Mosquito repellent

Lemon eucalyptus essential oil or cinnamon oil

@Jean Denise

Not sure if you mean repellant for garden or people.

For people, I've found that only products with at least 50% deet work effectively.

Not home made, unfortunately.

Check the ingredients.

Sometimes difficult to find, especially in Asia.

In UK, Sainsbury's did one, Jungle Formula extreme (expensive and check deet percentage as only the stronger product has 50%), and Wilko does its own 100ml with 50% deet for around £3. Perfect for travelling although a bit oily and overpowering when applying in confined spaces.

I've tried Vitamin B, Candles, wristbands, soap, cosmetic products etc, but only deet products work effectively for me.

Hi slugurmamates

it is to spray around the garden we have deet

we got a recipe off the internet but as I said it seems to keep the snakes away more than the mosquitoes it consists of

cheap stale beer, blue mouthwash & Epsom salts good at keeping the snakes away but useless when it comes to repelling mosquitoes.

@Jean Denise I have heard that Vick's Vapo-Rub applied on the wrist, neck, behind the knees and other key spots (as opposed to the entire body) helps.

@Jean Denise I have heard that Vick's Vapo-Rub applied on the wrist, neck, behind the knees and other key spots (as opposed to the entire body) helps.
-@PHulse

I hear that it mainly helps applied to the chest.

To get rid of mosquitos unfortunately one has to avoid having open water anywhere near the house or garden. That is sometimes not possible. Maybe regular fumigation might help.

Hi nz7521137

yes maybe fumigation is the answer, we personally don't have open water lying around we irrigate our garden in the early hours so when we get up it has already soaked in to the ground but neighbours do have water as they have dogs & put water out for the birds to bathe in.

thanks to all who have come up with ideas all taken on board

I don't like any of the chemical repellants as they may/can/do have effects on skin or can be inhaled so use one of the ceiling hanging ultraviolet electrical  zappers (as found in butchers shops) which gets rid of them efficiently.

I'm getting a mosquito or two in the house lately here in central Portugal.  They bug me mostly at night, in the dark.

My solution is a cheap fan.

The way I understand it, mosquitoes can "smell" CO2, which of course comes out around you as you breathe.  A fan disperses the CO2, and of course it also makes them work harder to get around.  It works.

My fan is ca. 3 meters away.  Kind of pleasant, though it would be better if it were quieter.  In the US I had a small fan that I kept closer by, and occasionally in the morning I would see mortal remains of incautious mosquitoes who got sucked through the fan.

Catnip and lemon grass are natural mosquito repellents as well as citronella. Keep some around where you sit in the evening and it may help. But don't forget the Deet!

For personal protection against mosquitos I can recommend a product called Autan. It has been officially tested is probably the best available. For clearing whole areas only the fumigation comes to mind. I have seen this being done in resorts in SE Asia and Mauritius.

Hi 👋

Does anyone have a tried, tested and effective treatment for the actual mosquito bite?

I've had cream off GP, various bite creams from chemist , tried every Internet claim and still suffer with crazy itching, swelling, pain, heat for days!

Any advice would be appreciated 🙏

Ps.....I also use every product under the sun (including deet) to repel them but they still have me!

😊

HI my husband uses Reumon Creme (Portuguese anti-inflammatory cream)or voltarol gel he rubs a bit on the bite & it seems to work for him

I find the itch is worse when skin is wRm.  I put ice cube in ziploc bag and rest it on bite to take heat out and itch goes away

Lavender plants & oil might work where you are but not here we have lavender plants & lemongrass & another plant that are suppose to repel mosquitos have found none of them work we have citronela plants not effective the spray works but needs deet also, i get bite but not as bad as my husband hence why he uses anti-inflammatory gel/cream he has found that is the only thing that calms the bite down.

everyone is different & different things work for different people.

Hello everyone,

Please note that post 15 and 16 have been added to this thread of the Portugal forum.

All the best

Bhavna

A product with at least 50% deet to avoid the bite.

A Zap-it product and anti-insect bite cream (yellow box) from Boots are very good