"Natural" bug dope

B

Billinthedesert

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Jun 30, 2025
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If you are finding the mosquitoes both persistent and desperate ahead of the arrival of a decent frost, I can recommend a relatively natural formula developed during the Woodrow Wilson Administration and endorsed by the then chief of entomology at the USDA. It consists of 2 parts camphor oil, 2 parts citronella oil and 1 part cedarwood oil. Simply mix and store in small spray bottles. I think it smells great myself, and use it when I don't care to spritz with DEET -- which is most of the time.
This is from Horace Kephart's classic "Book of Camping and Woodcraft," the 1918 edition.
 
Sounds good, Bill. I like old fixes that still work. It probably smells like actual wood instead of chemicals
 
Have you tested how long it protects you compared to regular bug spray? I wonder if it works as well in forests as it does out in the open
 
Alan, I have not had a chance to sit in a mosquito-infested place with this one one arm and DEET on the other. I doubt it is as effective as DEET -- nothing else seems to be -- but it is at least somewhat effective for a few hours. As long as I can still smell it, it seems to help.
Repellent formulas including this one are discussed in Kephart's book in the chapter titled "Pests of the Woods," which you can read here:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pst.000045719738&seq=251
 
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