This year scientist are predicting we’ll be inundated with insects – oh, joy!
I was out doing some gardening this past weekend, and the mayflies were abundant! They don’t bite, but are quite annoying as they fly into your nose, ears, eyes, mouth – YUK! I didn’t see any mosquitoes yet, but they are never far behind the mayflies. And the dog’s been having ticks take a bite out of her for a few weeks now, so they are early…
The thing is, deer ticks, which cause Lyme disease, are not the only things we New Englanders have to worry about anymore. Brown dog ticks can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (Rickettsia rickettsia) to dogs, and, we used to think not to humans, but, like many things in nature, that is changing! According to the University of Rhode Island’s Tick Encounter Resource Center, research published in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that the brown dog tick infected people – mostly children, in Arizona, with Rocky Mountain Fever a few years ago. YIKES! More research is needed, but if that can happen in Arizona, and these little buggers live pretty much everywhere in the US, who’s next…
And don’t forget the mosquitoes that carry diseases like Zika and West Nile. They are going to be plentiful this year as well.
So, naturally, I researched bug repellent again to see if there’s anything different. Here’s what I found:
Consumer reports 2018 testing results showed that repellants with at least 30% DEET kept insects that can cause diseases in humans away for 7.5 hours. Pretty much the same as last year.
Once again this year, Repel Lemon Eucalyptus, containing 30 percent lemon eucalyptus, stopped them for 7 hours. It’s also rated better than some of the Deet products. My experience has been that this one kept mosquitoes from biting. They’ll still fly around you and be generally annoying, but they didn’t bite. So, if you don’t want to be anywhere near DEET, use the Repel.
The EWG and the CDC both recommend the same ingredients as those included in the above Consumer Report; Deet or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus.
I ordered mine through Amazon. The link is HERE for your convenience. Some reviewers on Amazon didn’t like the scent of this spray, I did, as did most of the reviewers, but you may not.
Be careful that you get the Repel version from both of these above links. There are plenty of other bug sprays out there that say they have lemon eucalyptus in them but it’s NOT this same ingredient or the same amount and does not work as well.
Also, if you are putting bug spray on young children, apply it to your own hands and then rub them on the child. Avoid the child’s eyes and mouth. Use repellent sparingly around ears. Do not apply repellent to the child’s hands, because children put their hands in their mouths all the time and wipe their eyes as well.
There will be exciting news to share with you next newsletter – I can’t wait!
Meanwhile, here is another low back pain prevention video for those days when we do too much raking/gardening/etc…
Best of Health,
Kathi
