Won't damage plants when used as directed.

i used to make a batch of malathion ... which is/was labeled for such ... and spray the INSIDES of all my plants and bushes ..

it stunk for a few days...

but got rid of the problem ...

the bush is where they hide in sunlight.. and the heat of the day ... remove their hiding spot .. and they wont be there in the evening ...

the downside of course.. is that you probably get rid of good things...

i know nothing about the cutter stuff ... but i have too many plants.. that might not like the tops of leaves being sprayed ....

ken

So, I don't know what kind of neighbors you have and if they would mind, but in my garden, you spray nothing on my plants. You'd talk to me, and I would look for a resolution for you. I'd be sympathetic and concerned about your bites, but if you sprayed something that belonged to me without my input, we'd have a problem :)

In any case, I would never spray a plant on someone else's property but this is on mine, and my generosity does not extend to suffering mosquito bites :)

In any case, I get on well with the neighbors so don't think it would be a problem.

Check out the Whole Foods demonstration showing our produce choices without bees. Not so good.

However, I am definitely not in favor of indiscriminately spraying the stuff around

So he asked my elderly neighbor if he could "trim" the branches on our side. He said sure, probably assuming that my dad had some iota of knowledge here and really meant to just trim it lightly. Nope. He hacked them all the way back to the fence. Neighbor (who'd been our neighbor for 30 years) was furious. Didn't talk to my dad for the next two years.

Oh, and now we not only see the ugly chainlink fence again, but loads of dead, scraggly branches too.

So, yeah, be careful not to piss off your neighbor :)

Gardening in both the Lee Valley hat with the veil and a bug shirt:

Another non-chemical approach would be to broadcast country music loudly across the area. I know that keeps me from entering or lingering in an area, so I figure it must work with mosquitoes too. :)

Then it continues - "To protect the environment, do not allow pesticide
to enter or run off into storm drains, drainage ditches, gutters or surface waters.
This product is highly toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment or residues on blooming crops or weeds."

Woodyoak, that's some garden gear. The closest I come to entertaining the neighbors is gardening in hip boots so I can get up and down without turning into a mud ball in my coastal climate, I can just hose off the boots.

Mosquitos in the daytime are rarely a problem here, and only occasionally are they troublesome in the evening. Those times they are a problem, my friend who is a health dept nurse does encourage the use of DEET and DH will spray it when appropriate when he's working (although deer flies can be more of a problem in our woods than mosquitoes). I prefer not to spray it on myself, but her thinking is that its less hazardous than W Nile virus which has shown here too - she protects her children with DEET, insists my DH carry it in his truck.

I have typed up some additional ideas such as Artemisia (wormwood family).

From Wikipedia
As a precaution, manufacturers advise that DEET products should not be used under clothing or on damaged skin, and that preparations be washed off after they are no longer needed or between applications.[15] DEET can act as an irritant;[4] in rare cases, it may cause severe epidermal reactions.[15]

In the DEET Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported 14 to 46 cases of potential DEET-associated seizures, including 4 deaths. The EPA states: "... it does appear that some cases are likely related to DEET toxicity," but observed that with 30% of the US population using DEET, the likely seizure rate is only about one per 100 million users.[16]

The Pesticide Information Project of Cooperative Extension Offices of Cornell University states that "Everglades National Park employees having extensive DEET exposure were more likely to have insomnia, mood disturbances and impaired cognitive function than were lesser exposed co-workers".[17]

When used as directed, products containing between 10% to 30% DEET have been found by the American Academy of Pediatrics to be safe to use on children, as well as adults, but recommends that DEET not be used on infants less than two months old.[15]

Citing human health reasons, Health Canada barred the sale of insect repellents for human use that contained more than 30% DEET in a 2002 re-evaluation. The agency recommended that DEET-based products be used on children between the ages of 2 and 12 only if the concentration of DEET is 10% or less and that repellents be applied no more than 3 times a day, children under 2 should not receive more than 1 application of repellent in a day and DEET-based products of any concentration should not be used on infants under 6 months.[18][19]

DEET has been found to inhibit the activity of a central nervous system enzyme, acetylcholinesterase, in both insects and mammals.[20] This enzyme is involved in the hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, thus playing a role in the function of the neurons which control muscles. Because of this property, many insecticides are used to block acetylcholinesterase, which leads to an excessive accumulation of acetylcholine at the synaptic cleft, causing neuromuscular paralysis and death by asphyxiation.[21] DEET is commonly used in combination with insecticides and has the capacity to strengthen the toxicity of carbamates,[22] a class of insecticides known to block acetylcholinesterase. These findings bring evidence that, besides having known toxic effects on the olfactory system, DEET also acts on the brain of insects, and that its toxicity is strengthened in combination with other insecticides.

In 2012, media reported that two Canadian sisters died after ingesting the chemical while in Thailand.[23] (It is reportedly used as a cocktail ingredient there in a drink called "4x100".)[23]