Aug 24, 2009 04:30 AM

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care says no home remedies are as effective as covering up and wearing federally approved products containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide).

The ministry examined many garden-variety practices and found them wanting, including: Fabric softener sheets. Since you can't apply DEET to babies, some people tried this friendly alternative but there's no science supporting its effectiveness.

Bananas, garlic and other foods. Do bananas attract mosquitoes and garlic repel them? No studies support this but they do find mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide and strong fragrances.

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