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 realm 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 period.

In the post World War period, chemicals seemed to be more effective and cheaper. What more could anyone want? 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 repellent, although there are anxieties now about the regular use of it.

This is why there is a movement back towards the old fashioned methods 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 environment more than they do about themselves and their bank accounts. Maybe it was always a myth that politicians went into 'public service', but one thing is for sure, we do not get much service for our cash any more.

So, if you do not have faith in 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 take a look at some of the natural ways to discourage 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 exposed skin. As with all natural treatments, you will have to repeat the process often. DEET will remain effectual for about four or five hours, but natural repellents will only be effective for about an hour.

Chrysanthemum seed husks are well-known to contain a smell or chemical that mosquitoes cannot stand. This deterrent may be tricky to track down, but it is out there. It is called pyrethrin and is produced 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 derivative of pyrethin.

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

You can utilize any of these three plants to great effect against mosquitoes. Citronella or lemon oil are probably 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 author of this article writes on quite a few topics, but is currently concerned with natural mosquito repellant. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Mosquito Repellent For Dogs.