By Dan Armstrong
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 6:56 p.m.
Read more: Local
Many people think there are two seasons in Michigan: winter and road construction. But they're wrong! The road construction season runs at the same time as mosquito season. NBC25 put several products to the test and you can decide what's best for you.
Our trek begins at Gillroys Hardware in Clio where we size up the sprays. "It's pretty much got the same stuff," says assistant manager John Thomas. He says the sprays have different packaging, labels, and that's about it. They do the same work.
We also see an interesting contraption: an insect fogger.
Thomas says, "It's propane powered. It emits a fog over your whole yard, and it's going to kill the bugs. It's going to last couple days, real effective."
NBC 25 bought a can of Off spray and a new product, Skin Armour. You wash yourself with it, and it's supposed to keep the bugs off.
We also test a natural concoction of thieves oil, lemon, purification oil, peppermint, and lavender. They're provided by Tom Sheppard of Mt. Morris who got them from Young Living Essential Oils. Sheppard says, "You can dilute it with water, put it in a spray bottle and it's just as effective, spray yourself down, go outside at night, and the mosquitoes are going to go 'Who's this guy?'"
NBC 25 intern, Rebecca DeMars, will go the natural route. NBC 25's promotions assistant Bryan Fork will try out the bug soap, and NBC 25's Dan Armstrong will use the spray. After ten minutes of standing by standing water here are the results.
First, the natural recipe. DeMars says, "It worked pretty good. The mosquitoes landed on me, but i haven't gotten bit."
Now, the bug soap. Fork says, "It worked really well. It was easy, once we put it on, mosquitoes didn't bother me at all."
Finally, the spray. Armstrong says, "I didn't have anything land on me, so I think we have three winners."
The biggest difference is in the price. The spray is around $7. The soap is $15. The combination of essential oils can be around $100, but the oils are natural and non-toxic.
All three products warn against getting it in your eyes.
