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MOSQUITOES Go Away : A Life Lesson Learned from a Wise-One!

I learned many years ago a lesson about bugs and especially mosquitoes, from my Grandfather who had very few bugs and mosquitoes in his really huge yard and beautiful dwarf fruit orchards. It was always so amazing when visiting him and climbing in the pear and mulberry trees that we were never swarmed upon or attacked by ants, mosquitoes or any other crawling biting insect predators! At night we were always playing outside, until we dropped from exhaustion and I don't remember being chewed to pieces by dreaded blood sucking mosquitoes! Laying in the grass watching the stars create pictures was fun and never disrupted by the bites of flying mini "vampires".

When I was about 10 years old, I found out what my Grandfather did to ward away unwanted bugs and blood sucking mosquitoes. He was an immigrant to this country and believed in keeping things simple, healthy and natural; like they did in the "old country"! Grandfather protected his garden, yard, trees and bushes from unwanted bugs by using herbs!

He would plant dill,basil and parsley around trees which would provide a great source of fresh herbs, while keeping many ants and menacing biting bugs away. He used horseradish, chive and gooseberry plants, all useful and common plants to keep certain insects away from his fruit trees, veggies, berry bushes and us kids.

The neat trick I learned was how to keep mosquitoes away. Sure he used citronella candle buckets sometimes, but his most effective way to rid the yard of mosquitoes was to use GARLIC! Yes, GARLIC! He planted garlic plants around the backyard, the porches, the barns and flower beds. Then around the edge of the patio he sprinkled dry garlic that he would dampen with water at night. There was a distinct acrid smell of around the yard......but there were no mosquitoes! [A second plant he used was lavender in pots around the porches it works to keep mosquitoes away and has a less offensive smell for many people.]

Garlic was and is one of best natural methods to rid your yard of the blood suckers. You can use dried chopped garlic and dampen it or plant some garlic around your yard and home. Cooking with and eating garlic regularly will make it your blood have a flavor that many a mosquitoes hate! You can even give garlic tablets to your dogs in the summer season to ward off fleas and ticks.

My grandfather taught me many things I would never learn in books and his mosquito lessons have never failed me. We forget the simple chemical free "old ways" may have multiple benefits to our world and definitely are better for our health.

Thanks Grandpa.

Learn more about this author, Pam Uher.
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