Will the Real Weather Predictor Please Stand?

It’s the year’s most watched weather forecast and the only animal with its own national holiday.  What the devil are we talking about?  Groundhog’s Day, and this year we celebrate it on Saturday, February 2nd.  This Saturday, like all other years passed, weather predictors will wait to see if Punxsutawney Phil, the only true weather forecasting groundhog, will see his shadow or not, indicating if we really do have another six weeks to wait until spring (which would happen regardless of him seeing his shadow or not!).  Besides Punxsutawney Phil and the great Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day, most of us know very little about this holiday.  Here are some fun facts about groundhogs and how this quirky tradition got started in the first place.

Seems many look for an excuse to party and the Pennsylvania Dutch (originally from Germany) were no exception.  Back in Germany their ancestors started asking the groundhog about spring as an excuse to drink, eat and be merry.  German immigrants brought the legend of Candlemas Day to Pennsylvania.  The Candlemas legend states, “For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May…”  Punxsutawney celebrated its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s with the first official trek to Gobbler’s Knob made on February 2, 1887.

Back then farmers didn’t have a scientific way to predict the weather so they left forecasting to plants and animals.  Many of these established ways of weather prediction have long been considered old wives’ tales and animal folklore and some American scientists disagreed so vehemently with such methods that in 1890 the National Weather Service started.

While groundhogs are pitiful weather predictors with only a 39% success rate, they excel in other areas.  The largest member of the squirrel family, groundhogs can whistle when alarmed and are excellent swimmers and tree climbers.  Like other wild animals, their natural inclination is to be quite aggressive, though they can be socialized if raised with lots of human contact.  Groundhogs eat lots of greens, fruits and vegetables and are resistant to germs and plagues that wipe out large numbers of wild animals.  They hibernate in a deep coma where their body temperature drops to a few degrees above freezing with the heart barely beating.  They live an average of 6 to 8 years with fertile adult females reproducing 4 to 9 “kits” or “cubs” every mid-April or May.

Doppler radar or not, thousands of people still turn out to have a few drinks and watch Punxsutawney Phil every February 2nd.  Named after King Phillip, Punxsutawney Phil has been predicting the weather for 125 years.  Will “the snow swirl in May?”  Punxsutawney Phil nor meteorologists really can’t say.  But one thing’s for sure, we’ll all be back to raise our glasses among friends and watch for Punxsutawney Phil’s shadow for many years to come.

While it may be tempting to bring your own firewood on your next float trip, transporting firewood could spread harmful tree insects like the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) and emerald ash borer (EAB) into new areas of the country. Both insects have been detected in 13 states and could spread if more of the public aren’t aware of the threat to the Nation’s forests and don’t take the steps necessary to prevent the spread of these harmful insects. There are several ways you and your family can make a difference.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has developed some simple steps all families should follow to avoid moving invasive pests in firewood.

Buy firewood when you arrive at the campground. Most recreational areas have firewood for sale but it’s always a good idea to check when you make your reservations. Be sure to ask if the firewood was cut locally. You should always buy locally cut firewood and burn it all at your destination. If you don’t burn it all, leave it at the campground. Bringing it back home could spread the insects to a new area where wood-boring insects could damage the trees in your yard.

Controlling firewood pests is a matter of controlling the firewood itself. Whether you are burning wood at your home or while camping on your next float trip, here are some helpful tips for preventing the spread of Asian longhorned beetles and emerald ash borers:

Store your firewood away from your tent, RV, house or any buildings. When you store wood against your home or any building you’re inviting wood-boring insects to reside within the structure. Store your firewood at least 3 feet away from your home or any building. Keep your firewood stacked off the ground on concrete blocks, bricks or firewood grates. This will maintain airflow beneath the pile, reducing moisture problems that attract wood-boring insects. You should also store firewood away from trees so if you have any insects in your woodpile they don’t crawl over to any live trees and tunnel beneath their bark, causing severe damage.

Always store your firewood outside. Storing firewood in your home, the basement or in your garage brings wood-boring insects inside and closer to the wood structure of your home. Besides these insects, a firewood pile provides an attractive harborage for rodents and other wildlife. If you plan to cut your own firewood from trees on your property, it’s best to do so in late summer to late fall to minimize new wood-boring infestations. Any wood you cut in summer or late summer should be piled in a sunny area and covered to kill any insects boring in the wood.

Store your older logs on top of your wood pile, using the oldest logs first. This keeps pests at a minimum and prevents you from carrying infested firewood into your home though it’s still a good idea to inspect each log, looking them over, shaking them and even knocking them together. Be sure to purchase wood that’s been cut locally for burning in your fireplace at home. If you’re not sure the wood is from a local source, burn this wood as soon as possible to kill any pests in the wood. Be sure to burn firewood immediately, especially if you’ve brought any indoors. Wood-boring insects like the warmth of your home as much as you do.

When you and your family burn firewood that’s been cut locally you’re doing your part to prevent the spread of the Asian longhorned beetles and emerald ash borers.

Like fireworks displays on the fourth of July, American bald eagles draw thousands of people together to Missouri’s river banks every January and February.  This is when hundreds of these majestic birds come to build nests in the state’s tall trees, rear their young and feast on fish in her rivers.  What’s so special about this endangered species?  With so many admirable qualities it’s easy to understand why our country’s forefathers selected the Bald Eagle as our nation’s symbol and why so many yearn to find the best sites in Missouri for eagle watching.

