HOUSTON — After a week of heavy rain mosquitoes are now moving in. People all across the Houston metro area are snapping photos of the blood-suckers swarming homes and businesses.
You may be searching: DIY mosquito repellents online.
Fans are often listed in online articles. The thought is that mosquitoes are weak fliers, so a strong wind stream will keep them ay bay.
"So, if you have a certain amount of wind speed you could help from getting mosquitoes to fly into your area to be able to bite you," said Dr. Kristy Murray with the Baylor College of Medicine.
"The problem is that, are you going to have a fan that’s going to be able to cover your entire body?"
Bloggers also suggest you avoid drinking beer while mosquitoes are buzzing. The reason is, "those things can actually increase the amount of carbon dioxide that you breath," said Dr. Murray who also added the smoking can increase your odds of getting bit. "And so by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide, it’s potentially more of an attractant to the mosquitoes."
Some websites also suggest you increase your B vitamins, specifically B1. The theory is that your body will sweat out excess amounts of the vitamin and that sweat produces an odor that female mosquitos find repulsive.
"I would absolutely say there’s no study that I’ve seen that supports that hypothesis," said the doctor.
One of the most common DIY mosquito repellent ideas is founded on the use of essential oils: lemon, eucalyptus and tea tree.
"Oil lemon eucalyptus has been proven, hands down, to be effective," said Murray.