
Recommended Resources
Bee City USA — Decatur (Beecatur)
Bee City USA® IPM Toolkit Checklist, featuring education and activism by our local beekeepers and advocates: Bee City USA® groups (Beecatur) and and Agnes Scott’s Bee Campus USA® (People for Pollinators)
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: “Protecting Pollinators from Pesticides”
Beyond Pesticides: “Mosquito Management and Insect-Borne Diseases”
Watch this video, which features a 2023 research study on the toxicity and drift of mosquito sprays (Decatur, GA was the primary test site)
“The Truth About Mosquito Sprays: Investigating Their Impact on Pollinators,” webinar with Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation (April 2025)
Kids & Mosquitoes
While the above recommendations will offer some prevention at the environmental level, some of these strategies are impractical for active kids in hot weather. Here are some ideas for personal, non-chemical methods for preventing “bites”:
Badger Anti-Bug Balm Stick or Spray
This balm and spray are among the products we are stocking because we believe in them and endorse them from years of use. Badger is a B-Corp; most of its products are at least 95% organic, and these are very effective. The balm is (as far as we know) only available in Decatur through us; the spray is stocked in several local stores.
For those seeking to reduce the itching cause by reactions to mosquito bites, these are great, and, like the balm, most kids can apply them themselves.
Bug Bite Thing (Suction Tool)
Currently testing these. Because mosquito “bites” are the body’s reaction to the chemicals injected by female mosquitoes, using this device (or baking soda, not as easily available or practical) can help draw out some of these substances and reduce itching.
NatPat or Patch Mosquito Repellent Stickers
Currently testing the efficacy of these. They are made with essential oils effective at repelling mosquitoes. Ease of application is a plus.

Online information for kids about mosquito “bites”:
“Why Do Mosquito Bites Itch?” Sci Show Kids (YouTube)
“Mechanism of a Mosquito Bite,” Virtual High School (YouTube)
“Why Mosquitoes Bite Some People More than Others,” Veritasium (YouTube)