Southampton - Ah, summer! At this time of year we are living outdoors. We're going to the beach, sitting by the pool, hiking and biking, picnicking, shopping, gardening and enjoying outdoor concerts, dinners and parties. We're sharing outdoor activities with friends and family, and we're also sharing them with insects.

This year the mosquitoes and ticks seem especially abundant despite the cold winter. All that rain we got in May and June probably helped them along. In any case, it's wise to arm yourself with some kind of repellent if you're going to be outside for more than just a few minutes.

The Holy Grail of natural insect repellents is one that contains no DEET and that repels both ticks and mosquitoes. There are plenty of DEET-free repellents on the market, many containing citronella oil along with various plant oils and extracts. Garden centers and home stores carry some of them, and natural food stores and markets are another good source. They're widely available online, too - searching by product name brings up lots of internet sources.

Here's a rundown of some products available locally, some of which I've tried myself. I take care of private gardens during the summer, so I'm out with the bugs and beasties all day long. If I can keep from getting bitten without slathering scary-sounding chemicals all over my skin, I'm all for it.

Banning Insects From Your Personal Space

 • For keeping insects away from your deck, beach chair or picnic blanket, the classic deterrent is citronella candles. (Citronella, by the way, is an Asian grass, related to the lemongrass used by cooks). You can find them everywhere. There are also fuels for tiki torches that contain citronella. Do they work? You be the judge.

Mosquitoe and other bug bites can be treated naturally.

 • A more unusual way to keep the bugs away is to burn repellent incense. Colibri insect-repelling incense sticks are easy to take along with you. The sticks are made with a mixture of 15 essential oils and plant extracts, such as peppermint, lemongrass, tea tree, vetiver and neem. They promise to repel mosquitoes, flies, fleas, moths and other insects. In addition to the original scent, there's also a lavender variety. One of the staffers at Wild By Nature in Hampton Bays swears by this incense. You can find the incense there, or online at marona-usa.com.

Preventing Bites

 • One way to keep from getting bitten or stung is to cover up - wear long pants and long sleeves. But unless you're going hiking in the woods, who wants to do that in summer? You could try protective clothing, though. LL Bean sells a line of Insect Shield clothing that has permethrin (a manufactured version of an alkaloid derived from the flowers of pyrethrum, a chrysanthemum relative) bonded to the fabrics. There are caps, tee-shirts, shorts and pants. The clothes remain protective through 70 washings.

Lemongrass can act as a natural repellant.

 • The more conventional approach is to douse yourself with a repellent. Traditional herbal repellents include pennyroyal, peppermint, lemongrass and citronella, and most of the modern natural products contain them in varying combinations. The most effective one I've tried is based on lemon eucalyptus oil derived from a species of eucalyptus tree (Eucalpytus citriodora). I've seen two brands - Repel and Cutter. I'm not sure how "green" these products are because the labels don't disclose what else they contain, but they do work, at least for me.

 • Another effective spray is Buzz Away, which relies on citronella oil (as well as oils of cedarwood, peppermint, lemongrass and eucalyptus). Buzz Away Extreme adds castor and soybean oils to the mix.

 • A local company, Southampton-based Botanical Solutions, Inc., offers Mosquito Guard (containing peppermint and geranium oils) and a special formulation called Bite Guard Jr. for infants and young children. They also sell Tick Guard, a spray formulated with oils of peppermint, rosemary and lemon. (See their website, botanicalsolutionsinc.com).

Check yourself for deer ticks frequently.

 • Nutri-Shield Insect Repellent contains a blend of garlic, lemongrass and peppermint.

 • Quit Bugging Me (from Jason, a company known for skin and hair-care products) is based on soybean and geranium oils.

 • There are also some products that combine natural sunblocks and insect repellents - you can find them in natural markets or online.

If You Do Get Bitten

If the little critters get to you anyway, here are some ways to soothe the itch and cool the sting. The primary ingredient in several "after-the-bite" sticks is ammonia. A quick dab with a bit of household ammonia can stop the itching - or you can look for one of the following:

 • Bug Bite Relief contains tea tree oil, camphor and menthol.

 • Sting Soothe combines aloe gel with extracts of echinacea and nettle, oils of rosemary, peppermint, sage, tea tree and citronella, camphor and alcohol, among other ingredients.

 • Ssssting Stop includes echinacea and oils of wild rosemary, nettle, citronella and eucalyptus.

If you're feeling like you've been bitten by every bug on the East End this summer, maybe you'll find some relief with a natural repellent. Otherwise, you'll have to put up a screenhouse in the backyard, invest in some mosquito netting or just stay indoors. But what fun would that be?