Home-Made Mosquito Repellents

Over the decades since the Second World War, we have come to depend on chemicals rather than natural products. Chemicals were more powerful and more easily obtainable. This is nowhere more true than in the sphere of insect repellents. DEET was developed just after the war and developed for use by the United States army for jungle warfare. DDT was used widely on crops around about the same time.

In the post World War period, chemicals seemed to be more effective and cheaper. What more could anyone wish for? But regulation was not so strict then and governments and manufacturers got away with a lot. DDT was later banned, although it has made a come-back of sorts. DEET is still the most often used insect deterrent, although there are worries now about the daily use of it.

This is why there is a trend back towards the old fashioned techniques of controlling insects and in particular, mosquitoes. Governments have let us down in the past and they will continue to do so, until we can elect people who care about us and the natural world more than they do about themselves and their wallets. Perhaps it was always a fabrication that politicians went into 'public service', but one thing is for certain, we do not get much service for our money any more.

Consequently, if you do not trust chemicals, what do you do? The way I see it, you have to go back to old-fashioned ways. Those that have been used forever. Let us have a look at some of the natural ways to deter insects, with particular regard to mosquitoes.

Eucalyptus oil is an old-style mosquito repellent. You can either use eucalyptus oil from a bottle, manufacture your own, or rub the fresh leaves on to your bare skin. As with all natural remedies, you will have to repeat the process frequently. DEET will remain effectual for about four or five hours, but natural repellents will only be effective for about one hour.

Chrysanthemum seed husks are well-known to include a smell or chemical that mosquitoes cannot abide. This deterrent may be tricky to track down, but it is about. It is called pyrethrin and is made from the plant of the same name, Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium, by its Latin name. As a point of interest, permethrin, one of the most widespread insect repellents is a synthesized spin-off of pyrethin.

Mosquitoes hate anything that smells like lemons to them. I have phrased it in that way because some products, like shampoos, may smell like lemons to us, but maybe they do not smell like lemons to mosquitoes. Anyway, some of the natural products that smell like lemons to both us and mosquitoes are: lemon grass, citronella and, surprise surprise, lemons, but there may be others.

You can utilize any of these three plants to good effect against mosquitoes. Citronella or lemon oil are likely to be the easiest to get hold of. In any case, you could try some shampoos or soaps 'containing lemon juice' until you find out which ones really work. The fact is that it does not matter what is written on the label, mosquitoes will let you know by their absence.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on quite a few topics, but is currently concerned with natural mosquito repellent. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Mosquito Repellent For Dogs.