With the onset of summer, the question usually arises of how to escape from the ubiquitous mosquitoes and other flying and crawling insects. Adults and children in the country, in the forest, in nature need effective protection. There are various types of chemical repellents available in stores, but these may also be unsafe for humans.
The solution can be found in the use of proven folk remedies. For example, in practice, a combination of lemon and cloves has long been used as protection against mosquitoes, midges and flies. This product will not only allow you to calmly enjoy your summer holiday without annoying squeaks over your ear, but will also repel more dangerous insects - ticks.
How does the product work?
Clove oil, obtained from tree buds, has a tart and burning smell, which blood-sucking parasites do not like at all. It contains substances such as:
- Eugenol – 70%.
- Vanillin.
- Furfural.
- Methyl salicylate.
- Heptanol.
- Caryophyllene.
- Methyl benzoate.
- Benzyl alcohol.
The smell of cloves and lemon desensitizes the nerve endings of mosquitoes and ticks, completely discouraging the desire to attack.
In addition, clove oil can help quickly eliminate pain and irritation after bites. It relieves pain, relieves inflammation and heals wounds.
Aromatic compounds that repel mosquitoes and midges are also found in ordinary lemon. Manufacturers of various creams and sprays against mosquitoes and ticks also include citronella oil in their composition. At home you can replace it with lemon.
By using lemon and cloves to protect against mosquitoes, you can be sure that mosquitoes will leave you alone for a long time. After all, they are attracted by the smell of our sweat, and if instead they receive a sharp, repulsive smell of natural components, they will definitely fly to look for a victim elsewhere.
To protect yourself not only from mosquitoes, but also from ticks, you can add eucalyptus oil to the composition. Many people are interested in how effective this protection is and whether eucalyptus oil helps against ticks.
The smell of eucalyptus has the ability to make ticks feel dangerous and want to leave the area as soon as possible.
As users note, it is enough to dilute 30 drops of eucalyptus oil in 1.5 liters of water and spray the area to forget about ticks for a week. Then the procedure must be repeated.
Soothe itchy bites with essential oil
Oils can not only repel dangerous insects, but also quickly heal the consequences of encounters with these flying “predators”. Thus, a mixture of lavender, tea tree and apricot oil extracts is excellent against mosquito bites. A mixture of these oils helps relieve swelling, redness and unbearable itching.
Peppermint will also help soothe inflamed areas. The pleasant coolness it gives to the skin will help soothe the bite, relieve inflammation and remove redness. And the aroma will help you quickly fall asleep and forget about unpleasant sensations.
Rosemary also has strong anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, it also significantly reduces the risk of skin infection. It is enough to lubricate the bite site with this oil just a couple of times, and the mosquito mark will quickly disappear.
The well-known chamomile is sold not only in the form of tea bags. In pharmacies you can also find oil from this miraculous flower, which has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. For greater effectiveness, you can make compresses with it. They will speed up healing and quickly relieve discomfort.
Recipes
Creating an anti-mosquito agent is quite simple. There are several recipes for making mosquito repellent based on cloves and lemon.
For this you will need:
- 2-3 lemons.
- 1-2 bags of whole clove buds.
The lemon is cut in half, and 7 to 10 clove buds are stuck into each half. To enhance the effect, you can drop a few drops of clove and lemon essential oils onto the cut – the aroma will be even stronger.
You need to place lemon halves closer to your sleeping areas at night. However, you should first make sure that there is no allergic reaction to odors.
When going to the country or to the forest, you can dilute 5-10 drops of clove oil in 50 ml of cologne. This composition can be used to treat exposed areas of the body and clothing.
In its pure form, cloves cannot be applied to the skin, but such “perfume” is suitable as protection against mosquitoes.
If you don’t have cologne on hand, you can take alcohol and water in a ratio of 1:10, mix them and add clove ether.
There are a lot of means available to combat annoying insects. But what to do if parasites appear in the body? Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem too. One of the traditional medicines is trichatka - a composition of tansy, wormwood and cloves against parasites. You can prepare it yourself or purchase it at a pharmacy.
Features of mosquito control in the country
It is difficult to get rid of mosquitoes in a suburban area, but you can try to reduce their numbers. The simplest and most environmentally friendly way is to plant certain plants around the perimeter of the site and near the house. It can be:
- mint;
- elder;
- tomatoes;
- basil;
- citronella;
- bird cherry;
- sagebrush;
- Bay leaf;
- juniper;
- Melissa;
- marigold;
- lavender;
- rosemary;
- geranium.
