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Buzz off! With all-natural bug repellents and a few simple precautions, you can enjoy the outdoors this summer--and save your skin from the season's sting.(ECO-WISE: PERSONAL CARE)
An afternoon spent outdoors can be one of the most satisfying ways to enjoy a beautiful summer day, but the risk of West Nile virus, Lyme disease and other insect-transmitted illnesses can turn an otherwise relaxing experience into an anxiety-provoking outing. Can you protect yourself and your family without slathering or spritzing on the pesticide DEET, which is especially harmful to young kids? Yes! There are safe options for keeping bugs at bay.
Beat the Bite, Naturally
All repellents, chemical and natural, camouflage your humanness by messing with insects' olfactory senses. Going natural simply requires a shift in thinking, says Steven Kolmes, a biology professor at the University of Portland in Oregon. "If you want a product that's safe, it's going to be less convenient and you'll need to reapply it every two hours," he points out. All bug repellents should be tested first on a small patch of skin to avoid allergic reactions. Also, experiment with a variety of combinations and brands because everybody's chemical physiology is different.
In 2002, The New England Journal of Medicine compared several repellents. Oil of lemon eucalyptus tested similarly to low-level DEET, but is safer and lasts two hours. Soybean oil offers 94 minutes of protection with no known risks. Citronella protected for 20 minutes.
In other research on natural bug repellents, scientists from Taiwan found that cinnamon oil--an environmentally friendly pesticide--was actually more effective than DEET at killing mosquito larvae. To use any essential oil topically as an insect repellent, always dilute by mixing 1/4 tsp. of essential oil ...
- Bug repellents may destroy your sunscreen.(Originated from Knight Ridder...
- Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Reddy, Anupama July 2, 1998 700+ words
Putting on sunscreen and insect repellent may weaken overall sun protection, scientists warn. Researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C., found that those who used both sunscreen with an SPF of 15 and insect repellant had 30 percent lower SPF protection than those
- Comparing bug repellents.
- Newspaper article from: The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service) July 3, 2002 700+ words
Researchers compared the effectiveness of various insect repellents by inserting the treated arms of volunteers into a cage filled with unfed mosquitoes. Here is a sampling of products tested, and the range of times before the first bite. Ingredient, Minutes of Product, concentration protection
- The Buzz on Bug Repellents.(Buyers Guide)
- Magazine article from: Good Housekeeping August 1, 2000 700+ words
Mosquitoes do more than ruin barbecues--they can pose a serious health threat. We tested insect repellents to find the best defense. Last year seven people died and 61 became seriously ill when the mosquito-borne West Nile virus hit the New York City area. This summer, 17 states along the Atlantic
- YOUR HEALTH; DEET is buzzword in bug repellents.(VARIETY)
- Newspaper article from: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) Halvorsen, Donna June 24, 2003 700+ words
Byline: Donna Halvorsen; Staff Writer To slap or to slather. That is the question as more than a dozen species of mosquitoes buzz around Minnesotans this summer, looking for juicy pieces of unprotected skin to bite. People who have grown tired of slapping have looked for repellents less harsh and
- The mosquito sting; Watchdog denounces tropical bug repellents.
- Newspaper article from: The Daily Mail (London, England) September 6, 2005 700+ words
ELECTRONIC buzzers designed to ward off mosquitoes are a waste of money, a consumer watchdog warns today. Holiday Which? says tests revealed the devices, which are supposed to frighten off insects by emitting high frequency sounds, did not work against mosquitoes that bite humans. The organisation
- Getting a Grip on Summer; Fans, Grills, Bug Repellents and Other Summer...
- Newspaper article from: The Washington Post Jura Koncius June 27, 1996 700+ words
Now that we've had our twister, maybe we can get on with the rest of the summer. Clattering fans. Collapsing paper plates. Flaking porch paint. Charcoal that simply won't light. The sound of barking dogs drifting in through open windows at night. Gnats clinging to arms coated with sunscreen. Summer
- STORES BUZZING WITH DEET SALES WEST NILE OUTBREAK IS EMPTYING SHELVES OF BUG...
- Newspaper article from: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO) Fillion^, Roger August 8, 2003 700+ words
Byline: Roger Fillion ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS The West Nile virus outbreak in Colorado is prompting more and more jittery residents to trek to the store to snap up mosquito repellent. And in some cases bug juice is flying off store shelves, now that the state has recorded four deaths from West Nile, a
- Jason's Quit Bugging Me! natural bug repellent provides a safe, effective...
- Magazine article from: Household & Personal Products Industry May 1, 2006 700+ words
Jason's Quit Bugging Me! natural bug repellent provides a safe, effective alternative in the ongoing...potentially harmful pesticide used in most chemical bug sprays. With natural "bug-busting" ingredients like geranium, soybean and coconut...
