Today the heat starts to be felt and the mosquitoes too!
Reason why I decided to list those that I consider the most effective natural remedies to get rid of these annoying insects sucks blood.
Remedies that among other things I have personally tested in the field. And I want to clarify that when I speak of “field” I mean the literal meaning of the term, given that I work first of all the farmer and if I do not take action, risk of being eaten alive by these damn beasts!
Excuse the tones, but as you understand I hate them to die for! 🙂
Let’s go back to us: the remedies against mosquitoes ! Here is a lover of nature which I am, I urge you to avoid all those chemicals (such as insecticides, spirals and zampironi) that may contain DEET , an acronym that stands for dietiltoluamide.
If you do not know it, I’ll tell you right away that it’s the most famous and most used anti-mosquito repellent substance in the world.
And unfortunately, even if legal, it seems that it is not harmless at all.
In fact, some studies ( 1 , 2 ) are highlighting potential risks for humans and in particular for young children. These are preliminary studies, which do not yet give us the exact measure of the dangerousness of this substance.
However, having two small children at home, in doubt I decided to avoid them and to choose a more natural way.
My anti mosquito remedies
The anti-mosquito remedies of which I am about to speak, I would like once again to underline it, I have tested them in the first person ! So I know for sure that they work and I recommend them without hesitation.Furthermore, these are 100% natural remedies that are kind to both men and nature.
They will help you during the day against the infamous tiger mosquitoes and above all they will help you spend a quiet night , keeping the annoying buzzing away from your ears.
In this way you will no longer be forced to wake up in the middle of the night, in a vain attempt to smash the damn insects on the wall, with the risk of dirtying the walls with blood, or worse to peck in the face of your husband, or your wife!
Here is my personal ranking:
1 – Tiger Balm
The first anti-mosquito remedy I want to talk about is the famous tiger balm !
A Chinese cream that you have probably already heard of, especially for its pain-relieving properties against contractures, sprains, bruises, tears and many other problems of both muscle and joint nature.
In addition to the properties mentioned above, the tiger balm, thanks to its mix of camphor and essential oils, also exerts an exceptional repellent action on mosquitoes , as well as on many other annoying insects, such as wasps, hornets, gnats, flies, etc.
And dulcis in fundo is also very useful for soothing mosquito bites ! Applied to the painful area, it acts quickly, causing both itching and redness to disappear.
But, there is a ma …..
I promised to talk about natural remedies against mosquitoes and not “chemical stuff”!
And unfortunately the tiger balm can not be defined as a natural product. In fact it is composed of more than 40% of parabens and silicones , products derived from petroleum, harmful both to human skin and the environment.
In fact, what I use is not the Chinese cream, but it is the tiger cream I produce that refers to the original recipe, but without containing parabens or other substances derived from petroleum. In addition, compared to the original, my tiger cream contains additional natural ingredients, which make it even more effective in treating bites and removing mosquitoes.
In particular I speak of plants such as:
- aloe vera;
- the sage;
- lavender;
- the calendula.
All herbs that I personally and biologically cultivate in Fermo and that are so effective because they contain essential oils and other substances very unpleasant to our “friends” mosquitoes .
In addition, aloe has an extraordinary protective effect on the skin, reducing the side effects of possible and very rare bites. So even if you had to come up, you would not notice neache.
In the summer, before going to work on the fields, always spread it on the most exposed parts of the body, like calves, arms and forehead and I can assure you that it has always done its duty.
If you are interested in trying out, my tiger cream can be found here:
2 – Citronella
Lemongrass (botanical name: Cymbopogon Nardus ) is without a doubt the most famous anti-mosquito plant in the world.
It is an evergreen perennial plant of Asian origin, belonging to the Graminaceae family, characterized by a bushy bearing and ribbon-like leaves.
The leaves give off a very pleasant lemon aroma, which is why the plant has been renamed as lemongrass (limona grass).
And it is precisely its lemon aroma that makes it unattractive to mosquitoes .
In fact, citronella contains essential oils (such as geraniol, citronellol, borneol, methyl-eugenol and others) with repellent properties against mosquitoes, oils that are extracted from the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries to produce creams, perfumes and above all anti-mosquito products.
The essential oil of lemongrass is found in herbal medicine, but not to be confused with the essences (which are of chemical origin).
How to use the essential oil of citronella
To drive away the mosquitoes, the essential oil of lemongrass can be diffused in the environment through appropriate electric diffusers .
Just fill the diffuser with water, add a few drops of essential oil (2-3 are enough) and operate the device that will start to vaporize the fragrant essence in the air, thus removing the mosquitoes.
Are there any more practical alternatives?
Yes, there are many citronella based anti-mosquito products , such as creams or comfortable sprays.
