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Catnip lotion as effective as Deet at repelling mosquitoes, study finds
(www.theguardian.com)
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this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2026
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Most of the "effective as DEET" oils only last a very short amount of time because they evaporate too quickly. Which is why the CDC doesn't recommend them when traveling to locations with high mosquito disease transmission.
Curious if Catnip oil has the same issue, the article doesn't say.
edit: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-52715-y
Effective for 1-4 hours. Definitely better than most essential oil treatments, but not as good as DEET or picaridin.
So ... we just need to mix catnip/peppermint oil into a less volatile carrier to slow the evaporation, yes?
Then they're less effective.