The summer heat is here, and so are the mosquitoes.
Reminds me that we’re still in the thick of the Everglades, no matter how many buildings go up here in South Florida. My house used to be a swamp.
I’ve been lucky not to have many problems with mosquitoes, even when I travel. In parts of the world known for swarms of insects, they still don’t bite me much. There’s one called “The Assassin” in the Amazon rainforest. It makes the bugs in Florida look small.
Every culture I’ve visited has its own way of dealing with pests. The most common mosquito repellent here is a chemical called DEET. It’s known to scientists as “N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide” or “N,N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide.” All of the popular brands use it.
The U.S. Army developed it in the 1940s and it’s been on the market since the ’50s. The Environmental Protection Agency says DEET is OK for you to use. Thatit doesn’t cause any “unreasonable risk to human health.” But in my opinion, it’s just another man-made poison.
Scientists used to think DEET worked by confusing mosquitoes and interfering with their sense of smell. But recent research shows that DEET is a neurotoxin to insects and mammals. That means it attacks the central nervous system, like nerve gas does. If it does that to rats, I don’t want it on my skin.
I recommend natural bug repellents instead. Let me share what I’ve discovered during my travels…
- Citronella
Citronella is a type of lemongrass, but it’s not the same one you cook with. In Bali, my friends Lelir and Westi showed me how they grow citronella (Cymbopogon nardus) in their huge herb garden. My own garden in Florida has just a fraction of what they have.
Mosquitoes don’t like the smell of it, so they stay away.
As I was telling M.H., citronella isn’t just for candles. Burning the candles can help if you’re lounging on your patio. But what if you’re out walking around? Then you need to take citronella oil with you. You can buy it at health stores and apply a dab right onto your skin instead of chemical bug spray.
There’s also a citronella geranium. It looks prettier than the grass, but the scent is not as strong. - Basil
Westi also showed me his crop of holy basil. They use it with citronella to repel mosquitoes and flies. Basil is toxic to mosquitoes, and especially to their larvae.
Plant basil around your door, in between your flowers, and around your patio. Even better, go for a full herb garden – rosemary and bay leaves repel bugs too.
You can also put basil leaves in your cabinets and pantry to keep bugs out of the kitchen. It works at my house. - Andiroba oil
When I was in Brazil – a country with millions of mosquitoes – this is what the locals used. It comes from a tall tree that grows in the Amazon, but even the city dwellers use it. Clinical studies found it to be safe and effective.
Andiroba oil is also anti-inflammatory, so you can use it to treat existing bites and soothe the skin at the same time.
I liked it so much that I added it to my natural sunscreen, called Solis. [Click here to find out more.]
And if you do get bitten, remember this trick for getting rid of the itch: Rub the inside of a banana peel on the bite. It worked very well when a mosquito found me in Uganda.
1. Corbel V, et al, “Evidence for inhibition of cholinesterases in insect and mammalian nervous systems by the insect repellent deet.” BMC Biol. 2009 Aug 5;7:47.
2. Miot HA., et al, “Comparative study of the topical effectiveness of the Andiroba oil (Carapa guianensis) and DEET 50% as repellent for Aedes sp,” Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. Sao Paulo. Sep/Oct 2004; 46(5):253-6