Photo gallery: repellent plants
For mosquitoes, you can plant swamp, cat, horse and, of course, peppermint
Fragrant basil is used in cooking and as a repellent.
Mosquitoes also do not live in tomato beds
It has been noticed that there are few mosquitoes near the elderberry bushes
Citronella, otherwise known as lemongrass or lemongrass, is an excellent mosquito repellent.
If the climate allows, you can also plant heat-loving laurel on the site.
Mosquitoes don't like bird cherry either.
Prickly juniper has an unpleasant odor for mosquitoes
Melissa, which looks like mint, also repels bloodsuckers
Marigolds or tagetes are a plant loved by many summer residents for their universal repellent properties.
For some reason, mosquitoes cannot stand the wonderful aroma of lavender.
Wormwood is not liked not only by mosquitoes, but also by fleas
Beautiful geranium will please the eye and repel mosquitoes
By planting rosemary on your plot, you will not only repel mosquitoes, but also get a spice for your dishes
Mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant water, so if there is a pond on the site, it is worth placing frogs or fish (for example, crucian carp) in it, which will eat the larvae of bloodsuckers.
DIY trap
Traps are usually installed near a house, gazebo or recreation area so that some of the bloodsuckers switch their attention from people to the bait. To make it you will need a plastic bottle, a glass of warm water, yeast and sugar.
- Cut off the top of the bottle.
- Pour water into the bottom part.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of sugar there.
- Mix well.
- Add 1-2 grams of yeast, no need to stir it.
- Close the trap with the cut plastic neck, which should be directed towards the bottom of the bottle.
- Place the bait in the required place.
Homemade repeller
Those who know how to read electronic circuits can make an ultrasonic mosquito repeller with their own hands. It is designed for a range of up to one and a half meters, when assembled it easily fits into a breast pocket and is well suited for quiet gatherings on the porch, by the grill or fire. This device runs on a Krona battery.
- The circuit is based on an asymmetrical multivibrator based on two npn and pnp transistors. Using resistor R1, you can change the radiation frequency from 2 to 15 KHz.
- The disadvantage of the scheme is the short range of action, as well as the narrow range of generated sound frequencies, which may not be enough to repel all types of mosquitoes. The circuit can be modified by increasing the power and obtaining a stronger stationary mosquito repeller with a range of 2.5–3 m. To do this, you need to place P601 instead of the VT2 transistor.
Those who are versed in electronics can make a mosquito repeller on their own
. Legend:
- GB1 – 9V “Crown”
- SA1 - Switch
- C1 - KLS, KTK, KDK 3300 uF
- R1 - SP, SPO 100 kOhm
- R2 - ULM, MLT, VS 100 kOhm
- R3 - ULM, MLT. BC 10 kOhm
- VT1 - MP 36 - MP 38 with any letter index
- VT2 - MP 40 - MP 42 with any letter index
- HA1 - B1, DEM 4M, TA
Unfortunately, a DIY device most likely will not comply with current ultrasound emission standards, so it should be used with caution.
Fragrances against mosquitoes
On the site you can use repellents based on a strong odor that is unpleasant to mosquitoes. These can be regular incense sticks or essential oils. A list of repellent scents is given in the “Folk Remedies” section. Near the house you can light lanterns with candles, the wick of which should be applied with the selected essential oil, or you can coat the entire candle. Outdoors there is no risk of overdosing when using oil in this way because there is a constant supply of fresh air. But it’s still a good idea to be careful and not sit close to a fragrant candle. It is also better to protect your hands with gloves when applying essential oils - esters, unlike cosmetic oils, have an aggressive effect and can cause irritation if undiluted.
Another option is to drip camphor alcohol into a tin can or other metal container, which you then heat over a fire (for example, near a fire). Camphor vapor will repel mosquitoes.
About camphor - you don’t need to smear it, you can heat a tin can (empty) over a fire and drop a few drops of camphor on it. The smell will repel mosquitoes.
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Use Cases
A few drops of clove and lemon oil can be applied to a paper or cloth napkin and placed in your pocket, bag or backpack. If you have to sleep in a tent, the fabric soaked in the composition is placed near the entrance.
You can also drop clove oil into a fire lit in the forest. Mosquitoes and ticks will smell an unpleasant odor and leave tourists alone. With the same success, oils can be used at home in an aroma lamp.
A repellent cream based on base oil also helps. Its composition could be, for example, like this:
- Almond oil – 10 ml.
- Clove essential oil – 4 drops.
- Lavender essential oil – 5 drops.
