home-made flyspray - alternatives to citronella

[notpoodle]

have been making my own flyspray (trust tea/vinegar/washing up liquid/citronella recipe) with citronella, but i'm wondering if there's any other eg. oil i could use instead of citronella.
any suggestions? not keen on deet, but how about oil of clove? eucalyptus? do those repel flies as well?

Thanks

Julia
x

[Skye94]

youcaliptis(sp) is really good i find.. but rather than buyin the oil my grama has a tree in her garden so i steal a few twigs and tie them into skyes mane and tail :p she looks like a wild pony!!! clove is also very good and smells ace... im sure someone i know used peppermint oil... :o

[notpoodle]

doesnt peppermint oil attract flies as its quite sweet?

Julia
x

[Teehee]

I have heard that a big hand full of clove seeds and another handful of anisette seeds, put in a pressure cooker with 8 litres (more or less) let it cook (once the pressure is up) for about 15 minutes, let it cool, then put in spray bottle and spray window sills, doors and on the horse... supposely it works good also... I'm going to be trying this recipee... since cintronella oil... I don't think I can get that here...?

[KT C]

I think you can use lavendar as well, but I'm not sure how effective it is - I know it is an ingredient in some fly repellants though.

Dunno about where you are, but you can still get citronella from chemists in the uk - someone on my yard bought some just the other day for making flyspray.

[notpoodle]

yes you can still get citronella, i just fancied a change because im sick and tired of the awful citronella stench surrounding my pony :D

would i be able to buy oil of clove (i lack time and a pressure cooker to start boiling stuff up i'm afraid ...) over the counter? would i use the same amount i'd use for citronella?

Julia
x

[magicalmac]

You can buy Oil of cloves from the chemists. But only use small drops its very strong stuff.

[Portia]

Neem oil is an excellent insect deterrent, works very well for us. It can be difficult to source as a pure form and is best obtained online. Other oils that I add to my homemade recipe include lemongrass, eucalyptus, citronella, lavender, tea tree. use washing up liquid as a surfactant, plus a few drops of cider vinegar. quantity of oil depends on the severity of the insect problem, for me it's about 50 drops of all oils to a litre of water (if flys are getting bad I up the dose), few drops of washing liquid and vinegar.

[Jessey]

All the ones Portia mentions :D
My mums an aromatherapist and told me to stick to just 4 drops per 10mls (of carrier, be it water, plain oil or water based cream) to be on the safe side with any oils, I worked out that a 15ml bottle is about 200 drops so that is fine for 500ml of carrier :D

[Greentchr]

doesnt peppermint oil attract flies as its quite sweet?


No, the peppermint itself is not sweet. It is the smell that repels insects. I use various types of mints (whatever I have growing at the time) to ward off mosquitoes and other flying bugs on my family when we go camping. We just rub the plant on ourselves. The only problem is that as soon as the smell goes away, the protection goes away.

Using the peppermint oil keeps it on longer and works very well. I have not tried making my own fly repellant for the horses, but I think I will this year! I went to a 'vet-talk' at my dog trainers, and she was expressing her concern about the chemicals we put on our animals for bug-control. She strongly suggests just putting the least necessary. For ticks (she was talking about dogs), she suggested just putting the chemical on ankles and then on a bandana around the neck rather than on the fur. I have used spot-on tick control when it gets really bad here (just a 3 or 4 week problem), but according to her that is the worst stuff to use on an animal as it is a systemic- it gets throughout the system which is why it works so well.

I guess I will try some of the suggestions here! I think I would rather smell pepperminty than citronelly though... does Neem have a smell?

[Portia]

Yes, to my hayfever ridden nose it's a deep sort of smoky musky scent, not sweet, not fruity.
You need the pure oil, I get mine online at www.holisticpetsupplies.co.uk. It's a rather odd looking oil, at temperatures below 15c (i think), it presents as a waxy substance rather than an oil, needs to be warmed (I nuke it) before it reverts back.

Very effective.

[icegirl]

Just ordered some fly spray with Neem oil, which had been strongly recommended before but could only get the piddly little ones from the chemist! So thanks for that Portia. Neem is supposed to be good for thrush too Ive heard.

[bevy]

Be careful with Oil of Clove, as it is very strong. It also has a numbing property which is why people with toothache rub it into their gums. I do know of someone who used to rub it onto her horse's dock prior to tail pulling for the same reason.

[Siogfinsceal]

garlic oil - flies hate garlic. Elderberries are good art repelling flies too we used to break off bits and stick in horses browbands