Everything Under the Moon

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Phew! The little buggers were out en masse when we visited the river this evening, so I looked up this recipe online for myself (because I really prefer not to use "bug spray" if I could avoid it), and of course, I had to share it with y'all here! I'll share my results once I've tried it myself. Would love to hear how it did or didn't work for you.




Don’t let a fear of being eaten alive keep you inside this season. Instead, invest in a few hard-hitting essential oils and test out this natural alternative to chemical sprays. This natural homemade insect repellent is great for mosquitos, flies, and other annoying warm season bugs. Tweak to your liking and apply with confidence. Different oils repel different bugs, so it’s best to use a combination of essential oils to ward off several types of biters.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of one or a combination of the following: witch hazel or vodka
2 tablespoons of one or a combination of the following: grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, olive oil, or neem oil (which contains natural insecticidal compounds)
½ teaspoon vodka as preservative (if not already using)
100-110 drops essential oils


Sample Bug-Repelling Essential Oil Blend:

55 drops lemon eucalyptus essential oil (reported by the CDC to be a good natural substitution for DEET in repelling insects, but not recommended for use on children under 3 yrs.)
15 drops cedarwood essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil (if using, choose Lavandula angustifolia – “Lavender (40-42) essential oil” does not have the same insecticidal qualities)
15 drops rosemary essential oil


Directions:

Add carrier liquids to small spray bottle (3 or 4 oz. works well so there is room for shaking). Add essential oils. Shake well before each use. Natural bug repellent will need to be reapplied every few hours for maximum effectiveness.

Other Bug-Repelling Essential Oils:

citronella
eucalyptus
lemongrass
tea tree
peppermint
cypress
rose geranium
bergamot
lemon


Additional Tips and Warnings:

As always with essential oils, women who are pregnant or nursing should consult a health practitioner before using.
Extreme caution should be used when using essential oils on young children.
Always perform a patch test to check for an allergic reaction before using an essential oil for the first time.
Always label homemade products well.
Dark-colored bottles work best for products containing essential oils. Store in a cool, dark place when not using.


Source: https://www.diynatural.com/homemade-ins ... repellent/




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½ teaspoon vodka as preservative (if not already using)

this was a bit confusing...should I be "using" my vodka?

I really like that you put this up. Due to all the rain we have way more bugs than normal.
In my experience oils clog up spray bottles. The vodka should help (if you don't drink it all!) Or rubbing alcohol. One thing I noticed is the recipe doesn't call for any water, so is the mixture very greasy/oily?
Bb, Firebird

That will be so useful during the summer holidays! Thanks for sharing!

I'm seeing my daylilies start to come in. Wouldn't you know it, I saw a baby gnat flying around the house last night.

I'll definitely be giving this recipe a go.

In my experience oils clog up spray bottles. The vodka should help (if you don't drink it all!) Or rubbing alcohol. One thing I noticed is the recipe doesn't call for any water, so is the mixture very greasy/oily?

Haven't gathered the oils and whatnot together yet, so have yet to give you feedback on that. Yeah, that is a pretty high oil ratio suggested in the recipe, and my thought is that since oil and water don't mix I wouldn't bother with adding water. As far as rubbing alcohol, I'd be more partial to witch hazel, personally. It's still astringent, a good "cutting" agent, but not as harsh as rubbing alcohol, I'd say.

Can't wait to experiment and tinker with this. In the mean time, my significant other got us two cans of Deet, lol.



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I agree with the poster above, water and oil don't mix. I see a few solutions here - using an oil burner or applying oil to your clothes. Works with clove, eucalyptus, anise, cedar, tea tree, lavender, mint, and cranesbill oils. You can read more about it here, can say that vanilla and wormwood worth to consider too.

That was an interesting link MasterofNone. I have a feeling we will have a ton of the little vectors after all the rain we've had this year, ikes.
By the way when you log back in please swing by the intro section and let us know a little bit about yourself.
Blessings, Firebird

Unfortunately for me, my only relief has come from using the heavy duty stuff. I've never found a natural repellent that works. However, I won't use the deet either. So I choose to visit places with running water instead of standing water. I wear clothing that fits loose. Light a smoky fire.
For your home, pour a layer of vegetable oil on standing water like puddles or in buckets ect. But the ultimate solution is to build bat houses. If you can entice families of bats to live there you're going to notice a huge reduction in mosquitos