We all hate them.  They come out in early spring and by early summer you are ready to break out a blow torch!  It only takes 1 day outside without repellant and you will spend the next 5-7 days in misery.  Besides carrying diseases like malaria and yellow fever, mosquitoes are the ultimate downside and inconvenience of gardening.  I haven’t quite mastered the art of repelling them yet and most of the time I come in looking like someone rolled me down a hill with no grass, but I am getting better at keeping it down to 1 bite a week in the summer.  I am not the type to remember to spray repellant on myself every time I go outside and DEET, a chemical found in mosquito repellant, is not good for your skin or for children.  So I have found a few non-chemical things, that work for me:

  • CLOTHES:  First and foremost, cover up as much as possible (especially socks and shoes or at least gardening crocks – no flip flops).  It doesn’t stop you from getting bitten, but it does keep some areas off limits.  With the heat here in Georgia, you don’t want to wear clothes that will have you passing out under the sun, but quarter length sleeves for shirts and khaki capri pants are great, light weight clothes that you can wear outside.
  • BETTER CLOTHES:  Wear light colored clothes (white or tan) when gardening outdoors.  Apparently mosquitoes love dark colors.
  • NO PERFUME:  No perfume or sweet scents.  Mosquitoes are attracted to the sweetness of nectar plants and can mistake you for a blooming fragrant flower.
  • DRYER SHEETS:  Rub a dryer sheet on your arms and legs (this one has not been proven yet, but I am going to try it this summer.
  • PLANT OILS:  Buy a citronella plant and rub the oil on your exposed arms and legs.  I have found this to be a great way to repel most mosquitoes.  Also, if you forget to put on repellant indoors, you don’t have to make a trip back in the house to protect yourself – you just snip off a leaf and rub it on your exposed skin.  Citronella plants sell for as little as $4 at Lowes and the large plants are around $12.  Citronella is not a perennial (I found that out this winter).  They must be transplanted indoors during extreme cold.
  • MOSQUITO RESISTANT PLANTS/HERBS:  Plant marigolds near the areas where you sit or garden.  Other plants that repel mosquitoes are lavender, basil, catnip, pennyroyal and tansy.  These plants also contain oil and can be rubbed on the skin to prevent mosquitoes.  I have an herb garden that had basil in it and although I was still eaten alive out there, basil does have a strong scent.  Had I known to rub it on me, I would have done so (lesson learned  smile_regular ).

Some other products include garlic powder mixed with water spray, skin so soft spray, vicks vapor rub, listerine or peppermint extract/oil,.  Now if you are having a problem with the quantity of mosquitos at your home and you want to reduce the number of mosquitoes overall, you can try a few of these tips:

  • STAGNANT WATER:  Remove stagnant water.  If you have a pail or pot outside that is consistently filled with water.  Make sure you dump it.
  • PRAYING MANTISES:  Buy praying mantis eggs.  They hatch and wreak havoc on pests and insects.  And they love to eat mosquitoes.

If you must have chemicals, use repellants that do not require you to spray it directly on your body and repellants that do not use DEET.  A few things you can do:

  • CITRONELLA CANDLES:  Add citronella torches and candles to your patio, deck or front porch.
  • YARD SPRAY:  Spray your yard with mosquito repellant that you hook to your water hose.
  • CLIP ON SPRAYS:  Use clip on repellants that clip onto your clothes and pockets.