I am getting tired of smelling like citronella (and rosemary, cedarwood, myrrh, patchouli, etc. all combined)... it repels the mosquitoes, but I just reek of it these days and even my car smells like repellent (and our couch, our clothes, my shoes - I really soak them with the oils because the bloodsuckers seem to prefer my ankles). The horses now are oily with the stuff and it's really necessary. We spray the dogs, too, when they go out. All of this, of course, is non-toxic, pure essential oils in water with vinegar. If we choose not to use chemicals to battle heartworm (unproven anyway, except for detrimental effects) to vaccinate for vector-borne disorders (all the horses I know of that got West Nile through the years had been vaccinated) - if we are proactive, we repel the bugs and build strong immune systems in ourselves and our animals! It really is a life choice - this reactive/allopathic battle modality OR the proactive/holistic nourish and strengthen modality. I am so certain about my path. I have seen horses with severe Strangles cured with Colloidal Silver while the horses next door never got it because their water had silver in it, too. I've seen soaked Kombu dressings heal wounds with no scarring (ones that supposedly needed sutures) and Anise seed with milk of magnesia stop a colic. Hmmm... maybe I'm not so tired of smelling like herbs and oils. Maybe it's the perfume of good health.
