# Garlic and Mosquitoes

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-and-mosquitoes/317307>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [August 16, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-and-mosquitoes/317307 "2005-08-16T19:18:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Illui\_Nifloh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f14d63/32.png) [@Illui\_Nifloh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illui_Nifloh)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-and-mosquitoes/317307/1 "2005-08-16T19:18:26Z")

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In your column of September 04, Cecil correctly stated that garlic does not repel mosquitoes. However, he missed the opportunity to answer a question that was not asked, namely, whether garlic repels other natural blood suckers.

As a matter of fact, garlic strongly repels leeches, information pertinent to surgeons who use leeches in relieving the swelling in re-attached limbs until venous drainage is re-established.  
One assumes that this is the source of the folklore that wearing garlic will ward off certain mythical creatures with similar predelections.

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**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-and-mosquitoes/317307/2 "2005-08-16T19:53:34Z")

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Hi and welcome to The Straight Dope!

When posting about an article, it’s best to provide a link so people can check it out quickly and easily. [Here, let me take care of that for you.](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mmosquitorepel.html)

Interesting article. Needs an update to take eucaplyptus and soybean oils into account, though. They’re the best natural repellents out there: eucalyptus keeps wearers bite-free for 120 minutes, and soybean oil for 94 minutes on average. (DEET works for roughly 300 minutes.)

The other thing people demand here a lot is citations. So I’ll provide that for my claims: [Cite!](http://altmedicine.about.com/od/homeremedyhowtos/a/insect_repel.htm)

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**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-and-mosquitoes/317307/3 "2005-08-18T22:00:18Z")

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As an aside, my cat preferes her misquitoes without garlic. Never been bitten too!  
😃