If you aren't willing to use the products that provide the most protection then I'm not sure "absolute protection" is possible. Especially since it isn't possible with any solution even if gardening in a greenhouse.

So the best protection is to eliminate any possible standing water quito breeding areas around your property. That, plus keeping the threat in proper perspective for your location, is the best solution. There are very specific requirements for zika to even exist in an area, much less for it to be more of a threat than say ticks or other soil dwelling bacteria we all live with all the time.

You claim DEET is toxic. That is very debatable given all the studies done on it. Otherwise you'll have to decide if the supposed "toxicity" of DEET products and the odor is outweighed by the threat of zika or not.

Dave

Wear long sleeved shirts and long pants. I've used Basil plants for mosquito repellent with great success. I have a large basil plant. I take about a dozen leaves and rub them in my hands to release the oil. I rub it on my skin. It takes several repeats to cover all of my skin. I do wear shorts and a T-shirt when I garden. My husband used Off and got bit in 15 minutes. I used the basil rub and didn't get bit in the 30 minutes I stayed outside.

I've also heard that sticking a dryer sheet in our belt loop works to repel them. I haven't tried that one.

Some years ago a number of us would go to Canada fishing the last week of May, usually on the Ottawa river, Mosquito Heaven!!!! We sprayed and rubbed, etc. with differening results. An old timer up there said, "about six weeks before you come up here, start drinking tomato juice, eating tomatoes, etc. build it up in your body, seems to repel mosquitos for most people. The next year, we tried it, and it worked?

Try to be outside when there's a breeze, mosquitos aren't very aerodynamic and will stay in the brush. Eliminate any standing water, etc. eliminate brushy areas near where you'll be.

Basil already mentioned but a list of plants that can be used

http://bestplants.com/plants-that-repel-mosquitoes/

I like the tomato idea, will have to give that a try.

Here is information from Consumer Reports.

http://www.consumerreports.org/insect-repellents/mosquito-repellents-that-best-protect-against-zika

I have a summer cabin at the Russian River in CA.. As soon as the sun goes behind the mountain those suckers come out! I have used a lotion made by Avon that also has a light sunscreen, OFF, tried a dryer sheet (they recommend SHOUT) with so so results. Our fav is a spray on (non-aerosol) organic that we got at WM (sorry, don't have it handy!)

The TODAY show had a review of the 10 best mosquito repellants, I think last week you might check that out. Nancy

Tyvek disposable coveralls (with hood), spray it with the DEET after donning. I am extremely sensitive to DEET and cannot use it, nor be around anyone who has.

It should be used with caution by the elderly, pregnant women, men and women trying to become pregnant, small children, anyone with a compromised immune system, or anyone with a compromised liver function.

Other than what has already bee mentioned, I've been under the influence of alcohol in a mosquito infested area and they seemed to leave me alone... lol

I don't know anything bugproof, but.. I live in a wetlands. There is no such thing as reduce the water, lol. It's not about how to reduce them, it's about how to keep them where they are and out of where you are. Skeeters never liked me my whole life, but I get chomped on plenty out here. Ticks are a frigging nightmare. I probably went through 4-5 cans of deet for spraying off easily the summer of 2011 when we moved in. Then in 2012- and sometime early 2013 I gave it up.
Now, I don't use deet at all. I can't recommend this for everyone, but his has worked for me, and worked for my sister when she first moved out here and was plagued by bugs.

It's a whole regimen. Have a couple sets of clothes that are your outdoor/gardening clothes. Great if you can use long sleeves and legs. But more to the point, you wash these clothes together more often. Store these clothes together too if you can, and use sachets of bug repelling herbs in the drawer you use.

There are an abundance of herbs that help out with insect warding. Use these things in your washing cycle for your gardening clothes, bath soap, lotion, hair shampoo, conditioner, and oils. Have body/clothing spray on hand to mist yourself throughout the day. Clove oil is a particularly good summer time scalp and hair oil and repels ticks and skeeters well. Rosemary water is good for dark hair mist, mint and citrus good for lighter shades.

Rosemary, cedar, lemon scented herbs, and lavender are great scents to wear. Have a mister bottle on hand to spray yourself down and often as necessary.

Also ward your doorways and patios with skeeter repellent plants like marigolds and catnip. Brush against these plants as you go about :)

Basil gets a special mention. Use it to wear, to spray yourself with, tuck sachets of it in your gardening clothes. Outside your doorways and on patios and lovely and good smelling greenery- basil comes in many great forms. Eat lots of it.

Right now, around here... the lemon pelargonium has been growing like mad and is ready for another cutting round, the lime basil and standard basil plants are starting second leaves, the newest round of lavender plants for the yard is showing late winter pirking up.

I have heard that consuming garlic regularly also deters biting insects as well as vampires and members of the opposite sex.

Sawyer Products Picaridin based Fisherman's Formula repellent. Wear long sleeves/pants and I like to wear head nets, with a hat to have the bill hold the net away from your face. I prefer Sea to Summit Head net brand. You don't even know it's there after a few minutes. If just sitting on the deck/patio, nothing beats an oscillating fan. Disperse your carbon dioxide and make it hard to hover.

If you are near a pond or standing water from a floodplain, buy a big container of mosquito dunks/bits and a slingshot. Every few days, fling some bits into the standing water to prevent hatching mosquitos. If a standing pool of water is a permanent feature, look for a solar powered water agitator. Don't forget to check your gutters for proper grading. How about a bat house? They consume 1,000+ per night. When I win the lottery, my garden will have one of those industrial golf course fans you see around putting greens.

http://buckeyeturf.osu.edu/mmanager/sites/default/files/photos/2011/06/image_n3725_f4644.jpg

"I have heard that consuming garlic regularly also deters biting insects as well as vampires and members of the opposite sex."

That is tragic, because I like garlic, I want to repel mosquitoes but attract the opposite sex. The vampires don't really move the needle either way.

I would get a bottle of Permethrin and treat a few sets of clothes with it. It is not used on bare skin. It will also protect you from ticks.

Permethrin is good stuff as an insect repellent, and it seems pretty non-toxic to humans. It is highly toxic to lots of other things, though. Very bad for aquatic creatures, and cats as well. It's an incredible insecticide, and is worried about a lot for agricultural use mainly because it kills *everything*. Good bugs and bad. You may have used it on your kid. It's the main ingredient in lots of head lice treatments.

Sorry, neither the alcohol or garlic does the trick for me! I've experimented in earnest! Nancy

I bought some thing called mosquitno last year before we went camping and got no mosquito bites. They are rubber bracelets that smell strongly of citronella. My kids removed theirs immediately, and got some bites. You might try that. It is supposed to be non-toxic. It is sold through the mosquitno website. They also have stickers you can stick to your clothing. You could also try growing citronella.

I heard zika is only a problem for pregnant women? Personally, I would also be concerned if I were considering becoming pregnant in the near future, but otherwise, I don't think it's a problem, even for those with compromised immune systems. You might ask your doctor.

By the way, I ate tomato and basil sandwiches for months during one of my pregnancies with no problems. Never heard of basil being bad for pregnant women!