DIY Bug Spray for Mosquitoes and Ticks. Natural essential oils

Woods Walker

The Wood is cut, The Bacon is cooked, Now it’s tim
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
5,433
Location
New England woods.
DIY Bug Spray for Mosquitoes and Ticks. Natural essential oils. Warning. Check for any allergies first.


Having contracted Lyme twice I needed to take additional steps for my hiking and preparedness. One problem is DEET and other bug sprays don't react well for me when applied to skin. Also sometimes they eat synthetic materials. I now spray clothing with pyrethrin insecticide however there is still a gap in the defenses. I decided to test this out by mixing the concoction in the Lyme tick and mosquito infested woods for the first use. I made both tick and mosquito spray.


NxnJxVm.jpg



The essential oils.


ePC3fEY.jpg



Grain Alcohol. This helps the oils and water properly mix.


iW1ADeV.jpg



Distilled water.


iJp4Nhs.jpg



Funnel and host container.


kXETbIF.jpg



Dark colored containers or those which shield sunlight are best. I used what was available.


bOTWG5b.jpg



Here are the instructions.


Tick spray.
Ingredients :

30 drops rose geranium essential oil
30 drops amyris essential oil
10 drops Citronello (Cedarwood , lavender oil, lemon oil, lemon grass oil) essential oil

1 ounce grain alcohol
3 ounces distilled water
1 dark colored 4 ounce spray bottle

Directions
1. Fill dark colored spray bottle with 1 ounce of grain alcohol
2. 30 drops of geranium essential oil , 30 drops amyris essential oil, 10 drops citronello essential oil
3. Put cap on shake well
4. Fill remaining 3 ounces with distilled water
5. Shake again
6.Spray on clothing and shoes
7. Store in a cool area away from like.

Live Tick free!
Rose geranium is the big one that really repels ticks.

Mosquitoes Free same process as above but use:
30 drops Citronella (Cedarwood , lavender oil, lemon oil, lemon grass oil) essential oil
30 drops rose geranium essential oil
10 drops peppermint essential oil
5 drops of Eucalyptus Essential oil


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003DH787U/?tag=cpf0b6-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MGOZJ4/?tag=cpf0b6-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F9F1QLS/?tag=cpf0b6-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P6O790E/?tag=cpf0b6-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015H3U25M/?tag=cpf0b6-20


So far it has been working. Here is a video. Thanks for looking!


 

KITROBASKIN

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 28, 2013
Messages
5,387
Location
New Mexico, USA
Thanks for the info and the links! Hopefully we can get an update end of season.

From link in Amazonia:

[FONT=&quot]"As one of the few oils with the ability to both uplift and sedate, Rose Geranium works profoundly on the emotions. It works wonders in skincare remedies and can be used to help in the treatment of the following: acne, bruises, burns, cuts, dermatitis, eczema, hemorrhoids, lice, mosquito repellant, ringworm, ulcers, edema, poor circulation, sore throat, tonsillitis, PMS, menopausal problems, stress and neuralgia. It can be used to remedy digestive ailments, kidney and bladder disorders and has traditionally been considered as an astringent. This variety of Rose Geranium is one of the most fragrant specie and the oil is used in to perfumery and cosmetics industry as it can be made to imitate many fragrances and is often used to 'stretch' the much more expensive oil of rose."



[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
 

datiLED

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
May 9, 2006
Messages
2,022
Location
Atlanta, GA
I enjoyed the video, and am looking forward to your long term results for the tick spray. I have used essential oils as a mosquito repellent, and it works pretty well. Being health conscious, I avoid putting chemicals on my skin which end up in my body.

As a professional land surveyor, I have spent a lot of time in tick infested woods. Early in my working career (about 30 years ago), some veteran surveyors showed me a tick and chigger repellant that works extremely well; powdered sulphur. They kept it in a sock, and pounced it on their boots, socks, pants and waistline. None of us got so much as a single tick or chigger bite. Without the sulphur, it was not uncommon to have 3 or more ticks, and a dozen+ chigger bites per day. The downside is that sulphur stinks and lingers in clothes after washing. At the time, I gladly accepted the smell to remain parasite free. Powdered sulphur can be purchased at a pharmacy or online store.

I don't spend too much time in the woods these days, but frequently pick up ticks in my backyard due to deer and other wildlife, and our property being in a green area of the community. (I haven't treated the yard so far this year due to rain and work conflicts.) Despite it's effectiveness, I am not too eager to use the sulphur due to the lingering smell. DEET and other chemicals are out due to health concerns, but I'm definitely be interested in the natural oils solution if it is able to repel ticks. Subscribed!
 

miastewart

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jun 19, 2018
Messages
1
Thanks for the info and the links! Hopefully we can get an update end of season.

From link in Amazonia:

"As one of the few oils with the ability to both uplift and sedate, Rose Geranium works profoundly on the emotions. It works wonders in skincare remedies and can be used to help in the treatment of the following: acne, bruises, burns, cuts, dermatitis, eczema, hemorrhoids, lice, mosquito repellant, ringworm, ulcers, edema, poor circulation, sore throat, tonsillitis, PMS, menopausal problems, stress and neuralgia. It can be used to remedy digestive ailments, kidney and bladder disorders and has traditionally been considered as an astringent. This variety of Rose Geranium is one of the most fragrant specie and the oil is used in to perfumery and cosmetics industry as it can be made to imitate many fragrances and is often used to 'stretch' the much more expensive oil of rose."

Yep, such info is very important for wood lovers :)
 

tech25

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 26, 2010
Messages
1,285
Location
Near the Big Apple
Cool job and thanks for the info!

Its funny, in a grocery store nearby they just put on display an organic essential oil guard against ticks and mosquitoes. I will check it out further but at quick glance, it had less ingredients than yours and was definitely missing the DIY aspect!
 

TheShadowGuy

Enlightened
Joined
Jun 10, 2015
Messages
365
This seems like a fun project!

So I did some research (more than what's in the sources section below, but I grabbed a few for your reference). Apparently, some essential oils (including clove, thyme, peppermint, and some other strong scented plants) are reasonably effective mosquito repellents, albeit with significantly shorter effective times due to their volatility. This can be counteracted using a fixing agent like vanillin.

You can buy vanillin as a powder, so maybe a mix with that dissolved in alcohol (both to dissolve it and for easier spraying that still dries quick), then mixed with a blend of essential oils of thyme/clove/peppermint/citronella and a carrier oil like soybean or coconut, then filled out with a bit of water... Theoretically it should work pretty well. You could probably adjust the mix so it actually smells decent and not like a health food store exploded...

Picaridin is probably my choice for non-DEET spray. It doesn't have the body of research supporting its safety like DEET does (DEET's actually proven to be quite safe over the years), but it works a bit nicer against flies and doesn't smell as bad. Plus you can buy it in an aerosol spray can for easy even application like traditional DEET sprays.

Oil of lemon eucalyptus is an oil refined to have more of the repellent agent, and it is EPA certified. Smell is intense, and either liked or hated. I tried some and it was quickly nicknamed "human repellent" by others there.

Permethrin has been gaining popularity as a tick and other bug repellent for gear and clothing. You aren't supposed to use it for skin though.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3059459/
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsa...s-the-best-way-to-keep-mosquitoes-from-biting
http://www.homemadehints.com/homemade-mosquito-repellent/
https://academic.oup.com/jme/article/49/3/672/875066
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/PermGen.html
 
Last edited:
Top