When
I get a flea bite or mosquito bite, I run to the tub, get a washcloth,
let the water run til it's very hot, then SMACK that wet, hot washcloth
on the bite and hold it there, re heat it or if faucet can reach that
bodypart, insert your bitten limb under the hot, faucet flow. Or if
it's an ankle, I put the ankle under the flowing faucet with water as hot
as I can stand it. That takes the itch away. Then I put itch cream on it,
hemhorroid cream or whatever you can get at the 99c store. That is the
instant relief method. But to get rid of the bugs themselves, review these
many methods.
FLEAS- Get the finest tooth flea comb you can for your pets. Kittens attract fleas more than adult cats so if you stand at the sink with both sinks full of fairly warm water, with a drop of detergent in each sink, a towel for the cat to sit on, and then if you comb, cleaning the comb tines after each stroke, you can nail the bugs, but you must do it daily. The kitties act as vacuum cleaners for any area they're in. Little tiny kitties get shampooed in a tub of warm water, up to their necks and I put on my specs and pick them off. Later go out into the sunlight. Wear a bathing cap to keep fleas from jumping into your hair, also a big floppy sun hat so your a.) don't burn your neck red, and b.) so the eyes are in shade with no glare and you can see better. The fleas cannot move very quickly as cat's hair is wet, and in SUN the bugs shine copper bright and you can pick them off and crush them. Or keep a jar of water with one drop dish detergent in it, next to your hand.
OTHER METHODS: Get a pie tin, fill with water, few drops of detergent. Turn a desk light on over it, so water is warm, leave it in the room that has the fleas. No animals there, as they might dive the lamp into the water causing a short. Just the fleas and the lamp. The bugs dive toward the warm moistness and swim in water that has lost its catlytic skin so they sink in it and drown. Stay far away so you don't hear the tiny flea screams!
HATE MOSQUITOS? Rub vanilla, baby oil and apple cider vinegar into your skin. You smell adorable and bugs can't handle these aromas so they won't be our admirers anymore.
No-see-ums - Bounce strips repel mosquitos/biting insects. Keep them in your pockets all summer, at night. Click on: http://www.peoplesguide.com/1pages/chapts/health/bugs/boucne.html Bounce Strips are those sheets you put in a clothes dryer for softening clothes and preventing static cling. I have found that they strips work quite well for keeping away mosquitos and, maybe, even no-see-ums. You can put one in your pocket, pants cuff or pin it on your shirt if necessary. Tie a Bounce strip around my sandal and put another one my chest somewhere. That's all it takes; you need nothing on your skin.
I've tested them quite often with mosquitos and I'm quite sure they work, but I haven't been in many areas with no-see-ums so I'm not positive they work on no-see-ums.
We were in Cozumel on Thanksgiving and many of us enjoyed wine on the beach at sunset. Everyone was bitten quite badly except me. WE thought they were mosquito bites, but later we realized they were probably no-see-ums.
Maybe you can share this with your readers and
have them check them out. Bounce packs easily in Ziplock bags and leavesno
chemicals on your skin. One wonders how in the heck did that list writer
ever come up with "Bounce" strips for bug protection? I wish I could take
credit for discovering the fact that mosquitos hate "Bounce" strips, but
I cannot. I happened to hear this little tidbit on a radio talk show in
Los Angeles given by a Rabbi. After I tried Bounce the first time, I wrote
him a thank-you email and asked if he knew if it also worked on
no-see-ums. The Rabbi replied that he had no
idea. He ask where in the world I traveled where such things were because
he wanted to be sure NOT to go there. Apparently, he had heard about "Bounce"
strips for bugs,
but didn't know if they actually worked or not
as he'd never been anywhere to test them. It was just something he had
heard somewhere.
Mosquitos love me. If I am around no one else needs insect repellant, because the bugs always choose me over anyone else. I hate putting smelly sticky chemicals on my skin so I figured why not give Bounce a try. My first experiment was in Playa Del Carmen in 1999. A few of us were on the beach at sunset having a drink. I had sprayed my arms and legs with DEET but mosquitos were still landing on me.
