There really aren't any plants that repel mosquitoes. Sorry, but there are lots of places that PROCLAIM that certain plants repel these pests, but they don't. The real citronella plant is a tropical grass and not related to the mint species that are purported to do the job.

Your community should be treating the lake with a larvae-cide, a product that will safely control only the larval mosquitoes, called wrigglers. This product is Bacillus thuringiensis-israelensis, a naturally occurring bacterium that can only kill the larvae of mosquitoes, certain gnats and flies. Does not harm fish or ANYthing else.

You should do some research on your own so that you are armed with information, and then INSIST that Bt-i be used. It is, after all, a health issue.

If you need help with this, please let me know.

I agree about the lack of plants that help repel mosquitoes. The only plant that I know of that will probably help is the Venus Flytrap. Maybe some plants that are "citrus-sy" might help, since citrinola(?) seems to help.

You probably need a multi-level approach to cut down the numbers: 1) make sure there are no sources of standing water, 2) for standing water sources that can't be elimited and are away from gardens and people, you could use mosquito "dunks" to kill the breeding grounds, 3) consider an electronic bug-zapper, 4) consider wearing a skin lotion with repelling fragrances (lavender? citrus? garlic??), 5) avoid going outside in the morning and evening.

In Texas, we know mosquitoes. Sorry to hear they are a problem all the way up to the good state of CT. Good luck!

They do treat the lake but not till later in the season, I have never seen mosquitos like this in March! But we've also never seen a week of 80 degree weather in March either. I have seen ads for a plant called Mosquito Shoo, but guess its bunk. I was hoping for something a bit more natural then having to soak my skin in chemicals, and those bug zappers do nothing around here. I am buying bat houses ASAP.

Yes, I'd research that Mosquito Shoo thing, since it might be bogus. For something to apply to the skin, I agree about avoiding chemicals. That's why all my suggestions were purely natural, and chemical-free.

Hopefully that bat house idea will work. I know they love mosquitoes, but they only come out when it's dark, so about 1/2 of the day the mosquitoes will free to do their deeds.

Forget about the 'Mosquito Shoo'. If it isn't a plant by that name, it's another name...none of which will work.

I've lived in the Northeast my whole life. There are NO naturally occurring plants here that repel mosquitoes. That's why you can't find anything when you search.

I've been told that eating lots of garlic, or taking lots of B vitamins, changes one's scent so the mosquitoes bite less. I've tried both and neither made the slightest difference for me.

I live in a wetland area. The mosquitoes here are still out and hungry at noon. My next-door neighbor put up a bat house. I feed hummingbirds, which eat mosquitoes during the day. We still get bit. Only takes one skeeter. (And the birds are still down south this time of year.)

The mosquitoes here will even bite through denim, but it does slow them down. When the weather's cool enough, wearing long sleeved shirts and long pants helps.

What about a lemon balm plant?? Now it won't repel the mosquitoes but you can take a leaf off and squeeze it then rub the the juice on you to act as a repellent. I have also heard that onion will help.

Sorry to revive a thread that's kind of over, but in case it helps others searching, I have some info too.

My parents and a couple of different old friends have the kind of mosquitoes you're describing - vicious and persistent, biting through almost anything. First my parents, then my friends all got a mosquito magnet:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1473&bih=870&gbv=2&q=mosquito%20magnet&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=iw&ei=VNt_T76qJsOo2wXihZyIBw

It works! It's pretty amazing. There are still mosquitoes, but it curbs the numbers immensely and is silent. But it's also expensive. And my parents had to bolt their second one to a tree, as the first was stolen - in a town where most people still don't lock their front doors.

The idea is to attract and then trap them. There was a series of recent studies in Mosquito control in the hopes of curbing resistant Malaria. They found across the board that the absolute best attractant was not CO2 or pheromone, as was expected, but (get this) old, stinky socks! So a cheap mosquito magnet: old sweaty gym socks (the riper the better) and a netting trap.

The traps are not fun to empty at all though.

Lastly, try supplementing your diet to see if you can make yourself less appealing to them. I eat a high potassium, low red meat diet and also use a lot of turmeric. I'm not sure if that's why they don't bite me anymore, but since I started boosting the potassium and turmeric over 10 years ago, they leave me alone. I'll be sitting with others who are getting eaten alive and I'm fine - sometimes I'll get one or two bites, but compared to the dozen my spouse ends up with in an evening or day, it's nothing at all.

I don't honestly know that any studies have been done to show supplementing works, I just know I read about the idea somewhere and tried it, and it works for me. And fwiw, I also live next to a lake. But don't take turmeric pills, use fresh turmeric in food, and don't supplement Potassium with anything except food that is high in it - it can be toxic in a deadly way if supplemented in any way other than regular diet. And check with your doc before making any big dietary changes, of course.

Thanks for the information on mosquito control. Hopefully this will help out a lot of people.

What about lemon scented geraniums? Haven't personally tried them, but according to the attached, they're not only effective as plants, but you can rub them on your skin. I'm going to try some this year.

Here is a link that might be useful: LSUAgCenter - Lemon Scented Geraniums

Studies have proven that lemon scented geraniums do not repel mosquitoes. They sure do smell good, though.

I have seen on another forum that the lemon balm plant can help get rid of mosquitoes, if you squeeze the plant them rub the oil on your skin. Has anyone tried this?

Try sweet basil