5 Essential Oils that Repel Mosquitoes Naturally

Ochlerotatus notoscriptus, Tasmania, Australia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Warmer temperatures bring families into the great outdoors. Unfortunately, blood sucking, buzzing mosquitoes often drive people inside or can ruin a camping trip, at least until the sun comes up.

You don’t have to resort to chemicals to keep mosquitoes away. Essential oils are very powerful at warding off these annoying, disease carrying culicidae.

According to HowStuffWorks, mosquitoes find you via three methods:

Chemical sensors – mosquitoes can sense carbon dioxide and lactic acid up to 100 feet (36 meters) away. Mammals and birds gives off these gases as part of their normal breathing. Certain chemicals in sweat also seem to attract mosquitoes (people who don’t sweat much don’t get nearly as many mosquito bites).

Visual sensors – if you are wearing clothing that contrasts with the background, and especially if you move while wearing that clothing, mosquitoes can see you and zero in on you. It’s a good bet that anything moving is “alive”, and therefore full of blood, so this is a good strategy.

Heat sensors – Mosquitoes can detect heat, so they can find warm-blooded mammals and birds very easily once they get close enough.

Essential oils work to hide your natural odors and confuse the mosquito’s chemical sensors. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do about being warm-blooded, but you can dress in camouflage. Hopefully, these five essential oils will allow you to enjoy your time outdoors without looking like you have just enlisted.