The last week-end of summer fun is here with Labor Day coming up. Its a time of good food, good times… and invariably, pesky insects and plenty of bites.

There's nothing like playing outdoors and enjoying a good Bar-B-Que, but if you've ever found yourself blurting out, "What can I do about these pesky flies?!?… or mosquitoes… or whatever is buzzing over your dinner plate (or skin), you know how fast these bugs can ruin a good time.

So, IS there anything you can do without resorting to toxic chemicals?

Luckily, there are a few essential oils that can help. Let's start with essential oils that repel insects naturally. Here's a quick list:

Insect Repellent Essential Oils

Mosquito-repellent oils:
- palo santo
- lemon
- Idaho Tansy
- citronella

Fly and horse-fly-repellent oils:
- Idaho tansy
- citronella

Moth-repellent oils:
- patchouly
- palo santo

You can diffuse these oils in the area around you, or put about 20 drops in an 8 oz spray bottle and spritz the area. If the area is heavily infested, you can rub the oils on exposed skin.

Other excellent insect repelling essential oils are:
– Western Red Cedar
– Citronella Combined With Cedarwood
– Eucalyptus Blue
– Eucalyptus Globulus
– Idaho Tansy
– Blue Cypress

Here are a couple of recipes combining strong insect repellent oils:

Insect Repellent Essential Oil Recipe #1:

10 Drops Each:

• Palo Santo
• Idaho Tansy
• Eucalyptus Globulus
• Peppermint

…into an 8 oz spray bottle with water. Shake vigorously and spray over area.

Insect Repellent Essential Oil Recipe #2:

1. 2 drops pine
2. 2 drops eucalyptus globulus
3. 5-10 drops Purification

Pu all above oils into an 8 oz spray bottle with water. Shake vigorously and spray over area.

Natural Insect Bite Remedies:

But what happens if you should get bitten? Put some oils on the bite!

Here's a recipe combining essential oils for insect bites:

Insect Bite Essential Oils Recipe:

• 2 drops Palo Santo
• 2 drops Idaho Tansy
• 1 drop Eucalyptus Blue

Mix oils together and apply a small amount to the bite.

A few other oils that are great for insect bites are:
– Basil
– Copaiba
– Frankincense
– Lime

Insect Repellent Oils for Pets

What about your pets? Poor Fido doesn't like flies and mosquitoes any more than you do! Any of the above recipes also work well for dogs, horses and other pets (but not for cats).

If your dog should go exploring and come back with ticks or lice, Animal Scents Shampoo can come to the rescue. It has powerful insect repellent properties and is designed to get rid of ticks, lice and other insects, without any toxic chemicals whatsoever.

So enjoy your weekend, have lots of fun, and keep the bugs away with insect repellent essential oils.

Ever wanted to how to keep flies off horses naturally?

Idaho tansy essential oil is a great natural pest repellant.  Idaho tansy floral water* is usually used to keep flies off horses naturally.  But if you can't find any floral water, you can mix up a solution with water and the essential oil.

It's easy to make a bottle of Idaho tansy natural insect repellant.  Simply mix 10-15 drops of Idaho tansy essential oil with about a cup of water.  Shake well and spray over your horse to keep flies and other insects away.

*Floral water is the water used in the distillation of essential oils.  After the oil is skimmed off, the floral water remains.  It is subtly scented and infused with the essential oil's qualities.

For more information about Idaho tansy essential oil, click here…