It's here! Summer!! Well, at least according to the calendar...The weather here has been a bit unsure as to what season it is, but...
The weather may be confused, but the bugs, black flies, mosquitoes and ticks are all well aware...LOL
According to Dr. Oli, the World Health Organization considers this to be the deadliest of all animals...
Know what it is??
Know what it is??
The mosquito...
Wild, right??
On our homeschooling journey, one of our favorite resources was Character Sketches. It was in Volume 2 that we learned about the incredible tools of the mosquito...they basically have a surgeon’s tool kit right in a protective sheath that holds six (!!) very delicate instruments – 4 cutting stylets, a syringe (saliva duct) that she uses to inject an anticoagulant, and a tube with which she draws the blood out...
You may not even feel the puncture (bite) of the mosquito because first she deadens the feeling by injecting a fluid that may cause two different reactions. You may immediately start itching, or the itching may not start 1-5 days later.
After she has broken the skin, she will draw blood with a built-in syringe connected to a pump located in her head. But get this...medical researchers have not been able to duplicate this. The diameter of a doctor’s syringe must be many times larger to accomplish the same thing!
For centuries, scents of certain plants or smoke from fires have been used to naturally repel insects. But over the last 100 years or so, these have been replaced with toxic chemicals.
Surprise, surprise...
In the 1940’s, DDT was the first modern synthetic insecticide. There was a jingle to go along with it – “DDT is good for me-e-e!!” Anything that has a jingle must be good for us, right? 😉
Then came DEET, other toxic chemicals, and even chemical coated clothing. DEET has been associated with seizures, numbness and behavioral changes, the potential to develop nasal cancers from inhalation, compromised immune systems, cardiovascular toxicity, respiratory distress, and severe allergic reactions. Children with DEET toxicity reported lethargy, headaches, tremors, involuntary movements, seizures, and convulsions, though the amount that led to this toxicity was unreported.
Remember, your skin is porous…what goes on your skin, goes into your body in seconds...
How about a couple of options?
DIY Itch Stick
In a roller bottle, combine:
10 drops Purification
10 drops Lavender
10 drops Lemon
10 drops Lemon
Top with your favorite carrier oil, roll gently to blend.
To use, simply roll on those bites and itchy places!
Quick tip! Enjoying a meal at home outside and want to keep the bugs away? Grab an outdoor fan, put a few drops of Citronella and Geranium on a clothespin (or two!) and attach it to the front of the fan and you will have yourself a giant outdoor diffuser!
What are your favorite hacks to keep the bugs away?
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