Catnip Stronger Than DEET?
Catnip "ten times stronger than DEET"?
I see so many claims
for "natural," alternative," "green," "organic," bug repellents that just don't work on
mosquitoes! Maybe they don't have many to begin with? Maybe they have special mosquitoes? lol Maybe
they want so badly for it to work well so they can claim they know a "natural alternative" that they go into it already deciding "it
works great!" I'd like a natural alternative to icky bug spray as much as the
next person, but be realistic; and try these things out without deciding beforehand that they work so well.
I was skeptical but
gave it a fair chance. I whipped up a nice strong batch of Catnip repellent. I
was outside for almost exactly 2 hours and used up 3/4 of the spray bottle and
was still getting eaten up by the mosquitoes. I even had one try to bite my
hand that was still wet from just spraying it. I don't know where all these
claims come from about just using this plant or that plant and how they work
better than bug spray.
I think the claim
for the Catnip being ten times stronger than DEET is for Catnip oil; but if it's
that much stronger, certainly, using freshly blended Catnip, made into a repellent
(that people claim works great), should work at least as well as DEET.
The mosquitoes are
so bad here this year, and the only way I get relief is by using bug spray with
DEET. I don't like spraying myself with chemicals, but it's better than getting
eaten alive and being bit by insects that carry disease that can even kill you.
"..the lesser of two evils." The only other alternative is to stay inside; and
we have so few months with nice weather to get outside, that's no option for me!
:)
I see a lot of claims that even just having certain
plants in your yard will repel mosquitoes too, like Peppermint, Catnip, etc.,
etc., yada, yada, yada. If that's true, why are so many mosquitoes in my yard; and why are there mosquitoes chewing on my cat while he's chewing on the Catnip in and among the Peppermint plants? Do I sound harsh? Just tired of all the claims being thrown around. :P
