Mosquito Repellent Roundup: 9 Ways to Rid Yourself of Mosquitoes

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True Life Confession: I am LOVING that the recent rains have brought on some cooler temps. Not only that, the yard is looking on fleek and our water bill is going to be way less since I haven’t had to run sprinklers in a couple of weeks. HOWEVER. I cannot even with these mosquitos.

Stand up and throw your hands in the air like you just don’t care if you are in the same mosquito biting boat as me?

I thought so.

When my boys and I moved to the Coastal Bend in June, we were right on the tail of the rainy days and JUST in time for the onslaught of pterodactyl sized mosquitos. I promptly turned to my trusty laptop and began research ALL OF THE THINGS to get rid of these horrible creatures. I’d like to share with you what I found. 

Disclaimer: These are all my own personal opinions. And if I have learned anything about mosquitoes it is that they are fickle little boogers and sometimes one repellent will work for one person (in the same family) while another one might be a better option. Or, if you’re like me, nothing works ever and you’ve resigned yourself to wearing jeans, tall socks, rubber boots, a fishing shirt AND drenching yourself in 40% DEET + wearing a mosquito band. Sigh.

Meet my arsenal of friends. I have used every single one of these. Today. And I am not even kidding.

  1. Skin So Soft Original Oil – My handsome husby bought this for me. I remember using the original lotion as a kid, so was willing to give this a go. I like how it feels and smells, but it can feel a tad greasy if I use too much. It seems to be fairly effective, though, but I don’t trust it if I’m going for a run or going to be working in the yard. The combo insect repellent and sunscreen (not pictured) always works pretty well.
  2. OFF! Deep Woods – This is pretty standard in most Bug Slaying Arsenals. It is strong, it is effective, it smells. I try not to use this on my kids and only use it when I’m working in the yard or going for a long run during prime mosquito season. It has such a strong odor that I don’t love it for every day.
  3. Homemade Bug Spray using Essential Oils – Okay. So. I’m still on the fence, personally, on how effective I think Essential Oils are, in general. That said, I am always willing to try new things and recently started using Young Living EO’s for a variety of things. So, when a friend posted a homemade recipe, I jumped on it! It smells great, isn’t greasy, and was super easy to make. But, like #1, doesn’t work super well for me when the skeeters are swarming. That said, I use this for my face and on my kiddos for a daily.
  4. Picaridin Insect Repellent – Found this on Amazon and LOVE it. It’s really strong, though, so read the directions, and use sparingly. I put a thin layer of this on during the worst times and it works pretty darn well. The hubs also uses this on his hands and face when he’s mowing. It’s a totally winner.
  5. Kinven repellent bracelets/spray – These were highly recommended to me and easy to purchase on Amazon as well. I can’t say for sure how well they work, but they don’t bug me, I don’t hate the smell, and it looks like a cute accessory, so I’ll keep these around. πŸ™‚
  6. Buggy Bands – Meh. I don’t think these work that well at all. They were a freebie at Home Depot one day so we gave them a shot. I won’t purchase them again.
  7. CUTTER yard spray – JACKPOT. This stuff works very well for treating your yard and around the perimeter of your home. It’s easy to find and easy to use. Last go round in July, my husband treated the yard, and he was going to today, but I was impatient AND I pride myself on doing things myself #girlpower, so I HANDLED IT. 
  8. Citronella, Lemongrass & Rosemary Plants – I’m always looking for ways to keep my home and family healthy & safe using natural remedies and mosquitos are no different. Citronella, Lemongrass and Rosemary all have natural repellent properties, smell amazing, and help naturally fend off the feisty foes. We have a Citronella plant placed by the front door and back door and just added our first Lemongrass plant. We are planning to add a few more to our patio landscape.
  9. Bug Zapper. If I wasn’t already married, I might want to marry this guy. It is awesome and works EXTREMELY well. As evidenced by the photo. It attracts the bugs to the light and zaps them. We installed this in our yard at the end of June and it has consistently handled the backyard bugs. I highly, highly recommend this item. I have threatened more than once to buy 3 more and have them in all four corners of the yard!

So, there you have it. My top 9 ways to repel the raging mosquitos. When I shared some mosquito hating woes on our Facebook page, I got some new advice and other people’s remedies – I haven’t tried these, but you can bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow I will! (<—Prizes to the first person to comment/recognize what I did there. πŸ˜‰

Tell us in the comments, how are YOU getting rid of these guys? I’ll check back soon and, perhaps, do a “Part 2” with your suggestions! Good luck fighting the good fight, friends, I’ll just be over here trying not to itch. πŸ™‚

1 COMMENT

  1. I used Cutter on the yard, and then mowed. I was completely attacked! I think I should have mowed, then applied the Cutter. I did spray Raid on the front door, the porch, the windows, anywhere around the door that they were hanging out, and no more mosquitos! I’m not sure I want to go take a walk in the neighborhood, but I can get out my front door without being attacked.

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