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Old 29-06-2009, 02:51 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Emery Davis[_2_] Emery Davis[_2_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Mar 2008
Posts: 105
Default Herb or plant that repels flies?

David in Normandy wrote:
Does anyone know of a herb or plant that can be rubbed onto the skin
that repels biting flies? I swatted four horse flies yesterday while
working in the garden. Luckily they seem fairly slow and clumsy and are
generally easy to swat before they take a bite. However, I still managed
to get a bite on my leg. I dislike having to wear jeans in the garden on
hot days rather than shorts just because of the biting insects.


The horse flies are intolerable this year, not quite sure why. Maybe
the unseasonable heat, I always thought they liked standing water and
there isn't much of that around. Ground is bone dry, actually.

I don't know if DEET is authorized in France, but it is the best
available, normally. If you get some, let me know what it's called.
I have some 23% from the US, which I sprayed liberally before going
out to mulch a field (sadly not enough farmers left here to want the
extra hay, and its very good this year), the horse flies stayed off
for a couple of minutes then were as thick as ever. They pretty much
ignored the DEET, and I don't know anything better.

Wormwood is meant to repel flies, but as mine is currently covered with
blackfly I shan't be performing the experiment.

-E

P.S. David, saw your thunderstorm the other day, impressive. Whole
sky was lit up, the power cutting in and out with the strikes. But
we hardly got a drop of rain from it, all went north your way.