Those Pesky Critters

FRIDAY FINDS!

It's about that time again.  You know...evenings sitting out on the deck, relaxing and enjoying each other's company when, bam...you get bitten by a mosquito.

Well, I've had enough...and it's time to do something about it.  

We've all heard that mosquito repellents that have Deet in them are said to have toxic effects such as seizures, slurred speech, hypotension and other things.  Many of us try to avoid these products because of this.  

Then there are the smokey coils you burn, but the mosquitos are not the only ones inhaling the fumes.

I chose to go a little more natural.  There are many plants you can put on your porch or deck to help keep these pesky critters away and they actually work.  These are the top five mosquito repelling plants.

1.  Citronella.  This perennial is a clumping grass and smells, of course, like citronella.

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2.  Beebalm.  This is fast growing, shade tolerant and drought resistant.  It also has very pretty flowers.

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3.  Marigolds.  They prefer full sun and fertile soil.   They also have a very unique smell.

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4.  Ageratum also known as flossflower.  This is an annual and likes full to partial sun.  Very pretty blue/purple flowers.

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5.  Catnip.  This is supposedly 10x's more effective than deet.

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Okay, so this takes care of the sitting area, but what about the walking-around-area?  What do we do then?  Well one thing is to make sure there is no standing water anywhere.

I found an all natural mosquito repellent that you can make at home, doesn't cost very much and isn't harmful.  You need to reapply this every couple of hours, but it smells good...and makes your skin soft.

Mix together:
1 part essential oil - choose one (cinnamon, lemon, eucalyptus, citronella)  
10-20 parts of one of the following - (olive oil, sunflower oil, cooking oil, witch hazel, vodka..be sure to put this one in the spray bottle and not in your glass, lol )

Put in spray bottle and spray away.

That's it!   No more blood sucking critters.

Death to Mosquitos!