MOSQUITOES!
Anyone else tempted as much I am to want to slap this picture of this dreaded insect?
If you hate mosquitoes as much I do, you will enjoy this article and I will have a beautiful Citronella Set to giveaway because I love this line from Druide! A must read if you are from Winnipeg, Manitoba or cottage country across the great land.
Now, I don't know if in your area you have a mosquito problem like my lovely home town of Winnipeg, Manitoba does but we are known for these annoying, blood sucking creatures. I loathe them. The itching after I've been bitten, their bites swell up on me, it's quite gross. Just looking at the above picture I want to send 50
dragon flies to take care that awful, pesty creature. Beautiful predator of the mosquito.
Winnipeg is Cree for Muddy Waters and when there's water running through the city especially two rivers(Red River and Assiniboine) there's bound to be an issue of mosquitoes as they love to lay eggs in water, rivers,lakes, puddles anywhere where these is water. When there is rain there are even more mosquitoes.
Did you know it's the female that comes and sucks our blood for her meal?
She takes the nutrients from our blood to help her lay eggs(she needs the iron and protein) whilst the male mosquito typically feeds off nectar but wait so does the female. Never knew that!
Once dawn/dusk approaches those mosquito's come out to find us.
Growing up in Winnipeg we would have to run in as my Ukrainian mother would be yelling for us to come home and she'd be saying something in Ukrainian (not child friendly for our ears I'm sure) as she would shut all the windows.
I'd watch the men from my living room window in their white suits and gas masks drive slowly up and down our neighbourhoods with that loud beeping sound of the truck to let us know they are spraying toxic chemicals out into the air (it was the 80's and it has changed somewhat since then) and watching for the orange light flashing to know the truck is down the street and about to pass our home.
It does kill off most the mosquito's but they always come back!
Highly controversial in Winnipeg is the fogging. To fog or not to fog that is the question. You can put a request through to get it banned
(buffered) in your neighbourhood but not everyone is on the same boat. Here's more from
CTV.
Wash your veggies and turn the air conditioner off as
CBC declares. I would never have a garden back home, I don't know how deep those chemicals go into our produce and what effect they have on our veggies.
The chemicals now used is
Malathion 95 ULV. Prelude and Permanone,
This is usually done every night.
One it's precautions from
Malathion 95 ULV are: Do not contaminate food, feed, fertilizers or seed. Okay, but what about the gardens in people's back yards? As I said above......too scary thank you.
Prelude is highly toxic to bees, also fish, birds and other wild life. I guess pets are safe. Hopefully kitty won't be nibbling on the grass later in the evening.
Permanone is highly toxic to fish and other aquatic invertebrates(not that I would eat fish from the Red River)
Now what about Mosquito Repellent for our baby's and our selves?
We hear about
DEET, they say it is safe so it's up to the parents judgment if you want to use it, if you don't I have nice alternatives that work!
Here are my must haves for natural mosquito repellent and treating your skin in the great outdoors:
I came across this issue last year when were going up North to the French River to visit family and Charlie was about 9 months old and the idea of using Off! or Deep Woods wasn't in my books.
What to use and what to do?
I came across this product which worked great for prevention. It's called the
Baby Buzz Patch and I placed it every where on his play pen, my baby carrier, stroller, mosquito net for the stroller and bed and lastly his clothing.
Baby Buzz Patch is well suited for newbornds and infants as it is DEET free.
Essential oils of Cintronella and Eucalyptus are sourced from Germany, it never comes into contact with the skin so you don't need to worry about it making it's way into the baby's blood stream or delicate skin. It's not a heavy scent so it is gentle for baby's young lungs. It is registered and extremely safe.
Another must have product is the Citronella Line from
Druide. There is a great sale right now if you buy online.
The
Citronella kit is a must have if you live in Winnipeg or anywhere North, cottage country any where if you have to deal with mosquito's.
In the kit you have the
Outdoor Organic Milk that is easy to use for kids(
over 2 years), ideal for the face and ears (don't you just love the buzzing hum of a mosquito near your ear), it is a safe formula and a nice alternative to chemicals.
Citronella Shampoo -Shower Gel is made with Organic Citronella, it's enriched with proteins and contains a solar filter to the hair. A nice feature with this product is you can clean baby's clothing with this and that's another nice way for a child under 2 to be safe from potential mosquito bites.
Outdoor Certified Organic Lotion(Spray) is extremely practical,
safe for your pets too! Again this is safe for children
over two years of age. Repeat as necessary.
Now if you don't like the scent of Citronella in the kit they offer you
EcoTrail which smells divine and I love the scent of cedar just reminds me of the outdoors, this is ideal for outdoor trips, wash your hair, clothing, dog your set.
If you are in Winnipeg check out
A 1 Nutrition in Grant Park Mall to be set this summer.
* If you are pregnant or lactating please avoid using the Citronella line from Druide.
For my Citronella Giveaway Click Here!
I have learned so much from this book. Such as Amaranth has 3 times as much calcium as a glass of milk!
