Anyone use Citronella?

[Beekissed]

I've played around with it before in making some homemade flea and tick collars for the dogs~but found they just could not tolerate that smell and would work for hours to get the collars off or to try and get the smell away. They finally rolled in a dead animal before I had mercy and removed the collars!

I have used it in a homemade bug repellant that works pretty well and really kept the flies off of horses....they didn't seem to mind the smell.

This evening I used it on my cow to help her avoid the fly bites from hundreds of flies....and it worked immediately!!! Just put a little on a rag and wiped it over her fur.

The dogs, however, wouldn't even come near me as long as I smelled of the oil and it is extremely hard to wash off your skin if you use it full strength.

Could be very good to keep dogs away from certain areas of the lawn or garden, chicken coops, etc.

I Googled it and it doesn't seem to have any harmful effects to humans or animals. They are finding it more effective than electric shock for barking dogs. They now have citronella bark collars on the market. I know it would shut my dogs up and drive them insane!

Why aren't more bug repellants and fly sprays made from this stuff?

Anyone else use this? If diluted well, could it be used in the garden?

 

[TanksHill]

Great topic Bee. I only buy pre made candles for camping. But I look forward to hearing what others have to say. g

 

[freemotion]

I just bought a citronella geranium.....I don't suppose this is the same thing, though, is it? It smells lovely!

 

[Beekissed]

Article on Citronella to tell about its components:

Citronella oil is one of the important essential oils (volatile compounds that are responsible for the flavors and fragrances associated with the leaves, flowers, seeds, or wood of plants). It's obtained from different species of Cymbopogon grasses that grow wild or are cultivated in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, South America, and the Caribbean. The primary species are C. nardus and C. winterianus, which are called citronella grass. Related Cymbopogon species are known as lemongrass and are used as herbs to add a lemony flavor to foods. Other sources of essential oils include citrus peel, such as orange, lemon, and lime; herbs, such as peppermint and lavender; and trees, such as pine, cedar, and eucalyptus.

Studies on the chemical composition of citronella oil have found it contains a mix of more than a dozen monoterpenes, with the major components being aldehydes and alcohols. The primary aldehydes are the dienes geranial and neral, respectively known as trans- and cis-citral (3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal), as well as citronellal (3,7-dimethyl-6-octenal), which has only one carbon-carbon double bond. The alcohols are geraniol and citronellol, which are analogs of the aldehydes.

Citronella oil has been used as a fragrance in personal care products for more than 50 years. It's increasingly being used today as the main ingredient, or one of several essential oil ingredients, in insect-repelling products, including candles, sunscreen, pet collars, food packaging, and clothing. The terpenes in the oil are thought to block neural pathways in insects such as mosquitoes and to interfere with their movements and metabolism without killing them.

I will tell you this....after awhile, the smell kind of makes me sick of smelling it!

 

[freemotion]

Maybe you are part mosquitoe and don't know it......

 

[Beekissed]

I did work for the American Red Cross for awhile.....

 

[Beekissed]

sorry, double posted

 

[breconbcs]

I can't blame your dogs Bee...lol. I can't stand the smell of the citronella on it's own either. The mix I like using with Citronella is: one drop of citronella to two or three drops each (depends on how strong the citronella smell is still) of bergamot and cedarwood and two drops of lemongrass (but not always as I use it mostly for soaps). This has been working here to help repel not only the mosquitoes but also gnats, flys and fleas. It must be helping with ticks cause I haven't found any on the dogs or myself after work in the pastures or running in the forests. I use it as a spray mixed with water but also I've mixed with sweet almond and I apply it to the dogs after baths or on the one dog I have that runs when he sees the spray bottle.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I've never liked Citronella candles...but now I'm wondering if I should re-think that....

 

[MorelCabin]

I use this citronella bug spray that I find at Walmart, and I love it! It works better than anything I have ever tried before, and sure smells better than regular bug dope.