No-see-ums and other insects can quickly ruin a beach BBQ or quiet evening in the cockpit. But what can you do? Most bug sprays are formulated for mosquitoes and not effective against the little invisible sets of teeth. The likely choices are to retreat into the boat and close all the hatches (very hot) or retreat into the boat and put up the no-see-um screens, which have very,very fine mesh to keep the tiny little critters out (almost as hot).
Kim on Evenstar just sent me a better alternative: make your own insect repellant that really works and doesn’t have any nasty chemicals.
We don’t have no-see-ums where I am, but we sure do have mosquitoes! So that’s what I tested this on. Since we have the “lickingest” dog in the world, Dave and I really try to avoid any bug sprays that could harm her if she licked them off our skin. But we really don’t like bug bites, either. Kim’s mix worked well to repel the mosquitoes, and my online research convinced me that the ingredients would be safe for Paz (I suggest you do your own research on the particular combination you plan to use.)
Kim swears that it works on the no-see-ums just as well: “We cruisers are always looking for the latest, greatest ‘no see-um’ oil as we tend to get eaten alive in the Caribbean (and all the bug spray in the world does not seem to keep those nasty things off of us). The following recipe works great and is easy to make!”
If you are in an area plagued by only one insect, you can just use one of the essential oils that’s listed as effective against that one. The good news is that you can combine two or more of the oils to create a more comprehensive blend suited to whatever may be bothering you.
Depending on where you are located, it can be hard to find the essential oils. In the small town (20,000) where I now live, I could only find citronella — and that was at a specialty pharmacy. So I’ve provided a link to Amazon for each oil — they are all relatively inexpensive and very easy to slip into your luggage even if your boat is in the Caribbean.
And yes, you can buy some of these oils as pre-made insect repellants, which works well if your boat is in the US. But if you’re elsewhere, it’s easiest to just take the one hard-to-find ingredient back to the boat with you since it only makes up a small portion of the total volume. Then you can get the other ingredients locally rather than using up precious luggage space!
Make Your Own Insect Repellant
Store the mix in a dark plastic bottle so it won’t degrade. If you can’t find a dark bottle, just cover a clear one with duct tape. I found that using an old (well-rinsed out) shampoo worked well as it had a small opening for pouring the repellant out. I also tried putting it in an old window cleaner bottle with a spray nozzle so that we could spray it on. However, pouring a bit out from the shampoo bottle and then rubbing it on seemed to work better for us, probably because we used more of the mix, so I wouldn’t worry about trying to find a spray bottle.
Now, on to the formula. The mixture should be 5 to 10% essential oil(s) and the rest the “carrier” oil or alcohol. So, to make a reasonable quantity:
1 fluid ounce essential oil(s) — total of all oils (this is 2 tablespoons, or 30 ml)
9 to 19 fluid ounces carrier oil or alcohol (1-1/8 cup to 2-3/8 cups)
I opted to make it on the strong side and used 1-1/4 cups of carrier, which made a total of 1-3/8 cups of the mix (11 ounces).
What essential oil(s) to use? It depends on what you need protection against:
- citronella oil (no-see-ums, mosquitoes and biting flies)
- cinnamon oil (mosquitoes)
- lemon eucalyptus or regular eucalyptus oil (mosquitoes, ticks, and lice)
- castor oil (mosquitoes)
- sweet orange oil (fleas)
- rose geranium (ticks and lice)
IMPORTANT: With all of these, you need the highly concentrated “essential” oil. For example, you can get “citronella oil” for Tiki lights in lots of places. But that’s not what you need — it’s already been diluted (and with things you probably don’t want to rub on your skin).
Carrier oil or alcohol (choose one or a combination):
- olive oil, sunflower oil or any other cooking oil
- witch hazel
- vodka
Just pour the essential oil and the carrier into the dark bottle you’ll store it in, cap it and shake to mix. If you prefer a “gel” consistency, you can mix in some aloe vera gel — but be aware that you’re cutting the concentration of the essential oil.
You can either rub it on or spray it on. Apply about once an hour or more often if you’re swimming or sweating a lot.
And one final related note: If you need to replace — or make — a no-see-um screen, it can be hard to find the material. Try bridal veil material, which you can find in most moderate-sized towns.
