New Hampshire’s 'Other' State Bird

If Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer, Fourth of July is the Get This Party Rockin’ start to summer! With the summer season come all those irritating little pests that want to ruin your party.  You know the mosquito’s, chiggers, ticks and here in beautiful New Hampshire our very own state bird – the black fly!

But it’s only March!  The bombardment has already begun!  I know the weather has been great recently, but I would be much happier if the bugs would wait until their regularly scheduled time to start bugging us!

It’s only March and I have already been bit by two mosquito’s!  What is up with that?!?

So what are we going to do?  We will run to the store and buy products to keep the little suckers (pun intended!) away.  But as with most things, for every positive, there is a negative and when it comes to being bug free, the negative is a bit scary.

Many repellents contain the chemical N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide, commonly known as DEET: an insecticide that can affect the nervous system.  DEET is great for keeping the little guys at bay.  It also can cause birth defects for the babies of pregnant women, kidney and liver damage as well as a list of other “non-documented” issues.

Personally, I have used those over-the-counter products for years!  Then I started to educate myself on the hazards of this chemical – DEET.  Never again!

The EPA says that DEET is only “slightly toxic”. Ok…so I have a slight neurological side effect! (That explains that irritating little twitch in my right eye!)  I want to know who’s paying them off to say that!

So what can we do? How can we avoid attracting those pesky pests and protect our families from itchy bites and serious insect-carrying diseases (like the West Nile virus or Lyme disease)? Here are some tips.*

• First, avoid using fragranced personal care products (like that yummy cucumber and cantaloupe lotion) or setting out delicious fruit, meats or other fragrant items that would attract insects. Instead, for some outdoor summery smells, plant geraniums, lemon thyme, citrosa plants and sweet basil – these natural scents seem to keep away little pests.
• Consider using yellow light bulbs for your outdoor lighting. Bugs aren’t attracted to them.
• When outdoors, wear light clothing that covers most of the body, keeping as much skin and hair covered as practical. Avoid bright, floral colors. Khaki, beige, and olive are best.
• Biting is at its worst from dusk until dawn. The problem is worse when the weather is hot or humid. Avoid playing outdoors during the peak biting times in your area.

There are many products out there that are DEET free and do just as good a job at repelling the bugs as DEET.

Just go online and search for eco-friendly bug repellent.  There are many very good one’s on the market today.

Don’t let the commercials fool you – these bug spray and creme chemicals are bad and cause a lot of damage -especially to children and older adults.  Are you willing to risk your life for a bug?

Welcome to bug season!

* Source – www.greenwala.com