I almost never got bitten until I hit my 50s. Then I too became a mosquito magnet...hormonal changes I guess. I've been told to eat lotsa garlic and that will make me unappetizing to bugs. Which may work but then no one else will come near me either. My friend swears by Avon "Skin So Soft"...it's a skin lotion that is reputed to repel insects. I've never tried it, but there's anectdotal evidence galore.

Hmm... Did you know that the First Nations people would rub themselves with a mixture of bear grease and skunk scent to repel mosquitos. Supposed to be very very effective. If you go first, I'll give it a try too!

Rancid bear fat and skunk perfume would be on par with "Buzz Away" repellent (and strangely, the manufacturers never listed the ingredients on the bottle).

Seriously, I have found that sassafras leaves seem to repel mosquitos. I've often picked a branch, crushed the leaves and used it as a sort of fan as I walk thru the woods. Seems to work.

Alas, the sassafras tree does not grow this far north! But, with Global Warming, it soon might. I'll put sassafras on my climate-change planting list, along with tulip tree, evergreen magnolia, and Osage orange (aka Monkey Brains). Of course, by the time my area is upgraded to Zone 6, the mosquito will have evolved into the size of a Carboniferous-era dragonfly (of which I recently saw a full-size model, and it was horrifying).