Very interesting, I think I'll be adding a few herb seeds to my collection for next spring.

It's still not too late to plant herbs - you can also buy the started plants.

I was reading that vodka keeps flies away... so I have had a bowl with a splash of vodka out.

Not too many flies around, but I think one of the dogs drank the vodka. lol

Got bit by a hermit spider. 3 weeks later I can finally get a shoe on. Then someone told me horse chestnuts laying around under your furntire will keep spiders out. Small branches for a fir tree will keep sand, grass, and animal fleas out of your home. Mom + Dad had a fried chicken place in Hemit Ca years ago. Once a week Mom would cut thin slices of cucumber and place them unseen around the kitchen and restraunt. She swears it kept cockroachs out of their cafe. A small paper bag opened and tied off at the top with string hanging in a doorway or window will also help keep flies + wasps out. Well thats my bug hints, hope some of them work for you.

Out at our cabin, we fill small ziploc bags with water and drop in a few pennies. Then we hang them in our windows. We have very few flies in the house. Apparently, the flies perceive them as predators. Whatever the reason, it seems to work.

Very interesting, I think I'll be adding a few herb seeds to my collection for next spring.

It's still not too late to plant herbs - you can also buy the started plants.

you can start herbs any time indoors or out and it grows quickly 😀 I have lots of basil and mint everywhere!

Diatomaceous earth.
Safe for everything except bugs. I've used it over tender young plants for a few years now, good results.
Food grade can be sprinkled on pets for fleas.
Is mixed with animal feed to control pests.

Pest control
Diatomite is used as an insecticide, due to its physico-sorptive properties.[8] The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate.[9] Arthropods die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, based on Fick's law of diffusion. This also works against gastropods and is commonly employed in gardening to defeat slugs. However, since slugs inhabit humid environments, efficacy is very low. It is sometimes mixed with an attractant or other additives to increase its effectiveness. Medical-grade diatomite is sometimes used to de-worm both animals and humans, with questionable efficacy.[10][11] It is most commonly used in lieu of boric acid, and can be used to help control and eventually eliminate cockroach and flea infestations.[citation needed] This material has wide application for insect control in grain storage.[12] It has also been used to control bedbug infestations, but this method may take weeks to work

I made the mistake of planting a mint plant in the garden when I bought the house. Nine years later, a quarter of my backyard is mint that got crazy. It smells fantastic when I cut the grass.
Same with an herb called lemon balm. I plant turned into a small hedge over nine years. Can't kill this stuff. It's about a fifth of the back yard now. So, I actually like to cut the grass, as one side smells minty and the other side smells lemony.

I've put a couple of pots of lemon grass around our back patio. It was recommended by our nursery to help repel bugs because it had natural citronella in it. So far though, it's not working. Been there over a month. I do have to say however that I notice much less hornets this year so far.

Runs With Scissors

Bringing this thread back to life. I'm dying with mosquito on my acreage!!! I have bought one of those propane thingy and frankly, I think I'll return it (Thanks Costco for your good customer service!) A month after using it - and a propane tank later - the glue label has all of about 20 mosquitos stuck to it and the only way mosquitoes seem attracted to it is when I stand beside it, trying to figure why it's not working...

DEET works, but I'm not a fan of wearing tons of it. I also seem to have issues when combining DEET and sunscreen and I get rash all over.

I've bought one of the "OFF Clip ons today" and will try it later, but reading the instructions, the cartridge is only good for 11 hours once out of the package, so that becomes an expensive gadget (yet, maybe less expensive than the propane thingy...) I'll see if it works then decide whether it's worth it.

I've tried wearing a light coloured coverall to work outside, but it's still absolutely crazy.

Any suggestions?? What would happen once all the DEET of the world gets depleted?!?!? Maybe zombies and vampires movies are actually based on mosquitoes sucking someone dry and/or turning them mad??

I tried the Off clip-on and found that it didn't do anything. I hope you have better luck!

Bug netting?...sounds extreme I know, but I know some people swear by it

Anyone try Peppermint Oil as Mosquito Repellent?

I was reading that vodka keeps flies away... so I have had a bowl with a splash of vodka out.

Not too many flies around, but I think one of the dogs drank the vodka. lol

I've noticed that a consumed bottle of vodka keeps people away, so I find it easy to accept that it does the same for bugs... If it doesn't, you won't care, so I suppose that achieves the same goal. 🙂

Anyone try Peppermint Oil as Mosquito Repellent?

Not sure if it actually works, but I will say it works great for migraines and headaches, which is how I use it. I have however heard of geranium oil, which makes sense because I think it smells awful 😉 .

We used to use the diatomaeceous earth as well and it worked great, but we can no longer get the non-food grade DE. The finer food grade washes away much more easily, we find, as well as being more expensive than the rougher grade. It was great for dusting on the dog and her run area in the yard to keep ticks off. We also liked to put a little down between the couch cushions, as we sometimes found the dogs would drop ticks on the couch.