Stop Bugging Me - Back Away Bugs

(Written by Natural Healing Gal, Marie)

Back Away Bugs

If you have not already read the previous month's column, Living With Bugs, take a look at it because it fits in with this month's column.

Back in the early 80’s, before I became a professional dog trainer, I was a dog groomer. I learned a lot more than I ever wanted to know about ticks and fleas, their life cycle, feeding, breeding. Oh, yuck. Not pleasant. But it helps to know the information if you want to research what attracts them and how to repel them.

I currently teach dog training classes every evening, outdoors at dusk. It was not fun the first couple of years. Bugs LOVE me. Or they hate me. I guess they are just hungry and everyone has to eat!

Every morning Mike and I went to the beach for qigong class. It was a sunrise class that was beautiful and peaceful until the summer no-see-ums tried to mess with us. Then we all began sharing different natural formulas, as none of us wanted anything toxic on our skin.

You can see that I have plenty of time to test out products. And test them, I do! I have gone through many different essential oil recipes and many different pre-made brands over the 12 years we have been here. Some worked a little, but not so much. I finally found a good combination that works for us.

I have found that different formulas may work differently for some than for others. I am not sure why, but there are some products that people swear by that did not work for me and vice versa. The point is, don’t give up on using natural bug repellant if something does not work for you. There are many good ones out there that are worth a try. Be sure to check for skin sensitivity on you and your pets, even with natural products. There are also some people who are more attractive to certain bugs than others. I see this with dogs as well. Some dogs are magnets for ticks! Others barely get noticed by those nasty critters.

Keeping Bugs Off Of Me

To keep bugs off of me outdoors, I found No no-see-um.  It is a combination of lemongrass, citronella, and geranium rose oil. I used it regularly for mosquitoes at dusk, and it worked really well. Unfortunately, when I used it for sunrise on the beach, it did not work for the no-see-ums!

I then found Terra Shield from Do terra. Terra Shield is a blend of several oils, including citronella and cedar wood.  This worked beautifully for me, both on the beach at sunrise and for mosquitoes at dusk! It comes in a 30 ml spray bottle and in a 15 ml refill. You can apply it as is, but it is a little thick, so I dilute with water, and shake before each spray.

Keeping Fleas and Ticks Off Of My Dogs

To keep fleas and ticks off my dogs, I use a combination of products. At home, I am using Dr. Mercola’s Herbal Repellent Collar  along with their Spot on Topical Herbal Repellent. If I am out at a show, I add a daily spray of Dr. Mercola’s Natural Flea and Tick defense,  especially on their feet. I still check them for ticks daily. Please note I do not have cats right now and cats tend to be sensitive to some essential oils. Be sure to do your own research when it comes to your kitty friends!

When I was a groomer, I learned to do a flea bath on my client's dogs and cats. Here is a little-known trick! A flea bath does not need toxic shampoos or dips.  If you use soapy water, the fleas drown. Many people do not know fleas drown in soapy water, but you will need to bathe carefully to be sure they don’t escape. As soon as water hits the skin, fleas retreat into a dog's eyes, ears, nose, and…  *ahem*… anus. This is not fun for your dog, and the fleas will just come out after your dog is dry, but they will not cross over the wet soapy solution!

Begin a flea bath by keeping your dog dry at first. I make my own shampoo by simmering soap nuts in water for 20 minutes, then adding cold water. It is a gentle, low suds, natural soap that has repellent properties, and leaves the coat clean and soft with no residue. 

Add shampoo to your DRY dog in a full circle around the neck, around the ears, and around the base of the tail. This will prevent the fleas from escaping into sensitive areas. Then continue to wet your dog and add shampoo to the rest of the body. If there are fleas present, you will see them being washed away with the soapy water.

Keeping your pet healthy with a strong immune system and feeding a healthy diet will also go a long way to make them less attractive to ticks and fleas.
Marie


Back AWAY from us, bugs!

--Marie

 - Marie (Natural Healing Gal)

Read all of Marie's Columnist Posts

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Marie

Guest Blogger

Dog Training, Qigong

Homeopathy

Visit Marie's Website

Mikamar Training Center

Please note that this blog post and these remedies are for information purposes only.  Please consult with your own medical providers should you have medical questions and see the Medical Disclaimer here.

