It's Summer in Central Texas! Bring on the heat and bugs! Bugs are around for a purpose in the eco-system. Although you don't need to be the main meal all the time. Bug sprays with chemicals work, but they are not good for your well-being or Mama Earth Here are some healthier options to help fight off the bites, and soothe them too.
Herbal Bug Repellants
Scented Geranium: The oil extracted from the mature leaves is used in citronella essential oil. Wards off mosquitoes. Tne Natural Medicine Chest
Plant in pots or along the edges of your garden. Well-known herbs that repel buggies are lavender, rosemary, basil, mint, lemongrasss, sage, lemon thyme & catnip.
Natural Bug Bite & Prevention
Bug repelling essential oils:
Tea tree oil helps prevent bug bites, and also reduces skin pain, swelling, and itching. Citronella, lavender, lemongrass, and cinnamon oils help keep mosquitoes from biting. Oregano, rosemary, and thyme oils are known to help keep ticks away.
Homemade Bug Sprays:
DIY bug spray uses both lavender and citronella oils to repel pests.
Combine 1 ounce witch hazel
10 drops citronella essential oil
4 drops lavender essential oil in a 2-ounce amber bottle.
Fill the rest of the bottle with distilled water, replace the cap, and shake before use.
Bites will still happen. Tips to fight the itch & sting!
Ledum Palustre: Homeopathic tablets. Relieves swelling & itching from mosquito bites. Best taken at dawn or dusk, when bugs are the most active.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Apply directly on the bite, dilute with water if it's to intense. Should stop the itch.
Baking Soda: Mix 2 tablespoons of BS with a little water to form a paste. Put it on the bug bites for 10-2o minutes. Helps take the itch & sting away.
Doc's Advice for Avoiding Bug Bites
Bugs, like mosquitoes, use visual cues, movement and heat to find a host to bite.
Wear light clothing. Keeps you cooler, which means less heat to atract biters
Use larvicide briquettes. Tablets that release BTI, a bacteria that kills mosquito larvae before they can turn into adults. Put them in water sources like birdbaths, pools, or flower pots.
Try mosquito nets. An option putting a barrier between mosquitoes and skin.
