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Over the years since the Second World War, we have come to depend on chemicals rather than natural products. Chemicals were more powerful and more easily obtainable. This is nowhere more true than in the realm of insect repellents. DEET was invented just after the war and developed for use by the United States army for jungle warfare. DDT was used widely on crops around about the same time.

In the post World War climate, chemicals seemed to be more effective and cheaper. What more could anyone want? But regulation was not so strict then and governments and manufacturers got away with a lot. DDT was later proscribed, although it has made a come-back of sorts. DEET is still the most often used insect repellent, although there are anxieties now about the regular use of it.

This is why there is a trend back towards the old fashioned methods of controlling insects and in particular, mosquitoes. Governments have let us down in the past and they will carry on to do so, until we can elect people who care about us and the environment more than they do about themselves and their wallets. Maybe it was always a myth that politicians went into ‘public service’, but one thing is for certain, we do not get much service for our money any more.

Consequently, if you do not trust chemicals, what do you do? The way I see it, you have to go back to granny’s ways. Those that have been used forever. Let us have a look at some of the natural ways to deter insects, with particular regard to mosquitoes.

Eucalyptus oil is an old-fashioned mosquito deterrent . You can either use eucalyptus oil from a bottle, manufacture your own, or rub the fresh leaves on to your bare skin. As with all natural treatments, you will have to repeat the process often. DEET will remain effectual for about four or five hours, but natural repellents will only be effective for about an hour.

Chrysanthemum seed husks are well-known to include a smell or chemical that mosquitoes cannot abide. This repellent may be tricky to track down, but it is about. It is called pyrethrin and is made from the plant of the same name, Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium, by its Latin name. As a point of interest, permethrin, one of the most common insect repellents is a man-made derivative of pyrethin.

Mosquitoes detest anything that smells like lemons to them. I have put it in that way because some products, like shampoos, might smell like lemons to us, but perhaps they do not smell like lemons to mosquitoes. Anyway, some of the organic products that smell like lemons to both humans and mosquitoes are: lemon grass, citronella and, surprise surprise, lemons, but there could be others.

You can utilize any of these three plants to great effect against mosquitoes. Citronella or lemon oil are likely to be the easiest to get hold of. In any case, you could try some shampoos or soaps ‘containing lemon juice’ until you find out which ones really work. The fact is that it does not matter what is written on the label, mosquitoes will let you know by their absence.

Tags: Travel Tips

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