Mosquitoes are NOT my friend!

In general, I don’t like to use the word “hate”.  It’s negative, feels bad, and is typically used in an over-dramatic way.  But I do hate mosquitoes.  I really do.  And they really, really like me.  It’s not a reciprocal relationship.

Do a google search on “benefits of mosquitoes.”  It’s kind of interesting to see all the varied opinions.  They are a food source for many birds, bats, fish, and other insects.  There’s a debate of whether or not something else could quickly fill that role.

But eradicating them could wipe out a bigger ecosystem, like swamps.  I guess it goes back to maybe we shouldn’t mess with mother nature.

So in the meantime…

How to avoid bites

Here is the essential oil blend I’ve been using on myself when going out to the garden.  Our vegetable beds are very close to a mini-drainage ditch from the sump-pump run off, and with all the rains lately, there’s a stagnant pool of water at the end of it that we are trying to figure out how to keep it moving.  So at the moment, there are more mosquitoes than I care to spend time with.

Normally I use glass containers for essential oils, especially for any kind of internal use. But for a topical spray that I want to carry around and not break if it drops, I am using a 30mL thick PET plastic bottle.  The oils don’t leach this kind of plastic like they would the thin water-bottle type.

Avoid the Bite

In a 30mL spray bottle, add the following:
10 drops doTERRA Terrashield
10 drops doTERRA Lemongrass
2 drops doTERRA Arborvitae

Fill the remaining space with distilled water.

Spray liberally when going out among mosquitoes.

You certainly could use just Terrashield by itself – it comes in both the straight blend or in a ready-to-go spray bottle.  Personally, TerraShield isn’t my most favorite aroma and I felt like it needed a little bit more.

I love the smell of arborvitae, so even though it is already in the TerraShield blend, adding a couple more drops softens the aroma for me.

And I love lemongrass so when I read about how it can repel pests, it’s a good addition to the blend.

Diffusing away the pests

Do you like to sit out on your patio?  As a bonus, the blend above could also be put in a diffuser and set out on your patio.  Just adjust the drops to your diffuser size.  A typical one would be 3 drops TerraShield, 2 drops Lemongrass, and 1 drop Arborvitae.

Because you are outdoors, you will want to sit relatively closer to the diffuser than you would indoors because the winds can quickly shift it away where it’s no longer protecting you if you are too far away.

Another non-toxic method for your patio is to set out an oscillating fan.  Mosquito wings are usually too weak to win against a fan blowing so they will stay away better.

Will this work for every situation?

Based on personal experience, no, probably not, sorry to say.  If mosquitoes love you like they love me, you might still want to have a store product on hand if you’re going to be swarmed by mosquitoes.  I went camping once in August surrounded by trees by a lake – my brave soul tried just TerraShield and lasted about 20 minutes before I was going crazy.  I did cave in and use the store stuff.

And if you live in a state where your state bird IS the mosquito, you might also want a backup.

But for every day, run-of-the-mill outdoor activities like gardening or walking, give this a try.  Every time you avoid the chemical sprays, you’re safeguarding your body from having to process more chemical toxins.

Taking care of the bite

Here is my current plan for post-bite care:

• Combine a drop of Fractionated Coconut Oil (FCO) with a drop of doTERRA Lavender and apply to the bite.
• Then put a drop of doTERRA Purify blend directly on the bite (your skin will still have FCO on it so you don’t need to re-dilute unless you need to for small children or those with very sensitive skin).
• THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT: do everything in your power to NOT scratch the bite for the first few hours.  Sit on your hands, tie them behind your back, put baby mittens on – whatever it takes, DON’T scratch.  This will let the oils do their work.  The second you scratch it, you will get everything flared back up again.
• Reapply up to three times a day if needed.

When I did this the other day after being out in my garden, I did an application right away coming in the house and another at bedtime.  By the next morning the bite was 90% gone.  But I repeat, DON’T SCRATCH or it will take sooo much longer!

Scratch care

Let’s say on the off chance you didn’t listen to me, and you scratched the heck out of your bite.  Now you’re getting into owie care.  Combine either 1 drop of Tea Tree or 1 drop of Helichrysum with FCO and apply to the bite.  Reapply up to three times a day.

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