Thank you all for your advice (sorry for the late thank-you -- have been having intermittent computer problems). I wish the prevention part were that easy -- we live in Va. Beach and our property is on the Lynnhaven River -- fairly brackish shallow muddy and probably mosquito nirvana. Our property has a "dog leg" strip that goes down to the water, but we haven't cleared it yet (and legally I'm not sure how we'll wind up doing that -- harsh restrictions because they're trying to revive historical oyster beds). That area is full of marsh grasses, poison ivy and lots of muddy puddle areas. The perimeter of the rest of our rectangular lot is fairly heavily covered in trees, azaleas, ivy, etc. -- lots of hiding places. We're working to clear it somewhat (replacing ivy with mulch) but I also am torn -- I like providing habitat for wildlife (and we have plenty!). I think the biggest problem are the Asian tiger mosquitoes. They're out all day and are so small and fast -- and from what I've read can breed in 1/4" of water very quickly. We purchased one of those pheromone/CO2 traps (is supposed to lure them in where they're fanned into a tray of soapy water) and caught lots of moths. I called the manufacturer in New Zealand and was told that "oh -- they'll work on pretty much all mosquitoes except Asian tiger mosquitoes." We've also got what I'd consider a healthy predatory population -- tons of skinks, snakes, frogs, every bug imaginable (some have got to be predatory, right?) -- I know we've got wheel bugs because I accidentally killed a nymph yesterday before I realized it wasn't a squash bug nymph (similar body shape; wrong color...). Spiders everywhere. We live on a secluded private lane and I've never noticed the city spraying back here. But,.... we're getting eaten alive. Even my husband and kids are getting bitten this year, which is rare. Contrary to what I've heard on the news from "studies" I would disagree that concentrations above 15-20% deet are no more effective than the lower ones. If I wear the "regular" lower concentrations I might as well wear "here's dinner" signs. When I wear the 10-hour yucky oily stuff that's 95% deet it works like a charm. It's horrible, and who knows what it's doing to me, but at least I can step outside and check the garden. But, I did get in my shipment of essential oils -- I just still don't know how to mix the concoctions -- I've read the recipes posted but don't know what the base is. I'm even growing lots of catnip -- I don't yet have enough to take handfuls of the stuff and rub it on myself, but I'm working on it! So thanks again -- and I'll still welcome any recipes! mcaren

two things i am sure that attract bugs .... are perfume .. including in the day.. hairsprays, deoderants, soaps, talcs, fabric softeners .. etc ... and get this ... beer ... dad was a magnet ... what can i say ... not sure if it was the yeasty odor ... or the CO2 exhaled [.. is that the right CO ... lol] .. and if i am not mistaken ... the basis for some attractants ... the fragrance thing.. is why.. bees seem to attack or be lured to women in the garden ... whenever i have a garden tour.. its always them ... [mostly because they smell better than the men.. lol] ... soooo.. if you want to go into the garden .. i suggest you dont wear pheromones that attract bugs that use such to find food [which is the whole point of a fragrant flower] ... but i digress a bit from the blood sucker theme .... ken

In addition to the human hair that Dorothy has mentioned, I save pet hair when I brush the dogs and cats with the Furminator (it removes tons and tons and tons of undercoat and loose hair) and scatter that dog and cat hair around places where I don't want wild critters messing with the plants. As for Rotenone, which Dorothy mentioned in passing, it has joined the growing list of organic products that we don't use any more because they can be just as toxic as chemical products. Other formerly-considered-safe organics that are not used at our home are all tobacco-based products, sabadilla dust and all pyrethrum/pyrethroid type products. We do still use neem oil, citrus oil, pepper spray and insecticidal soap at certain times of the year (not in the hottest months because they burn foliage), targeted BT products, food-grade DE, iron phospate-based snail and slug killers (though not for snails and slugs), and some biologicals like Serenade. In a perfect world, all organic products would be "safe" for use, but in the real world, even they often are not and can have unintended consequences. Some organic products are neurotoxins and can be just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than the synthetic chemical products they are substituted for. One more note--when someone recommends a "home remedy" for garden pests, do your research first and make sure you know what you're doing. A lot of garden-type home remedies that are recommended are ineffective, some are dangerous and others may do what you want them to do, but then they have a secondary and unintended effect that can be dangerous. For example, insecticidal soap sprays are very effective---but they tend to kill the beneficial insects that normally help you keep the pest insects under control, so one side effect of using them is that you may end up with more, not fewer, pest insects. Also, some horticultural soaps and oils burn foliage once the temperatures are above about 85 degrees--and the degree of damage varies from plant variety to plant variety, so always test a spray (commercial or homemade) on 1 plant and wait a day or 2 to see if you see wilting/foliage death before you go out and spray every plant you have. I like sprinkling blood meal around a plant I want rabbits to avoid, but if you have dogs (or certain predator varmints), they'll be attracted to the blood meal. Every time I use blood meal, I have vultures circling for days over the garden trying to find the "dead animal" they keep smelling.

Beagles - thanks for the link to the study - interesting that they conducted it on beagles. Our vet doesn't routinely test for tick borne diseases but I'll ask him next week when I take Maggie in for her canine influenza booster. And speaking of beagles.........We placed a conversation easement on our mountain property with Natural Lands Trust and every year they send one of their Nature Preserve Managers to inspect the property to verify compliance with their regulations. They want to make sure we haven't clear cut the forest or turned it into a hazardous waste dump. This year our Conservationist brought his one year old beagle puppy to walk the property. Oh my, what a sweetheart! We're a family of dog lovers and as we get older we're slowly working our way down to smaller breeds - we started with German Shepherds and now we're down to a 70 pound lab. Our next dog will be even smaller and I fell in love with Riley, the beagle. I could easily see have one or two inner family. Maire