I'm heading over to mosquito country this weekend, with a reported fresh hatch. Of all the info available on the web, what have you used that actually works? I don't do DEET and prefer something plant based. Any luck with catnip, lavender, garlic, eucalyptus, vanilla, or... ??

I'll also poke around on the Pond Forum, they may have addressed this at some point.

Bounce fabric softener sheets worked for me the last time I went to the woods.

I'm allergic to DEET, so I've been experimenting with various alternative insect repellents. I bought some citronella and lavender essential oils, and diluted them with water, intending to make my own spray, but the concoction stank to high heaven. At the moment, I'm getting good results with Crabtree & Evelyn's Lavender eau de toilette, which smells nice, but it's a bit expensive and needs to be re-applied frequently.