A Pesticide Free, Natural (And Inexpensive) Way To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes
Yesterday @sauravrungta made a post entitled Why We All Hate Mosquitoes which prompted me to open my mouth and put both feet into it by saying I had been considering making this very post.
So, here it is.
It's peak season here in Michigan, where the Mosquito is considered by some to be the Official State Bird.
Image Source
I have no affiliation with these people but feel free to click on the image and buy a shirt from them.
There is a commercial product called Mosquito Barrier produced by people that realized they never noticed mosquitoes around garlic fields.
Image Source
Again, no affiliation with these people but if you want to just buy the stuff, click on the image.
I find it interesting that Garlic has been suggested to repel vampires in folklore.
I'm too cheap to buy it if I can make something relatively effective at a substantial savings.
If you want to dig into the how and why it works, click on the Image Source link above and read through their site.
Without any further song & dance here's my method.
For best results this should be prepared about 12 hours in advance before using.
What You Will Need
Photo by @theblindsquirl
Any links included from here on will be affiliate links for my account at Amazon. Following them to Amazon will not cost you any more but Amazon will pay me a commission for any purchases you make and I will use that to buy SP with.
A pump up sprayer, 1-2 gallon is sufficient. 2 Gallon Lawn and Garden Sprayer
Vegetable Oil (1/4 Cup for a 1 Gallon sprayer & 1/2 Cup for a 2 Gallon sprayer)
2 Cups of Chopped Garlic (I buy it by the Quart for cooking)
Dish SOAP not detergent (soaps are made from natural products and detergents are made from man-made or synthetic products).
There is anecdotal evidence that naturally scented soaps like Geranium and Lemon Verbena have some effectiveness repelling mosquitoes.
One Knee High Nylon Stocking. Here's an 8 pack of Knee High Nylons
I also add 8-10 drops of Citronella Oil
Here's a 3-Pack Variety of Mosquito Repellent Essential Oils - Citronella, Lemongrass & Grapefruit
Insert one nylon stocking into the mouth of the sprayer and stretch the open top of the nylon over the rim of the sprayer so you can use it as a funnel.
Photo by @theblindsquirl
Add about 2 Cups of Garlic to the nylon stocking, loosely tie a knot in the top of the stocking and drop it into the sprayer.
The nylon stocking allows the Garlic oil to permeate the water you're going to add but prevents bits of Garlic from clogging the nozzle of the sprayer.
Add the vegetable oil (again 1/4 Cup for a 1 Gallon sprayer and 1/2 Cup for a 2 Gallon sprayer.)
Add 2 -4 Tablespoons of the Soap and 8-10 drops of whatever essential oils you decide to use.
Add enough warm tap water (or warm distilled water if you like) to top off the sprayer.
Insert the pump unit into the sprayer and loosely screw it down.
Swirl gently to mix the ingredients (mostly the soap & the oil).
Now simply let the ingredients steep in the sprayer for about 12 hours and you're ready to spray.
Usage
This works best when there hasn't been rain for a day or so and any rain that falls after application severely reduces the effectiveness.
Spray the area you want to repel the mosquitoes from. Spray while moving the wand in a back & forth pattern in front of you. It's not necessary to totally overlap passes over the area you're trying to cover, I've left gaps as big as 2 feet between passes and still gotten good results.
Gently swirl the ingredients inside the sprayer before stating and occasionally while spraying.
I am extremely frugal and will fish the nylon stocking out of the sprayer, untie it, add another cup of fresh Garlic to the 2 Cups already there and re-tie the stocking and make a second batch of spray that I let steep for 24-48 hours.
I feel I should caution you at this point that there is a strong possibility for weight gain using this method.
It makes me crave Garlic Bread and Lasagna.
But it keeps mosquitoes away.
Here's an older post (past it's payout date) about Getting Rid of Wasps & Hornets Without Chemicals
It's definitely Mosquito season. I find that this post will be of value to the #preppers community as well as our followers. I have upvoted and resteemed this post and am recommending it to our fellow preppers..... I am here to help preppers by upvoting and resteeming survival, preparedness, and sustainable living content. Don't forget to use the #preppers tag in your posts. If you are on facebook, you can also share your posts in this group so our members can help upvote and share your posts. https://www.facebook.com/groups/steemitpreppers
I'll try and remember the #preppers tag.
Thanks for the resteem.
Thank you so much for this explanation will certainly try, as we all hate them.
I've had decent results and the cost really is pretty minimal (even factoring in the cost of the garlic bread and lasagna).
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by secretsquirl from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, and someguy123. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you like what we're doing please upvote this comment so we can continue to build the community account that's supporting all members.
As much as I hate mosquitoes, I know how necessary they are to the ecosystem....but they can stay out there where the fish can eat them, not near my house. Thank you for this info! Upvoting and following
Thanks.
I also understand that they are a part of the ecosystem, no matter how annoying they can be. That's why my solutions tend towards repelling rather than killing.
Here's an older post (past it's payout date) about Getting Rid of Wasps & Hornets Without Chemicals
Upvoting this one and sharing on our facebook page. Thanks!
Thanks for the share.
I'm glad you found it useful.
Hey a recipe I actually have all the ingredients for! Trying this tonight. My poor quail have been getting swarmed at night. Thanks, resteemed
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
I've had good luck with it.
Eat garlic on a regular basis while not eating table sugar. Then they will bite other people, not you.
Garlic in your system repels ticks too.
I also collect and sprinkle used coffee grounds around the porch, deck, and other areas outside I wish to sit within without being eaten alive.
It beats the hell out of DEET.
I've heard that eating brewers yeast regularly will repel them too.
Hmmm, I'll have to look into that. I guess drinking the product of the yeast doesn't work, ehh? haha
I think you'd have to get a traditional, unpasteurized beer and drink the yeast from the bottom of the bottle. Most likely from the bottom of 5 or 6 bottles to get the full effect.
Sharing as a solution! Thank You @theblindsquirl!
You are very welcome.
Wonderful! I've been looking for an all natural mosquito repellent for our back yard! Thank you!!!
You are welcome.
Just don't blame me if you get a craving for garlic bread and lasagna.
RESTEEMED!!
Also in Michigan here- we haven't been too bothered yet this year by mosquitoes. For us, in our area (new lots of apple orchards) we have bees galore. Mae mosquitoes will get here soon and I'l save this idea!
We had a hot but relatively dry start to the summer, but the humidity lately has brought them out in force.
I'm still trying to figure out a solution to the Deer Flies.
Maybe winter isn't so bad after all?