Journal of Medicine study found that Bite Blocker provided 94.6 minutes of protection against mosquitos. This is slightly more effective than Off Skintastic for Kids (containing 4.75% DEET), which provided 88.4 minutes of protection.
The study by the United States Department of Agriculture ranked Bite Blocker number two in effectiveness after Repel. Bite Blocker was rated more effective than a synthetic 7% DEET mosquito repellent.
Bite Blocker contains the oils of geranium, soybean and coconut and is available as a spray or lotion. It can be purchased online at the Bite Blocker website for about $9 per bottle.
Citronella
A well-known natural mosquito repellent. The oils from the plant are used to make lotions, sprays, and candles.
A University of Guelph study assessed the effectiveness of 3% citronella candles and 5% citronella incense in protecting subjects from bites.
They found that subjects who were positioned near the citronella candles had 42.3% less bites and those near the citronella incense had 24.2% fewer bites.
Based on these results, citronella candles shouldn’t be used as a stand-alone repellent, all though they may help in combination with topical repellents.
Other natural mosquito repellents
Although the above repellents are the most promising, there are other natural mosquito repellents that are being researched:
- Fennel – A small study by researchers at Seoul National University in Korea found that a spray mosquito repellent containing 5% fennel oil was 84% effective after 90 minutes and a repellent cream with 8% fennel oil was 70% effective after 90 minutes.
- Thyme – In one study, carvacrol and alpha-terpinene, two compounds derived from the essential oil of thyme, were found to have significantly greater repellency than a commercial DEET repellent. The researchers suggest that a spray made with 2% alpha terpinene is a promising natural mosquito repellent. However, don’t try to make a thyme oil repellent at home- it is too irritating and strong-smelling to be used at effective concentrations above 25%.
- Clove oil – Two studies have found that undiluted topical clove oil is active against mosquitoes. However, like thyme oil, clove oil should not be applied undiluted to skin as a homemade repellent.
- Celery extract – A Thai study compared 15 mosquito repellents with a topical extract from celery. The researchers found that the extract did not irritate the skin or cause a burning sensation. It was found to be active against a wide range of mosquito species comparable to a 25% DEET formula.
- Neem oil – An extract from the tropical neem tree, neem oil has insecticidal compounds called azadirachtins.
- Vitamin B1 – Vitamin B1 is often taken to help repel mosquitos but one study suggests this remedy may be useless. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin study tested B1 with a larger sample of human subjects and found no effect of vitamin B.
- Garlic – Another popular theory is that ingesting garlic can provide protection against mosquitoes. A University of Connecticut study examined this claim with a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study. The data didn’t provide evidence of significant mosquito repellence. However, subjects only consumed garlic once, and the researchers say that more prolonged ingestion may be needed.
Center for Disease Control: Measures to prevent bites from mosquitoes, ticks, fleas and other insects and arthropods
To reduce the possibility of being bitten by insects or arthropods that can transmit diseases (vector-borne), such as malaria, dengue, and tickborne encephalitis (TBE), you should―
- Use an insect repellent on exposed skin to repel mosquitoes, ticks, fleas and other arthropods. EPA-registered repellents include products containing DEET (N,N-diethylmetatoluamide) and picaridin (KBR 3023). DEET concentrations of 30% to 50% are effective for several hours. Picaridin, available at 7% and 15 % concentrations, needs more frequent application.
Note: Alternative Resources recommends you try natural products first since many people are senstive to toxic chemical and sprays. (see the article above at the beginning of this page).
- DEET formulations as high as 50% are recommended for both adults and children over 2 months of age. Protect infants less than 2 months of age by using a carrier draped with mosquito netting with an elastic edge for a tight fit.
- When using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and then repellent. Repellent should be washed off at the end of the day before going to bed.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts which should be tucked in, long pants, and hats to cover exposed skin. When you visit areas with ticks and fleas, wear boots, not sandals, and tuck pants into socks.
- Inspect your body and clothing for ticks during outdoor activity and at the end of the day. Wear light-colored or white clothing so ticks can be more easily seen. Removing ticks right away can prevent some infections.
- Apply permethrin-containing (e.g., Permanone) or other insect repellents to clothing, shoes, tents, mosquito nets, and other gear for greater protection. Permethrin is not labeled for use directly on skin. Most repellent is generally removed from clothing and gear by a single washing, but permethrin-treated clothing is effective for up to 5 washings.
- Be aware that mosquitoes that transmit malaria are most active during twilight periods (dawn and dusk or in the evening).
- Stay in air-conditioned or well-screened housing, and/ or sleep under an insecticide treated bed net. Bed nets should be tucked under mattresses and can be sprayed with a repellent if not already treated with an insecticide.
- Daytime biters include mosquitoes that transmit dengue and chikungunya viruses and sand flies that transmit leishmaniasis.
Contact Us:
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