I had brought Bounce strips along, not really believing something so simple could work. I pulled one out of the Ziplock bag and tied it around the strap of my top. I didn't have any pockets so that's the only thing I could think of to do. This simple strip drove the mosquitos loco. They came within a foot or so of me and then began buzzing around like crazy. I could hear them buzzing, but they only came about 12 to 18 inches from me and then they got disoriented. It's like they couldn't fly right. It made them nuts. But they never got any closer to me than that. I finally had my revenge! I wasn't bitten once then or anytime since and we have been in Maui, Kauai, Papua New Guinea, Cairns and Cozumel.
It's the most amazing thing. I have no idea why they work, but I am living proof that they do. I haven't used DEET since. We really want to go to Yucatan on a scuba diving trip, but I hear the no-see-ums are terrible there. I've heard they are so bad, that sometimes people have to leave because they can't stand it. I've been afraid to go because of that. Maybe now I can. I'm just not positively certain they work the same with no-see-ums. When I get bitten, I never hear or see anything so I'm never sure what bites me. I can only go by what people say are there.
I read that no-see-ums are a big problem at the southern resorts in Cozumel and that's where we were this past Thanksgiving. Like I mentioned, I didn't get bitten once but everyone else did. The bites seemed a little different than mosquito bites, but most likely there were both bugs around.
So if you give Bounce a try, please let me know
your findings. If you're certain that no-see-ums are around, then we will
finally know for sure if they work on no-see-ums as well. It would be most
appreciated. Best
of luck and I hope this tips help other people
as much as it has helped me. I also smell much better on our travels now.
ANOTHER TIP: When you go to no-see-um country,
take a small (1 oz) bottle of pennyroyal oil along. (See Protection
from No-see-ums?) I've put about 20 drops of pennyroyal oil in my regular
organic repellent (I like Green Ban from Australia) and it keeps the no-see-ums
away from me. But maybe it will be enough to just put a few drops of pennyroyal
oil on the bounce paper. I also carry a small bottle of StingEze (from
a pharmacy
or camping store) and put it on any bites I get,
immediately. It has an antihistamine, to reduce swelling, and Benzocaine
to deaden the itching, so you dont scratch and make it worse. To our readers:
If you try Bounce
strips, please let us know how they work for
you.
THE HERBAL GIRL TELLS ME: Want to know of an herb that can be used for bug and mosquito repellent? Prevention is difficult, however insects like sweet smells, so avoid wearing perfumes, don't eat a lot of sweets, no jewelry (it is shiny), cover up with clothes and no alcoholic beverages,, it dilates the blood vessels which draws them... As a general rule bitters like garlic, capsicium may drive them off. if taken both internal and external. But good luck rubbing cayenne pepper on your bod! Consider using the crushed leaves of the elderberry, walnut, lilac, plantain, and hounds tongue. By rubbing the bruised leaves or juice over the exposed areas of the body, it may ward off some of the insects. Once you have bites then, wash with cool water and unscented soap, use baking soda, aloe, papaya, plantains, onion, activated charcoal, black cohosh,,, all of these as a poultice to the area. Also some have gotten relief with either peppermint oil or by trying tea tree oil.. hope this helps,, For pets pennyroyal is suppose to be good to ward off insects,,you might want to try this on yourself. This is one area where you have to keep trying things and also rotate things that work. Hope that something in this list of suggestions will help. But try a small amount on your skin to check for an allergic response before covering large areas. Also be careful to avoid open wounds or mucus membranes with some of these plants. To get rid of soft bellied insects, whose hives you can find, use diamatecious earth and boric acid powder mixed will kill them put on holes where they burrow .
BUGS ON YOUR PLANTS? A safe, environmentally friendly insecticide-fungicide can be made from 5 Tablespoons of any vegetable oil, 1 TBS. of baking soda, 4 TBS. of liquid dish soap mixed in 1 gallon of water and sprayed on the plant. Downscale amts for a hand sprayer.
<======= BACK TO THE GARDEN INDEX