- Lemon essential oil – 5 drops.
All components are mixed and stored in a tightly closed container in a dark place for no more than six months.
A spray based on clove oil is suitable for protection against ticks. You will need to take:
- Alcohol – 100 ml.
- Clove oil – 2 teaspoons.
- Eucalyptus and lemon esters – 5 drops each.
All ingredients are diluted in a glass of water and sprayed on clothes and pets from a spray bottle.
Anti-tick cream is prepared using 2 tablespoons of almond oil and 25 drops of clove oil. For greater effect, add a few drops of eucalyptus.
House without insects
Nowadays it is rare to find an apartment without mosquito nets. In a way, it protects the home, but not fully. Sometimes you set up barricades, but you still spend half the night hunting for mosquitoes! Some small ones will slip through. Moreover, often we, without noticing it ourselves, carry them from the street on ourselves. What to do then?
- Mix 50 ml alcohol and 20 drops aroma oil. Blot the napkin and place it by your bed overnight.
- You can also drop a little on the curtain at the head of the bed, or on a handkerchief.
- Many more praise aroma lamps. 3 drops is enough here.
- Some testers, who are particularly bothered by midges, make a mixture of ethers (for aroma lamps). Geranium, eucalyptus and lavender are added to cloves. Firstly, this enhances the effect. Secondly, not everyone likes the clove scent. And this option softens the spicy smell a little.
Regarding the duration of exposure, they say that the protection lasts 6 hours. But some update the compositions every 3 hours. In any case, it is long enough and quite natural.
But can this product be used for children?
Rules for using the product for children
In its pure form, clove oil should not be used by children under 12 years of age, as their skin is more sensitive to irritants.
To protect children from mosquitoes, it is better to make a cream based on any basic fatty vegetable oil and cloves with lemon. In this case, you need to be careful, and the dosage of clove oil should be minimal. Alcohol is also not recommended.
For 10 ml of base, 3 drops of ether are enough. The composition is applied to the skin very carefully, without rubbing, but applying a thin layer. Do not allow the cream to get into your eyes or mucous membranes. It's even better to apply mosquito repellent to your child's clothes.
If you need to protect babies sleeping outdoors from mosquitoes, wipe the edges of the stroller with a mixture of clove oil or drip a little near the crib in the house. First you need to make sure that your child is not allergic to cloves or consult a pediatrician.
People's Councils
Cloves are used in cooking and perfumery, and many folk signs are associated with it:
1. Carnation flowers are burned during rituals to attract wealth or purification processes.
2. You can carry cloves in your pocket in order to avoid evil gossip or the influence of hostile people.
3. The aroma of cloves is used during magical rituals to dispel evil, make the mind clear, or gain protection during a ritual.
4. Beads made from carnation flowers serve as a talisman for children.
5. The plant symbolizes family values - marriage or engagement.
Contraindications
Despite all the naturalness of plant-based mosquito and tick repellents, they also have a number of contraindications. First of all, this is an individual intolerance and allergy to the components of the composition: lemon, cloves, eucalyptus or other oils. Do not use protective creams and sprays:
- During pregnancy.
- Hypertensive patients.
- People with increased excitability of the nervous system.
In order to achieve a quick effect, you should not increase the dose of oils. Before use, you need to conduct a standard test for an allergic reaction by dropping a couple of drops of the product on the elbow.
Operating principle
Reference. Mosquitoes find their target by human body odor.
There are also odors that bloodsuckers simply cannot tolerate. Lemon and cloves, which contain special essential oils, have such odors. More detailed properties of these funds are given below:
- Lemon. All citrus fruits are effective in controlling insects due to their persistent aromatic compounds.
- Carnation. Clove essential oil also has a repellent effect.
- The most effective is a combination of lemon and cloves , since both smells repel mosquitoes, and when used together, an impressive result is obtained.
Making your own miracle oil
I learned how to make clove oil at home. Of course, you won’t get etherol, but the output will be a ready-to-use mosquito repellent. I liked this folk recipe for its simplicity.
Take a liter jar, clean. Pour in 300 g of unrefined olive oil. Add here 7 buds of dry, previously crushed cloves. Close the jar and leave for a week in the dark. Now drain the oily liquid into another sterilized jar and pour in another 100 g of olive oil and 4 pieces of crushed spice. We insist again for a week. Then we strain it one last time and use it!
Does a homemade infusion help? Reviews say yes. Effective. But not everyone has time to wait. And some people need this ether for therapeutic purposes. Then you only need a ready-made concentrate.
