My name is Claire Monahan. I work at Nature’s Fare Markets on a variety of tasks including researching and developing sustainability initiatives, coordinating our employee training, writing content for our quarterly newsletter, and now I have become our in house blogger!

What is the one thing that we have had more of this summer in the Okanagan than any other that I can personally remember? I’ll give you some hints. Its not beautiful weather, amazing sunshine, great festivals, or fun sports tournaments. Its something that is alive, has wings, and makes an annoying buzzing sound in your ear. Mosquitoes, bingo!  I have been bitten countless times this season, and I am pretty sure that if I lost any weight this summer it’s not from activity, it’s because there are a thousand mosquitoes out there with a couple pounds of my flesh in their bellies. I am so tired of being itchy! The problem is (besides the obvious) that I’m really not into spraying my skin with a registered pesticide. I’m talking about DEET, which is short for N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide. Do you need me to repeat that? Don’t worry, I had a hard time typing it, let alone pronouncing it. DEET is a part of the toluene chemical family, which is a solvent used in rubber and plastic cements and in paint removers. About 56% of DEET is absorbed through the skin, and 17% of the chemical actually passes through to the bloodstream. Tests have revealed that several hours after a DEET application, 3mg of DEET per litre of blood still remains in the body, which seems pretty significant to me. Although DEET is approved for use in Canada, experts say that the substance should be applied to clothing rather than skin whenever possible to lower the risk of exposure. Additionally, there are warnings on products containing DEET that advise users to wash their skin with soap and water after returning inside, to not spray in enclosed areas, and to not allow young children to apply the product. Does anyone else feel like maybe there’s a message here that we should heed?

Rather than using a DEET filled spray, I turned to a couple natural options that I really liked. The first, from Green Beaver, was a certified organic andiroba oil based lotion. Andiroba oil is extracted from seeds of the Carapa guianensis tree which is found in the Amazon. I was a little concerned when I heard it came from the rainforest, so I double checked to make sure that it was sustainably harvested. This lotion is DEET free and citronella free, so those that have adverse reactions to citronella can give this one a try. The other natural option that I liked was from a brand called EcoKid . This product is marketed to kids, but I found no reason why it couldn’t be used for grown up kids as well. The spray is a little more convenient than a lotion if you want to spray clothes, sleeping bags, etc. EcoKid insect spray also uses andiroba oil as the active ingredient.

Just a final interesting note on this topic – although neither of these products contain DEET you will not find a statement anywhere on the labels signalling so. This is because it is illegal to use DEET unless with permission, like a trademark I guess. I bring this up so that there is no confusion as to whether a product contains DEET or not. If there is no DEET in the ingredient listing (or no N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) then the product is DEET free.

There are just a few weekends left in summer and I’m not planning on letting the bugs get me down! Bring it on mosquitoes; I have a chemical free arsenal of repellents that I plan on using from now on!