Created by Jennifer Cronkhite
As some of you may have noticed Michigan has been steeped in the flying menace we fondly call mosquitoes. These never welcome pests seemed a bit thicker than usual so I decided to do some investigation. What I found is the horrifying fact that mosquito eggs can sit dry for many years and come to life with water. Those in the know stated that, because of the past two drought years, we are facing three generations of mosquitoes at once! Now if that is not bad enough the MDNR sent out an alert stating that because Michigan’s winter temperatures have been relatively mild the past two year we also have the Asian Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the Yellow Fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) both of which carry such lovely diseases as Zika and Dengue. {Shout-out to Fox 18 for this stock photo.} And with all this there is a severe shortage of over the counter repellant.
Now for some good news! I am here to give you a few tips on combating these flying vampires the natural way. First and foremost wearing appropriate clothing, e.g. long sleeves, long pants, and socks will be your first barrier of protection. If you can find DEET infused sprays and like to use them, please do. Here is what I found to create a natural bug spray that was effective enough to protect me from the little buggers at this year’s 4th of July celebration at the Cascades in Jackson. You will need an 8oz. spray bottle, tea tree essential oil, peppermint essential oil, and water. You simply fill the spray bottle with water, add 10 drops each of tea tree and peppermint oil, then shake and spray. The mosquitoes are turned off by the smell of the oils but this mixture will have to be re-applied every few hours for maximum effectiveness.
So, we tried all of the above and we still got bit, what to do now? Because I was unaware of the infestation early enough to protect myself I found I had quite a few bites on my body. I tried every itch relief product on the market with little success in alleviating incessant itching. Back to the internet I went and found that nature provides a handy little plant called plantain. The plantain is considered a weed and grows in almost every sidewalk crack in the known universe as well as in the wild. For mosquito relief you simply pluck off one of the leaves and squish it in your fingers until it becomes wet then put the liquid created on the affected area and voila! This anti-itch method also needs to be reapplied frequently to be effective. (I also read that you can chew on it for a toothache but have yet to try this.) Here’s to hoping for deep freeze this winter!
