Health Patio

I was born and raised in Florida - the lightning, and (may as well be) mosquito capital of the world - but rarely has a mosquito dared come close to me. My brother and sister however, fresh and sweet from Illinois, are apparently irresistible.

Am I lucky? …nah. I just have bad breath.

Making an effort to repel mosquitoes the natural way is far better than the alternative - such as mosquito borne disease and chemical repellent side effects.

Unfortunately: most of the stuff they sell in stores is made to fail. Fortunately: you’re about thirty seconds from knowing what does work, but doesn’t harm you.

Garlic - the famed natural remedy for mosquitoes - certainly isn’t the only solution, and definitely isn’t the end-all be-all to natural mosquito repellents. However, if you eat garlic on a fairly regular basis, say three to five times a week or more, keeping mosquitoes away will be much easier.

Although garlic is the only way I use to repel mosquitoes, and eating it almost daily has worked very well for me, not all mosquitoes are turned off by garlic. Hence the 3 bites I’ve gotten in my entire lifetime.

Nevertheless, here are some useful bites from the ‘net to help you have a mosquito-free summer:

Harmless Mosquito Repellents

• Sixwise.com is an excellent resource, with detailed articles on effective natural ways to keep pests at bay, which pests you should really worry about, and things everyone should know about chemical pesticides.

• An About.com article has some of the most practical tips for repelling mosquitoes I’ve seen yet, with one very important section on what attracts mosquitoes. Before you buy that citronella candle, know this - “A burning candle or other fire is another source of carbon dioxide” - which actually attracts mosquitoes.

• A much better alternative, use natural plants, including the citronella plant for repelling mosquitoes.

• For hard-core herbalists - natural recipes for mosquito repellents.

• Here’s a few great, but strange, tips for repelling mosquitoes from around the world.

And last but not least, a reminder to be careful where you get your advice:

Although this guy seems to realize DEET is harmful, his first recommendation is to use fabric softener to repel mosquitoes - and on children no less! Sixwise.com to the rescue with the details on toxic dangers of fabric softener and dryer sheets.

I’m sure there’s even still plenty of other ways people repel mosquitoes around the world. What have you heard? How do you keep mosquitoes from biting?

(I just ran across this really interesting tidbit - maybe I am just that lucky.)

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