Summer is officially here. And along with the family picnics, friendly barbeques, and outdoor fun come the annoying bites and stings of mosquitoes, fleas, and other insects. Instead of reaching for chemical-laden bug repellents these next few months, try some of the solutions below.
A number of essential oils have proven to be effective natural insect repellants. Some of my favorites are lemon eucalyptus, neem, lemongrass, cedar, and citronella. Sprays that combine a number of these ingredients are available in most health food stores or from online retailers. You can also experiment with making your own concoctions at home.
If you’re thinking that electronic “bug zappers” are a viable option, think again. Research has proven that these contraptions are a dangerous source of airborne bacteria. They cause insects to explode, scattering bits of bugs and their germs six feet or more. Furthermore, most of the flying insects that fall prey to these zappers aren’t even the biting kind, and studies have shown that billions of insects that actually benefit humans may be killed each year by these devices.
Instead, get rid of known bug magnets. Eliminate sources of stagnant standing water. Be sure to change birdbaths, wading pools, and pet bowls often. You should also consider making yourself less appealing to bugs. Drinking beer, wearing perfume, and eating Limburger cheese all attract mosquitoes.
The rest of these suggestions are more anecdotal than clinical but a few of my patients and plenty of stories on the Internet back their success. The first is Avon’s Skin-So-Soft Bath Oil. Rubbed full-strength on the skin, it reportedly wards off mosquitoes, ticks, and other pests. Marigolds planted around your yard are also supposed to be a good insect deterrent. Finally, though there’s little scientific evidence to support it, many people swear that taking 100 mg of vitamin B1 (thiamine) daily stops mosquitoes from biting.
If you have suggestions of your own for keeping bugs at bay, please leave your comments on this blog. I’d love to hear from you!
First of all thank you kindly Doctor Whitaker for you enlightened and even brave statements or as i would say “truths” or just plain reality. Maybe i can just add to your advice on using oils in particular when it comes to keeping bugs and flies away. In my experience, the easiest method is to just put a squirt of eucalyptus oil with some other oils mentioned, add lots of clean water, and spay yourself, your cloths and even where you are sleeping. Neem oil works even better particularly on your skin mixed with a base oil, but it smells funny. But it is also great for the skin and works best for pets and children partially because it does not sting the eyes and is less irritating. Tea tree oil can also be used or added to shampoos, conditioners, liquid soaps and even mouthwash which goes a long way toward keeping bugs away. Dont forget you can always start burning some of these oils to rid bugs from a room. finally, eat brewers yeast with every meal and you’ll be getting plenty of that Vitamin b1 mentioned in this article which doesn’t stop all bugs but keeps away the blood suckers like mosquitoes and flees etc. (if you put brewers yeast everyday on your pets food they wont get flees in most cases). if you are not keeping the bugs away naturally, you havent figured it out because if you have a good size bottle of eucalyptus oil you wont have an issue. whatever you do dont start spraying chemicals in the air or start rubbing them on your skin, because it is heather to just get bit! peace and good health, k
I’ve been a vegetarian for 33 years. I’ve noticed that bugs may fly around me, but don’t land or bite me, even when those I am with are being bitten. This has been consistent in the humid New England summers where I spent most of my life, 7 years in Hawaii and now, in southern California. I don’t know exactly what to attribute it to! I think it’s not just one thing – it’s the entire diet, which includes leafy greens, nutritional yeast on salads, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, almond butter…and I fall off the wagon and indulge in pizza and the great mexican food we have around here!