Bug repellents

[ilovedogs]

We will be traveling to Florida next week and my grandmother wants us to do an Everglades visit. Not something I'm looking forward to since I'm a complete meal for a family of mosquitos. Throw ds in and they'll have dessert, too! Anyway, ds got bit twice in the past 24 hours and he's swollen up to the size of a small plum. We've been treating the itching with tea tree oil, calendula cream, and icing. I'm hoping a dose of benadryl at bedtime and some rest will relieve the swelling by tomorrow. He's never swollen up this much before so now I'm wondering what to use to prevent the bites while in FL. I would really like to stay away from DEET but many natural products get mixed reviews. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks,

 

Bonnie

[Lynn777]

We just started using the All Terrain Natural Herbal Armor and it seems to work fine. However, I will be honest and say we have not tried it in any heavily "buggy" areas.

 

I bought the 2 oz bottle at Whole Foods to try it before spending a lot on a bigger bottle.

 

Have fun in Florida!

 

~Lynn

[Chemar]

Hi Bonnie

 

vitamin B1 is a natural repellent to mosquitoes ...they apparently can detect it and avoid trying to suck blood when one supplements it. We live in Florida (orlando area) and never get bitten! but that is very different than the wild, swampy terrain of the Everglades, tho it is a remarkable place to visit!

 

Also you can make your own external repellent with citronella oil and water. mosquitoes hate citronella! we mix ours with oil of citronella,cinnamon and rosemary, about 12 drops of each oil in a squirty bottle or water.

 

be prepared for major heat and humidity here in FL...

hope you have a wonderful visit

[ilovedogs]

Thanks ladies. I bought the All Terrain bug spray and I'll be using OFF family care wipes when we do the Everglades(on myself, not ds). I swell up like a tomato is growing on me when I get bit, LOL! I read about the B1 but most articles say it has to build up in the body and since we leave tomorrow, I'm not sure it will help but we'll start supplementing with it just in case. We will be mostly staying within a mile of the beaches so I don't think the bugs are as bad there since it's breezier. My grandparents are in Boynton Beach and ds will be playing at a tennis training program in Delray Beach.

 

As for the humidity: it was 110 degrees here in Phoenix yesterday and the dewpoint was in the 50's. And, next week it's supposed to be 113 for quite a few days. Ds goes out and plays in all this weather so I'm thinking he'll adapt fine to the FL weather. I'm the one who's going to wilt! Luckily, I'll be indoors for most of the week!