Defend Yourself, Naturally

Now that the Memorial Day weekend has come and gone heralding the unofficial start of summer, its time to start planning all of the activities that you will be doing during these coming months.

Summer time is a great time to be outdoors whether you go to the beach, pool, have a barbeque or just sit on your deck reading a book with a nice cold ice tea. But one thing that comes along with fun in the sun is mosquitoes. They too like to have a barbeque–you.

There are a number of bug repellents that you can find in your local store that are quite effective. But if you want to go the more natural way of repelling insects then just spraying chemicals on your skin, these are some hints you might want to try.

1. Try an electric fan. If you are on your deck and have an outlet close by, plug in a fan near you. Mosquitoes cannot fly in the wind turbulence that a fan makes. Even if you are on the beach or at the pool, attach a battery powered fan to your chaise lounge and you’ll be bug free while at the same time keeping cool.
2. Citronella candles are very popular and can be quite effective. You can find them in most hardware stores and just light them around you when you are having dinner outdoors whether on your deck or at a public picnic area. You can also get some citronella oil and apply it on your skin.
3. According to accidentallygreen.com you can use catnip as a good deterrent to mosquitoes. They suggest planting some catnip plants in your garden to keep the bugs away. Your cat will love it too.
4. Never have any standing water around; it provides a perfect mosquito breeding ground. Check planter saucers and clogged gutters.  If you have a birdbath, change the water at least twice a week and your pet’s outside water bowl too.
5. Certain plants seem to do the trick too. Plant some horsemint, rosemary, marigolds, basil and the above catnip to mention just a few.
6. While you barbeque, throw in some rosemary or sage, they both act as a great repellent.
7. This might not be a popular tip, but have some bats around. These guys can gobble up tons of mosquitoes in one sitting at night. There is such a thing as a bat house.
8. If “I want to be alone” is your thing, rub some garlic juice on your skin or eat a lot of it. The bugs and people will certainly leave you alone.
9. Wear some light colored clothing. Mosquitoes are attracted to dark color clothing.
10. Take some B-1 supplements during the summer months. The odor from the B-1 tablet that comes through your skin is not liked by mosquitoes, but no one else can smell it.

So have fun in the sun and enjoy these summer days. You can co-exist with the bugs by trying some of these helpful hints.