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Maddie
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| Posted: Aug 04 2006 at 7:33pm | IP Logged
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Does anyone recommend a natural mosquito repellent that works? Does anyone make their own? We have been driven indoors by these stealth little monsters and have donated enough blood to keep the Red Cross supplied for a week. Between the heat wave and the mosquitoes, we have been house bound and the children are bouncing off the walls.
How I long for fall and my regular school schedule.
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~Maddie~
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: Aug 04 2006 at 7:46pm | IP Logged
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I've heard that there are things you can eat that repell mosquitoes. Also, certain things you eat can attract mosquitoes.
I can't for the life of me remember what those "things" are. Since mosquitoes are coming out in droves around here, I really should re-educate myself.
Seems I remember something about bananas but can't remember if they repell or attract. Since I'm allergic to bananas, it really wouldn't matter either way. 
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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ALmom
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| Posted: Aug 04 2006 at 7:51pm | IP Logged
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I heard garlic - but don't know how well it really works. Stay away from perfumes of any sort!
Janet
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Katie
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Burt's Bees makes one that does seem to help. I know mosquitoes are relative - I doubt Burt and his Bees wouldn't have helped much when we lived in Alaska, but I'm hoping they'll help here.
The best thing for night time is a fan in the room if you can manage it, as they don't like to bite in the moving windy air.
You can buy or make a "bugs-away' soap with eucalyptus and lemongrass.
We resorted to mosquitoo nets for carseats, strollers, and cribs when we lived in Alaska.
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Mother of 5 in South America. No 6 due in April.
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Dawn
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Hi Maddie,
We have a lot of trouble with mosquitos. I got some good advice in this thread.
We use Buzz Away on our kids which seems fairly effective. You have to reapply it every 30 minutes or so, though.
HTH. 
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys 
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Mama Moon
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I saw an interesting programme on television some time ago which showed that mosquitos are attracted to the smell of our breath and sweat. Some of us smell "better" than others. So could regular showers be the answer??
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teachingmyown
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We are fortunate enough to have a property that does not have mosquitos. But our last place did. We bought a Mosquito Magnet from Home Depot and were very happy with it. I couldn't believe how many mosquitos it trapped.
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Molly
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Maddie
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| Posted: Aug 05 2006 at 7:04pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for all the leads and advice. I really hate using anything as my oldest had a severe reaction to OFF, but they are everywhere. My lawn is overgrown, my garden needs weeding, and the children need to get out! Time to fight back, thanks again for all the great ideas! 
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~Maddie~
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Mama Moon
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| Posted: Aug 08 2007 at 3:05pm | IP Logged
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This post was a year ago - but the season is here again. I have done an experiment if anyone is up to hearing about it.. After a sweaty day I have counted the average number of bites after eating our evening meal outside (cooler than indoors) compared with eating after showering. I get less bugged  if I am squeaky clean and fresh.
Does anyone want try garlic and banana diets and see what the result is???? I have too many red itches now!
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: Aug 08 2007 at 3:14pm | IP Logged
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Our area had mosquito samples tested positive for West Nile virus the 4th year in a row. The newscaster said we'll just have to learn to take precautions since there is nothing we can do about it.
The soccer field in Sept. is the worse time.
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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guitarnan
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Garlic doesn't work. I've lived in Italy and eaten garlic pizza (sliced raw garlic on tomato sauce, that's it)...and was bitten just the same.
West Nile is a serious thing. A friend of mine had severe complications from West Nile and lost about 20 IQ points, his job, etc.
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JodieLyn
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it's not entirely natural.. but it does contain the pesticides (DEET and such)
Repel Lemon-Eucalyptus
It's very strong smelling.. but I think the Reader's Digest had a comparison test and it worked as well as the 3% DEET containing products.
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ALmom
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I know there are a few things that help prevent in the first place - no sitting water (watch out for old tire swings, trash can lids or kid toys left out etc that can collect small water in the bottom without you really being all that conscious of it), keep grass mowed down low, etc. I know perfumes attract the buggers so rinse well after showering. We do not have horrific problems but mostly because our community sprays regularly - so we just have to be indoors with all doors and windows closed when the mosquito truck roars by. Hate that you are having so much trouble with the critters.
Oh the garlic thing - it has to be raw garlic and eaten in enough quantities that you really reak of the garlic ie you actually are sweating garlic from all pores - not something really doable when you are planning on being in the company of others  . Personally, I've never tried it - but did hear of someone who did, claimed it worked rather well but then it was not feasible as the smell was so bad couldn't even stand the smell himself, yet alone subjecting someone else. Again, I don't know what the scientific background, if any, and certainly could be wives tales so not something I'd rely on if it was anything other than looking to avoid minor annoyance - certainly not worth risking if you are worried about West Nile.
Janet
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Matilda
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My oldest son is very allergic to mosquito bites. Not deathly allergic, he just swells up so much from them. One little bite on his skin and his whole calf swelled twice its size. He got a bite on his ear once and looked like Quasimodo.
We use the Avon Bug Guard Expedition. It doesn't have Deet, but it isn't all natural. I know some reports have indicated it doesn't do as great of a job as they originally thought, but when I use it on the kids, they don't get bit.
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Maddie
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| Posted: Aug 08 2007 at 5:39pm | IP Logged
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This thread from last year was emailed to my email account so I thought I'd reply with what we found works for us this year.
Lemongrass (maybe 10-15 drops) in a spray bottle with water repels mosquito wonderfully! I've also read that Catnip essential oil is 10x more effective than DEET, but have not tried it yet. Try goggling natural bug sprays. There are all kinds of great combos that might work for your family.
My children made the mistake of applying the lemongrass directly to their skin, BIG mistake. EO's are very potent.
make your own bug spray
Some EO's work better with your body chemistry than others, you'll just have to experiment with them. HTH.
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~Maddie~
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esperanza
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My Dominic has been our mosquito magnet at times. I find this brings relief and the mosquitos seem to leave him alone when using this. I tried this when a friend told me that when she takes her allergy medication (Claritin, I think) she doesn't seem to been bitten as much.
I haven't had luck with any of the safe topical repellants for this ds.
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Topic: mosquitoes
