Sixty Seconds with Judi

This weekend I went down the shore with my husband. We sat outside by a beautiful campfire enjoying the evening. It was a comfortable temperature not too hot, perfect little breeze, just a lovely evening; until I became a banquet for every bug in existence. Can someone please explain to me why my husband, who is sitting right next to me, does not get one bite and I am eaten alive? My husband laughs and says it’s because I am sweeter than he is. But, honestly I don’t believe that for a second. So, I did a little research and here is what I found.

Mosquitoes are more likely to choose someone with an O blood type than any other. I am O positive so that explains a lot. It has something to do with blood markers secreting certain chemicals that the mosquitoes appear to love. I am not a chemist or biologist, so I will leave my explanation there.

Pregnant women are more likely to be bitten due to a higher body temperature and because they emit more carbon dioxide. Apparently this is a mosquito attractant. (This is not me; however, I thought it was an interesting tid bit.)

Drinking beer or at least 12 ounces of any alcohol brings the bugs a buzzing. (I may or may not have been guilty of this). Apparently alcohol raises your temperature and changes your body chemistry. Those pesky mosquitoes love this.

So whatever the reason you are loved by those pesky critters, there are many things you can do in your defense.

• Get rid of any standing water around you. If this is impossible, use mosquito dunks which are made primarily from BT or Bacillus thuringiensis a natural bacterium found in soil and just about everywhere else . Dunks can be used in bird baths, fish ponds and pools. Dunks will kill the mosquito larvae before they are old enough to bite. They are not harmful to pets, birds, fish or people.
• Fill your garden or deck with scented Geraniums, Lemon grass, Eucalyptus, Lemon balm and Citronella plants. Mosquitoes are not attracted to these scents and help to keep them away.
• Keep the grass and weeds low in the yard. This gives them less hiding spaces.
• Cover those ankles and arms. I know this is hard. It is summer!

It is hard to keep a good defense from feeling buggy. Try to be smart about your surroundings to keep the population down. If you need help selecting something to keep the population down, come visit us in the Garden Center and we can help you.

Join us this week in the Garden Center for:

Natural Insect Repellent       June 17, 2017 10:00AM – 11:00AM

Join us for the 3rd installment of our new Naturals Class. This time we will be introducing an all-natural solution for those pesky pests. Class includes instruction from our garden center staff and all supplies needed to take home your very own spray bottle of repellent.  Call 610-876-7116 to register.  Fee $20