Written by Jenn, Past Contributor
Yay, summer! I love summer and very much enjoy seeing the green grass, trees, flowers and garden plants springing up from the ground. Unfortunately along with the joys of summer come the annoyances, like ticks and insect bites.
There are a lot of ways you can repel ticks and treat your insect bites but most of them are very chemical in nature. DEET, for instance, can be very dangerous, especially for young children. I’ve looked around for some more natural options and here’s what has worked for us so far, as well as some ideas I have yet to try!
photo credit: freedigitalphotos.net/SweetCrisis
Natural Repellent Ideas to Keep Away Ticks
- Garlic
pills – found at the health food store or local pharmacy, garlic pills are said to repel ticks. It’s mostly the smell that repels them, and, hey, it repels me too! You could definitely try taking odorless pills to see if that will keep the smell off your breath.
- Tea Tree Oil – mix one part tea tree oil and two parts water in a spray bottle. This can be sprayed safely on humans, and is especially effective on your pant or shirt cuffs where they like to jump on. You may need to adjust the water/oil ratio as you go because tea tree oil is very potent. This is what we’re going to try this summer!
- Essential Oil Mixture – I found a recipe on Facebook the other day and and it says it works for both dogs and humans using lemongrass and eucalyptus. Check it out and give it a try!
- Cover Up Your Skin – One of the best things you can do to prevent ticks from staying on your body is to cover up your skin. Kids don’t like to do this but I always have my children wear pants tucked into their socks and shoes or boots if they’re going into the deep woods at my parents’ farm (it doesn’t get incredibly hot where we live). By cinching your shirt and pant cuffs and making sure you have some repellent on your face and body, you can really keep them away!
Natural Repellent Ideas for Mosquitoes
- Real Citronella Candles – This is a basic repellent for mosquitoes, but sometimes the citronella in the candles you find at the store have chemicals that just mimic the smell of the real thing. Here’s a recipe for making your own citronella candles!
- Lemongrass – Either lemongrass essential oil mixed with water and sprayed on the skin as well as having the actual lemongrass plant in your yard can be a natural deterrent to those pesky bugs.
- Marigolds – Place some pots of marigolds on your patio or plant them in your garden. We really feel that this has worked for us, combined with the citronella candle on our deck! Marigolds are also good for keeping away rabbits in the garden. Thyme and catnip are also said to be great mosquito repellents (I’ve read you can even rub the leaves on your skin but have never tried it).
- Homemade Mosquito Repellent – Surviving the Stores has a recipe for homemade repellent made with lavender, vanilla and lemon juice! This I’ll have to try!
 |
| freedigitalphotos.net/piyato |
Natural Care for Bug Bites
- Baking Soda Paste – About a year ago, I was stung by a bee that flew under my skirt (and my skirt wasn’t short, I don’t know how he got under there!) Anyway, I remembered that my mom said to calm the burning and stinging, I should apply a paste of baking soda and water to the injured area. It really helped reduce the swelling and stinging! This is also effective for other insect bites and is a frugal alternative to store-bought remedies. **Do not apply this mixture to open wounds.
- Lavender and Tea Tree Oil – Wash with warm water and then carefully swab the area of the bite with lavender and tea tree oils, which will both disinfect the area and help the swelling go down. You may choose to dilute the oils with a little water.
- Mud Paste – I personally have never done this, but applying mud to bites is how my grandmother used to treat bites. It’s worth a try!
- Ice Packs – After you have treated your bites or stings, you can try applying a cloth-wrapped ice pack to soothe any remaining burning or swelling.
- Honey – Drizzle some honey over your itchy bites! It has natural anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties and if you can use local, raw honey, that’s even better!
How do you protect and treat yourselves when it comes to the summer bugs?
About Jenn
These are so helpful! Thanks, Jenn! Pinning the post and planning to make my own mosquito repellant. 🙂
Thank you! Glad you found it helpful!
Thanks so much for sharing my homemade mosquito repellent recipe! 🙂
Peppermint oil seems to also be really helpful for taking the sting out of bug bites (just be careful not to get it anywhere close to your eyes).
Yes, NO where near your eyes lol, late last year I had a bad headache so I put some peppermint oil on my temples and other areas on my head and didn’t wash my hand. A while later I sneezed and wiped my eye, it burned SOOO bad. I learned my lesson for sure hehe!
I planted marigolds and ageratum all around my yard and in my kitchen garden to keep mosquitos and garden loving pests away as well as borage to protect tomato plants. I also laid moth balls near all the plants that might give squirrels and rabbits the munchies. So far, so good
Usually, I use lemongrass oil to drive away the mosquitoes and thanks for other information about mosquitoes repellent, I should try those
Hey great post, I truly enjoyed reading it!
Thanks for the cool informative post. Keep up the great work 🙂
We live next to a river and every year mosquitoes show up around dusk and early in the morning. This year no mosquitoes even with the river flooding and water standing in places on banks. The difference is we started feeding hummingbirds. These little creatures love nectar from flowers but also small insects. Within two days of hanging one feeder the mosquitoes are gone.