Ahhh summer, beautiful weather, swimming in the pool, ice-cold treats, trips to the beach, and MOSQUITOES! I have been blessed by what is known as “sweet blood,” the old wives tale way of saying you have the blood mosquitoes want. But what does that really mean? Why are mosquitoes seemingly more attracted to one person over another? And what can you do, if, like me, you are filled with that mosquito loving sweet blood?

My children, much like me, seem to be at the top of the mosquitoes menu every time we venture outside. I spent a mere 10 minutes outside the other day topping off our pool and came in with more bites than I could count on my legs, and I was wearing long (but loose) pants! I sent them outside to play one afternoon because, quite honestly, they were driving me nuts. A few minutes later, they were back inside, begging to stay in with legs that look like they have been used for target practice. No offense to the brand OFF! But when we use it, it’s like we never put it on.

All of this lead me to do some in-depth research about mosquitoes and ways to keep them at bay.

First the Facts

Only female mosquitos bite, so the next time you get bitten, just slap it away and yell, “Get off, bitch!!” It won’t stop the bugs from eating you alive, but it may make you feel better. The reason they bite is that they need the protein in our blood to feed their eggs.

Mosquitos are attracted to some over others, but not due to your blood, it’s your metabolic rate that really gets them excited! Drinking alcohol, being overweight, exercising, and being pregnant are all things that raise your metabolic rate. No wonder we all get bit standing poolside drinking a beer!

What Can You Do?

Expert advice also recommends wearing lighter colors as mosquitos can’t see well and are more attracted to dark shadows. Another idea is aiming a small fan at you as they can’t fly in winds faster than 1 mph.

Mosquitos are most active at dawn and dusk, although I seem to get bit no matter what time of day, so avoiding outside around those times could prove helpful.

Wearing bug spray, citronella candles, and bug zappers may be enough for some. But for me, one step outside and ZOINK! I’ve been hit.

Since I love essential oils, I decided to look into which ones work best against mosquitos. Turns out, I had everything I needed already in my home! Tea Tree Oil, Lavender, Peppermint, and Rosemary are just a few of the scents that these little bugs hate. So, yesterday afternoon when I went out to watch my kids splash around, I dropped a few drops of each onto a cotton swab and rubbed my ankles, neck, and arms. Viola! Not one new bite!

These same scents are also anti-inflammatory and can help soothe those itchy bites once you have them. So what did I do? I took about a quarter cup of coconut oil and added several drops of lavender, rosemary, and tea tree oil and rubbed it all over my bug-bitten legs. It wasn’t instantaneous magic, but about a half an hour later I noticed, I wasn’t itchy anymore. That and I also smelled fabulous.

Tea tree oil also discourages ticks, and after finding one on myself last week and one on my son this morning, I am ready to bathe in that stuff. I have a large leafy backyard that is attached to a nature preserve. Ticks happen. And as much as I love attempting to detach a tick from a screaming 6-year old who happens to be deathly afraid of bugs, I want to keep them at bay.

Peppermint oil is also fantastic at deterring ants and spiders. I use that inside my house around windows and door frames. It is a safe and natural solution you can use inside without all those nasty bug fumes.

Since I would like to continue to enjoy the outdoors, I am going to keep playing around with the recipe for my own natural bug deterrent and hopefully make it through the summer with my legs still in one piece!

I would love to hear from others who have had success with homemade remedies either as a deterrent or as a relief for bug bites!