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Hi Carolyn
Do you think Neutrogena Sesame oil would work as a carrier? It has a lovely smell already & would mix quite nicely with some of the essential oil scents-it also comes in unscented, and is available on Amazon…
Thanks for all the great tips!
I don’t really know — I’ve never used the Neutrogena Sesame Lotion (link is to it on Amazon if you’re wondering what it is). I think the only question would be whether it had anything it in that would “cancel out” or neutralize the essential oil. I’d say try it with a small amount if you want — and let the rest of us know the results!
Great Info…I’ll share with my friends. Thanks.
I am highly allergic to no-seeums. My reaction to them this year was the worst. They made me a prisoner in our boat. I have tried everything and deet works but you can’t miss a spot and you have to apply every couple of hours. Does this work the same way or can you put it on you in several places and reapply that way every hour. Reapplying everywhere your exposed even every 2 hours is not practical in reality for me.
I’m not REAL sensitive to them — I’ve been able to get by with putting sort of “generally” on and rubbing it around, and use it probably every 3 hours or so just sitting in the cockpit. I’ve only used it for a week where there were no-see-ums so don’t have a lot of long-term experience there. I’ve used it a LOT on mosquitos (nasty ones on the river) and applying it once would work all evening. Considering how sensitive you are, I’d hate to make a guess how it would work.
It is worth trying. Brunswick, Ga was the worst. Their bite whelps up like a wasp sting except they are worse….the itching doesn’t stop for over a week. I never know I am biten until a day or two later so you don’t know they are there until it is too late. I was still getting new bites in Jacksonville and we finally figured out we had trapped some in the boat. Rusty sprayed bug spray like crazy and we haven’t had trouble since. I still close everything up at sunset until well after dark. But in Georgia I don’t think the dusk and dawn applied. They were around all the time I think.
I should have added that I have to use it more often if I’m sweating. It’s not nearly as harsh on the skin as DEET and it doesn’t seem to melt plastic like DEET does (admittedly, I haven’t deliberately sprayed it on my watch or anything — I’m pretty careful after ruining both a GPS display and my watch display in about 30 seconds . . . )
I really appreciate your posting. No seeums could be a deal breaker for me….it was that bad this year.
Cant wait to try this.. ALL insects love to chew me up!!
Thanks
If you make a batch that’s about 11 ounces and you apply it every hour or so, about how long would one batch last?
Depends on a lot of things like wearing shorts versus long pants, do you spray it on or pour a little out and rub it on, etc. — but I’d say that it makes about 50 applications, less if you use it really heavily. 11 ounces would be 66 teaspoons and I’m guesstimating that I use a little over 1 teaspoon each time I apply it.
I use baby oil to battle Noseeums. it works great. Another one I have heard but have not tried yet is, Coconut Oil.
Does anyone have any experience with which carrier oil works best in the Caribbean? Is an oil to greasy for the hot temps? Would vodka work best?
I will try this..Thanks
Thanks!
Just a correction, Kim is no longer on EVENSTAR. She jumped ship over a year ago.
Oops! Old info from when she sent me the instructions!
No problem.
I will try this! The No-See-Ums eat me alive in the Caribbean. I wake up clawing my legs as they attack me while sleeping! Screens to keep them out. Thanks.
Thanks for this! Have you or anyone you know tried neem oil? I’ve used it for mosquitos, but I’m new to no-see-um territory. They are out in FULL FORCE! I might give it a try and let you know. It’s impossible to find screen small enough to keep the no-see-ums out – thanks for the tip re: veil material.
I made a batch and tried it out last night. Sorry to say that it’s no match for the no-see-ums in Little Shark River, Everglades, FL!
Bummer Susan! This is Jan & we were hoping this stuff would work on those wicked no-see-ums! Thx for letting me know! FYI, when we were in Bocas Del Toro, Panama there was some kind of soap in a little black box called Pic-X or some such thing. The no-see-em population in Bocas is every bit as wicked as in Little Shark. I’m in contact with my cruising friends there & asked them to bring me some. If it works, I’ll let you know! Cheers! Jan
I haven’t tried the oils yet, but I am in no see-um territory and just looking to see what other people are recommending for a repellent. I was new to them just last year and our country store stocks Avon Skin So Soft spray just for the nosee-ums. So far they have stopped biting me since I bought a bottle. Not only does it repeal them but my skin is so soft..