I've heard recently that burning sage stick bundles (those things people use to ward off evil spirits in a house) in a campfire deters mosquitoes. I just ordered some on Amazon to try this out, but since I won't be hitting the woods any time soon while my wife recovers from foot surgery for the next 6 weeks, I won't have a chance to try them out soon. So I was wondering if anyone here has tried them. Do they work or is it just another wishful remedy?
I've burned a lot of sage brush over the years but really can't tell you if it wards mosquitos or not. When I've burned sage it has either been to clear land or to get warm, in either case mosquitos wouldn't have been around. How much did you have to pay to buy that sage, Mike? Maybe I can cut you a better deal:tinysmile_twink_t2:
We get ours out on the Plateau, it is all over the place; We burn it with juniper and it does help drive off those maddening gnats somewhat but don't expect a miracle. If the biting bugs are tenacious they will still get you some. It helps some though. Sage is kind of maddening in itself to hike through as you have to constantly zig and zag every step or two. Take all you want! :eyebrows:
If you can beat $1 per small bundle, I might take you up on that. After I try out what I ordered, though, and figure out if it works well.
The ceremonial sage is commonly called white sage. Here in the sagebrush ocean, big sage has been used to brand calves for 150 years. There was a smelter at Tuscarora, NV that ran entirely on sagebrush. Sagebrush generates a lot of heat. I have cooked with it lots of times when other fuel was not available. Do not use it in the fireplace or woodstove at home because it really smells up the house. People may not realize how many speices and sub-species of sagebrush there really are: big sage, low sage, silver sage, black sage, purple sage, culinary sage, mountain sage, white sage, and many others.
I though that smoke from the fire is what drives mosquitoes away? I also heard that sage and some other plants can help with this.
Any smoke helps deter the biting bugs but nothing prevents them toatlly. Sage dont grow here iin "soggy bottom" So over the years we have tried lots of stuff. The last thing I remember Peg saying last night as I fell in bed exausted after a fun day playing out side is that I smelled like smoke, to her(God bless her) its like a cologne. That did not stop me from being all bit up.
I think it's the combination of the heat and smoke it gives off that deters those flying critters. As far as the evil spirits go, if the Native Americans claimed it's true, I'll believe them. Maybe they considered mosquito's evil.:tinysmile_hmm_t:
Well if we are going Native American spiritual, we'd better get some cactus buds to go with that sage and cedar.:tinysmile_twink_t2::tinysmile_fatgrin_t
Over the years I've heard a ton of remedies against mosquitoes, like for example walnut leaves, but I've yet to see one that works as advertised. Best I can tell is if the mosquitoes prefer your blood, you'd better get a bottle of repellent.
Forgive my ignorance, but is sage brush the same as the herb sage? I have heard about sage driving out evil spirits, and mosquitoes are as evil as any, but like Cappy says, any smoke will help deter them. I guess if you are one of those poor souls that gets eaten really badly, you could fix you up a rig like beekeepers wear out of mosquito netting.
Hi... Haven't tried it myself...but recently saw blog in a recent hunting & fishing mag that said that it (sage) does work.
:tinysmile_fatgrin_t Big Sagebrush is the signature species of the Great Basin Desert ecosystem. It is quite aromatic and I can smell it in the Midwest if the wind is right. I wouldn't eat it, too many toxins, although it may have some medicinal value... Artemisia tridentata - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Finally got to try out the sage in a backyard chiminea fire. I think it helped significantly with the mosquitoes. My wife said the same. We had the fire going without any sage, and the mosquitoes were still biting. After I lit the sage and let it sit on the edge of the fire slowly burning, the mosquito bites slowed noticeably. After the sage was all burned up, which took the better part of an hour with a large bundle, the bugs came back in force. Until I lit another sage bundle. Definitely made a difference, I think. I'll be picking up more of this stuff and packing it on every camping trip.