Also, make sure that you read and follow any label directions for products listed in these blog posts.  This is the opinion and practice of Marie, but make sure you are safe in how you use the products.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly and Marie

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 


• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Stop Bugging Me - Living With Bugs

(Written by Natural Healing Gal, Marie)

Living With Bugs

If you have not already read the previous month's column, Stop Bugging Me, take a look at it because it fits in with this month's column.

I have been writing a lot about homeopathic remedies, but as I mentioned in a previous article, there are many other natural plant or food based remedies, as well as solutions for the home. I will be writing what I have learned about many different approaches in future posts.

Let’s talk more about bugs. I know that bugs are necessary for life, they are part of the food chain, nature needs bugs, and we need bugs to live. Yes, we really do.

Bugs are nature’s clean-up crew, food producer, pollinator, little soldiers. 

They can be ugly and frightening, but they are also downright beautiful and mysterious, like butterflies and fireflies.

We humans find “balance” to be a very challenging thing. We think if something is good, more of it is better. We like quick fixes and instant cures. We work too much, or play too hard. It is not much different when it comes to bugs and nature.

When we moved to Florida, I was aware of the challenge we would face, but unfortunately not as prepared as I would have hoped. Florida is a challenging place to live with bugs, as I mentioned in the last blog on bites and stings. 

Nature has its own way of managing life:  checks and balances…until we humans get in the way and think we know better!  Bugs eat other bugs, and are food for many animals and other insects. Naturally, most bugs and animals are kept in balance and control by eating or being eaten.

When some of the balance of nature is messed with, like trying to produce something unnatural (GMO’s), or killing everything without careful thought, we get ourselves into more trouble. I have always been aware of this due to my experience in school and college in biology. Don’t fool with mother nature!

I try to keep in touch and in balance with nature as much as I can. That does not mean that I want dangerous bugs living in my space or hurting me, or those I love. So, I have found some wonderful, as natural as possible, solutions that I will share with you today. I am always open to learning more so these may change in the future, and if they do, I will continue to share what I learn.

Fire Ants

Fire ants are nasty and bites are painful.  After trying many approaches with our 2+ acres of land, I gave up on the pesticides I was told to use, as the ants were quickly becoming immune to it. I found the best solution so far is Medina orange oil.

To rid myself of these nasty critters, I use a gallon jug of water, add approximately an “inch” or so of the orange oil and a squirt of natural, liquid dish soap.

(Tip: When it is cooler outside, the ants are closer to the surface, and this is the ideal time to treat. During the heat of the day they retreat deeper into the earth to stay cool.)

Shake the gallon jug, pour a circle close to the outside perimeter of the fire ant mound, and then drown the rest of it with the mixture. A large pile will take a gallon or more, smaller ones a half gallon or less.

The soap and water alone will drown them, because they cannot climb or swim out of the soapy water. The orange oil melts their exoskeletons. You may find a smaller pile may come up a few feet away. If you treat the new one, it will be gone. We treat ant mounds this way, pile by pile, and although certain times of year I will find more, like directly after a rain, I have been able to manage them really well with this method! Often we see very few or none at all for quite a while. It will not kill them all, but it diminishes the population and keeps them fleeing from your property.

Fleas

Fleas are easy to control; I use water soluble boric acid. Mix about a cupful to a gallon of warm water to dissolve, then use a good pump sprayer and apply a very light mist onto all porous furniture and curtains up to three feet off the ground.

(Tip: TEST a small area of your furniture first!)

Spray dog beds, couches, carpet, and a light spray around the baseboards and indoor perimeter of your home. It should dry in ten minutes. Don’t spray too heavily.

If you have fleas, you will see many more emerge as they are trying to leave the treated area.

It will kill newly hatched larvae and the fleas eat it and dehydrate, as if eating a whole container of salt. In a week they will be gone, and it will control fleas for up to six months unless you wash it off the surface.

This will also kill other insects with a similar life cycle as the flea.

Ticks And Wasps

Cedarcide is another wonderful indoor spray for ticks, wasps and other nasties that enter your home unwanted. It's made of red cedar and does not have much of a residual, but kills on contact.

See next month’s post for solutions to keeping bugs off our skin!