The problem with most of the ache products is around is that in addition to lemongrass there are also other chemicals in it, such as DEET (aforementioned), or toxic aluminum salts for both humans and the environment .
If you are looking for a natural alternative to the classic chemical insecticides, we at Erbe di Mauro produce a natural spray with Aloe vera and lemongrass .
The advantage is that in addition to the repellent effect of lemongrass, you will also have from your own the protective and anti-inflammatory properties of Aloe gel.
If you are interested you can buy it here:
Is it possible to grow citronella?
The plant alone has repellent effects on mosquitoes and can be kept at home or in the garden to avoid being stung.The lemongrass can be grown very well in pots, the important thing is that you remember to take it away from home during the winter, because it can not stand the cold.
In general the seeds and the seedlings of the contronella can be bought on the nurseries.
Alternatively, if you do not find it anywhere, you can plant geraniums, or basil.
They also contain essential oils with repellent properties similar to those of citronella.
3 – Neem oil
The last remedy drives away mosquitoes that I want to talk to you about and that I have personally tested is Neem oil .
The oil of neem is a vegetable oil obtained from the cold pressing of the seeds of the Azadirachta indica , an imposing plant native to India and Southeast Asia.
Each part of this plant, and especially the seeds, has a high percentage of azadirachtin, a substance with antiparasitic, antimicrobial, antifungal and insecticide properties.
For this reason, neem oil is extremely effective in the natural fight against numerous insects , including mosquitoes (including larvae), flies, flies, ants, bugs, fleas, ticks, lice, mites and many more.
Moreover, being rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants (such as vitamin E), Neem oil is very good for the skin, nourishes it, moisturizes it and has a very useful anti-insulin effect both to soothe insect bites. , which to treat other skin problems, such as dermatitis, urticaria, psoriasis, etc.
Useful for animals
Since it has a repellent effect even on ticks and lice, neem oil can be safely used to eliminate the parasites that infest our four-legged friends.
To take care of your vegetable garden
It is very useful in organic farming , to treat and prevent many plant diseases, both of a fungal nature, due to the infestation of various types of parasites. It is a 100% natural product and is harmless to humans and nature.
How to use Neem oil
I warn you: neem oil has an unpleasant smell ! So I do not advise you to use it pure, also because it is not necessary and would be wasteful. Instead it should be diluted in water, or in a vegetable oil, or other creams. That’s how:
- Dilution in water : in this case the oil of neem should be mixed in warm water, in a ratio of 5-6 drops per liter of water, adding also some scraps of Marseille soap, to make the solution emulsifiable in water. If you want to this mixture you can also add other essential oils, which improve the smell and enhance the repellent capacity (for example the essential oil of citronella, geranium, or eucalyptus). This liquid will then be sprayed onto the skin using a sprayer. The same liquid can be used to spray the plants and the dog’s coat.
- Dilution on creams : add a few drops of Neem oil to a cream to spread on the parts of the body that you are interested in defending against mosquitoes.
- Dilution in vegetable oils : finally, the oil of neem lends itself well to be diluted in other vegetable oils. In this regard, the most used as carrier oil is sweet almond oil, but you can use any other vegetable oil, or an oil such as calendula. Even in this case you can enhance the effect by adding essential oils.
Personally I find that the dilution in vegetable oils is the most effective, but it is also true that not everyone likes it, because in fact it greases the skin and can dirty the clothes.
Pure use of Neem oil
It is useful to use pure to kill larvae of mosquitoes that proliferate in stagnant water. In this case just add 1-2 drops of neem oil in the saucers, or in other areas where there is a stagnation of water, to significantly reduce the reproduction of annoying bitters.
Where to buy Neem oil
If you are looking for a non-refined, organic and top quality product, I can only recommend the raw and organic Neem oil from Mauro’s herbs .
It is a very pure product, which has not undergone any alteration of any kind, obtained from the first cold pressing of Neem seeds.
You can buy it here:
Other natural remedies for eliminating mosquitoes
- Mosquito net : a timeless remedy! 🙂
- Anti-mosquito electric rackets : a way like any other to spend free time;
- Vinegar and slices of lemon : reading on the web I saw that to remove the mosquitoes, some recommend to put on a plate of vinegar with a few slices of fresh lemon inside. Apparently the intense smell seems to be effective in keeping them away. Frankly I’ve never tried, maybe it works!
- Anti-mosquito bottle : an ingenious trap to attract and kill mosquitoes. Even this I admit I have never tried … I wonder if it is effective. If you want to test it on this page, it explains how to do it.
Related products:
NB : All information published on this site is informative and should not be considered as advice, or medical prescriptions, or other.