Catnip oil as biting fly repellant

[thinwater]

I love chemicals. 35 years in the refinery business. But while DEET is great on mosquitoes, it's not much against the bane of the East Coast, green head flies. I generally ignore herbal stuff, but in the search for something better I read this:

Efficacy and safety of catnip (Nepeta cataria) as a novel filth fly repellent. - PubMed - NCBI

Catnip Proven to Repel Flies - Hobby Farms

http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/ja/ja_schultz001


In fact, there are even vague chemical similarities to DEET.



It seems there is serious science that shows catnip really works against flies. It is less effective than DEET on mosquitoes, but still better than most non-DEET alternatives. I've tried it side-by-side with DEET and agree.

Has anyone tried this against flies? The season is young and I have not had the opportunity.

[44'cruisingcat]

I'd be worried about our cat biting us.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

I'd be worried about our cat biting us.

I think your cat would only nip you!

[rassabossa]

No first hand experience with the stuff but I heard it smells. Most formulas I've seen mix it with something else to make it smell nicer.

[thinwater]

The cat ignores it on people, though he loves regular catnip toys. Yeah, I wondered about that.

I'm sure smell could vary, but the stuff we are trying from Petco doesn't smell, or at least much less than DEET. Check before you buy.

It is mediocre on mosquitoes (much better than nothing, but not as good as DEET). We have not yet run into heavy flies... but we will in a few weeks!