--Marie

 - Marie (Natural Healing Gal)

Read all of Marie's Columnist Posts

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Marie

Guest Blogger

Dog Training, Qigong

Homeopathy

Visit Marie's Website

Mikamar Training Center

Please note that this blog post and these remedies are for information purposes only.  Please consult with your own medical providers should you have medical questions and see the Medical Disclaimer here.

Also make sure that you read and follow any label directions for products listed in these blog posts.  This is the opinion and practice of Marie, but make sure you are being safe in how you use the products.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly and Marie

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 


• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Stop Bugging Me

(Written by Natural Healing Gal, Marie)

Homeopathy for bites and stings.

One of the challenges of living in Sunny Florida is insects. I am definitely not a fan! I know there are insects everywhere else, but we sure have our fair share as our winters allow them to procreate more.

Many of us here wish for just enough freezing cold in the winter to control them a little, without harming our plants!

When we first moved here in 2004 I learned about fire ants. It was not fun getting bitten the first time. I had to try several different types of natural remedies before I found the one that worked best for me… Ledum Palustre  which is made from Wild Rosemary.

Ledum, like other homeopathic remedies, has a variety of uses, but one of the most common is dealing with insect bites. The first time I tried Ledum for fire ant bites, it reduced the severity tremendously, and it healed much quicker.

In addition, I use Lavender essential oil directly on the skin where the bite is, to help control the itch until it heals. Essential oils are not homeopathy, but a different type of natural remedy that I love.  I have found that insect bites seem to inflame and itch even more intensely when scratched, so the lavender helps to prevent the awful scratching, and gives the skin the time it needs to heal.

Ledum is wonderful for mosquito bites. I teach classes outdoors at dusk, so I’ve had the opportunity to try it with great success many times! I take a single dose of Ledum one hour before going out in the evening, and the mosquitoes don’t find me quite so attractive.

I give Ledum to my dogs if they are bitten by a tick or a flea, but it is also good to use if YOU have been bitten by a dog or cat! It is helpful for puncture wounds in general; for example, if you have stepped on a sharp object.

Here is a fun tip --  I've heard that Ledum is a good remedy for a hangover from Whiskey or hard liquor. Of course, I have no way of knowing if that is true. You will have to see for yourself!

Another wonderful remedy for bites and stings is Apis melifica which comes from the honey bee. I discovered Apis after being stung by a yellow fly, or what some people call a deer fly. They come out in the spring and fall, and apparently, they LOVE me. They especially love biting my legs. For some reason, I do not feel the bite or even notice that they are on my skin until I am bitten by a single fly several times. I had no idea what to do, and I can not take antihistamines!

I am extremely sensitive to these fly bites; my skin becomes red and swollen, hot, and solid to the touch. After a day or two of swelling and each bite spreading to an area the size of a pancake, anything that barely brushes against my skin begins the incredible, painful itch, and then I have a day of shooting pains that I feel deep into my bones, and it turns a bluish color like a bruise. It is awful! Each time I was bitten it was spreading further and the pain was worse.

At first I tried Ledum, but it did not seem to make any difference. I tried it on several occasions. Those nasty buggers would find a way to follow me into my home, and bite me mercilessly until the fly swatter came out!

After further research, I found Apis. What a relief! The first time I took a dose the bite healed much quicker. I knew it had made a big difference. Since then, each time I was bitten the remedy worked quicker and the severity is reduced dramatically. At this point, if they are quicker to bite me than I am to flee, I get a small amount of swelling and it goes away within a day.

Another time I stepped on a bee and it stung my toe pretty severely. Apis worked wonderfully and although my toe did turn a bit bluish in color, there was barely any sting or pain after taking the remedy.

One of the reasons that some think Homeopathy does not work, is that they try a remedy once without success. I found that if a remedy does not work, it is usually not the correct remedy for your symptoms! With a little research I can usually find a remedy that does the trick. Then I keep it on hand for future occurrences. Remember, take your dose in water!

You can order the following on Amazon

•  Ledum 
• Apis

Here’s to a BUZZ free summer,

 - Marie (Natural Healing Gal)

Read all of Marie's Columnist Posts

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Marie

Guest Blogger

Dog Training, Qigong

Homeopathy

Visit Marie's Website

Mikamar Training Center

Please note that this blog post and these remedies are for information purposes only.  Please consult with your own medical providers should you have medical questions and see the Medical Disclaimer here.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly and Marie

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 


• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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