FORT WORTH, Texas - Some crawl onto our bodies unannounced. Others fly around us with a buzzing threat of pain and itching.
Ants, ticks, chiggers, fleas, mosquitoes, gnats and many other pesky insects are out to get us - and they will if we don't defend ourselves.
Are you ready for them this summer?
We checked out new ways to avoid insect bites and stings - other than spray-on and stick insect repellents.
You could use special clothing with insect-repelling ingredients, sprays for clothing or natural substances that were being used long before the advent of commercial products.
New products
Buzz Off Insect Shield clothing: This line of shirts, pants and other clothing contains a synthetic repellent that reportedly lasts through 70 washings. You can find out more at www.buzzoff.com.
Bugspray for ticks: Designed to be sprayed on the outside of clothing, sleeping bags, tents and other items, not the skin. It comes in a 6-ounce can and is designed to repel and kill ticks. One treatment should last for about two weeks. More is available at www.bugspray.com.
Don't Bite Me! skin patch: This DEET-free patch delivers a blend of Vitamin B1 and aloe, providing protection against mosquitoes, gnats, ticks, chiggers and fleas for up to 36 hours. Check this one out at www.dontbitemepatch.com.
Natural repellents
Mosquitoes and gnats: Sage, marigolds and lemon grass are great mosquito repellents. Throw a small amount of sage onto the coals of a barbecue pit and the smoke it emits will repel them. Plant marigolds around your yard and the flowers will produce a fragrance that bugs and flying insects don't like. Or plant lemon grass. It contains the natural oil citronella and is available at garden centers and some supermarkets. You can plant it around a patio to repel mosquitoes or you can break a stalk off, peel off the outer leaves and then bend the stem between your fingers to produce a pulpy, juicy mass that can be rubbed onto exposed skin to repel the insects.
Fleas: Dogs have more problems with fleas than humans, but remember that your pet can bring fleas into your home. Citrus is a natural flea deterrent. Pour a cup of boiling water over a sliced lemon and then let the mixture soak overnight. The next morning, use a sponge to apply the mixture on your dog to kill fleas instantly. Cedar shavings and cedar oils also repel fleas and can be used in your pet's bedding area.
Ants: Many varieties of ants can't stand to be around some vegetables, oils, peppers and leaves. If you are having problems with ants coming into your home, cabin, RV or campsite, find their point of entry and place slices of cucumbers or bags of mint tea there. Or try using cayenne pepper, cinnamon or coffee grounds. Soaking citrus oil or lemon juice on a piece of string and placing the string at the point of entry also is an ant deterrent. To rid ants on your patio, cut up cloves of garlic and place them in the cracks of patios.
Flies: Small sachets of crushed mint placed around your home will help repel flies. Bay leaves, cloves and eucalyptus wrapped in small cheesecloth squares and hung by open windows and doors can also help. Plastic bags filled with water and hung from patio awnings and other elevated places are effective. Some say the flies see their reflections in the water-filled bags and don't like what they see. To make your own fly paper, mix one-quarter cup of syrup with one tablespoon granulated sugar and one tablespoon brown sugar in a bowl. Cut strips of brown craft paper and soak the strips in the mixture. Put a hole in one end of each strip and hang with string wherever flies are present.
Chiggers: There is no other critter its size that can apply more physical annoyance than the chigger, which is the larvae of a family of mites. All varieties of commercial insect repellents work against chiggers but nothing beats powdered sulfur. Many hunters, campers and hikers pour sulfur into a sock, tie a knot in one end of the sock and then use it to "powder" their boots, legs and pants to keep the pesky "red bugs" away.
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(c) 2008, Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.