Three hundred years ago Bald Eagles nested throughout North America but today they breed mainly in Alaska, Canada and Missouri.  Bald Eagles have more than 150 active nests in Missouri and they spend their winter at many locations throughout the state, making Missouri one of the leading states for wintering eagles.  Built in the top of a large tree, a Bald Eagle nest is one of the biggest of any North American bird.  The average Missouri nest is about 5 feet wide and 3 feet deep.

With a wingspan ranging between 6 ½ to 8 feet, a height of 3 to 3 ½ feet and weighing 8 to 15 pounds, the American Bald Eagle is one of the largest birds of prey, eating fish primarily and an occasional rabbit, rodent or bird.  Like humans, they too are scavengers, known to rob other birds of their prey, especially if one bird makes an impressive catch.  Perhaps this is how the forefathers came up with the idea of progressive taxation.  One thing is for certain, eagles have much better vision than humans.  Five to six times sharper, prominent brows shade their eyes for keener vision.  Strong eyesight, powerful feet with two inch talons, a hooked beak for tearing flesh coupled with normal flight speeds of 20-40 miles per and more than 100 miles per hour when diving make the Bald Eagle a fierce predator.

Love is in the air every January and February with a female and male eagle pairing up and adding to the nest.  Female eagles are larger than male eagles and unless they are perched next to each other they are difficult to tell apart.  Both male and female adults have the distinctive white head and tail.  A sexually mature bird is about 4 – 5 years old.  The female eagle lays two to three white eggs each year in March or April.  For 35-40 days both parents incubate the eggs.  Eaglets can be solid, dark brown or mottled brown and white and waste no time growing up as they are fully feathered and nearly full grown and able to fly from the nest when they are just 10-11 weeks old.  Unfortunately, the road ahead is tough with a 50 percent mortality rate during their first year after leaving the nest.  But the odds are more in their favor the second year with a 10 percent mortality rate and 5 percent every year after.  While the life expectancy in the wild averages 30 years, some Bald Eagles have lived up to 50 years in captivity.

Some of the best places to watch Bald Eagles in Missouri are as follows:

• Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area , Route K , southwest of Columbia
• Lake of The Ozarks , Bagnell Dam Access
• Lock and Dam 24 , Clarksville
• Lock and Dam 25 , east of Winfield
• Mingo National Wildlife Refuge , northwest of Puxico
• Old Chain of Rocks Bridge , south of I-270 , off Riverview Drive , St. Louis
• Riverlands Environmental Demonstration Area , east of West Alton
• Schell – Osage Conservation Area , north of El Dorado Springs
• Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge , south of Sumner
• Table Rock Lake and Sheperd of The Hills Hatchery , southwest of Branson
• Truman Reservoir , west of Warsaw

This year a record 1,118 cases of West Nile virus infections have been report from 47 states in people, birds or mosquitoes, with 41 deaths reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).  Transmitted through mosquito bites, 2012 has brought the highest number of transmissions since the disease’s discovery.  And just this week Missouri health officials confirmed a 78-year-old man in Laclede County was the state’s first death from West Nile this year.  This means fighting mosquitoes on your next float is more important than ever.

While West Nile Virus can be serious, four out of five people never exhibit its symptoms including swollen lymph nodes, nausea, headaches, fever and more.  But some persons infected can experience more serious symptoms like high fever, disorientation, stupor and a coma.  The best and easiest way to avoid the West Nile Virus is to prevent mosquito bites.

Health officials in St. Louis County, MO aren’t taking any chances, increasing spraying and awareness efforts especially in light of the expected onslaught of rain in Missouri from Hurricane Isaac.  More water means more mosquitoes.  Whether you are at home or on a float trip families are urged to take steps to get rid of standing water by draining any buckets, toys, wading pools, garbage cans and any other items where water collects.

The good news about Missouri float trips is that most rivers, lakes and streams are populated with fish that eat mosquitoes.  But you should still be prepared for moments along the shoreline areas near the water.  Here are some tips from the CDC when it comes to fight mosquitoes on your next float trip.

It’s important when you and your family are out doors to use insect repellent that contains an EPA-registered ingredient.  Be sure to follow the directions on the product’s packaging to ensure you have maximum protection.

If your family plans to camp overnight on your next float trip, inform your family that mosquitoes are most active at dawn or dusk.  During these times of the day it’s best to stay indoors or in your tent or RV.  If you have to go outside, be sure you and your family use insect mosquito repellent containing DEET.  Don’t use repellents with more than 30 percent DEET on children, and avoid using it on infants younger than 2 months.  Everyone should use repellent in addition to wearing long sleeves and pants.

Make sure your tents and popup trailer has good screens on the windows and porch areas to keep mosquitoes out.  If you plan to use citronella candles, take extra precaution when using them anywhere near tents as they could pose a fire hazard.

If you see standing water at or near your campsite, you should address the problem immediately since standing water is a mosquito breeding ground.  Empty any standing water from barrels, buckets or flower pots.  If you bring your family’s pet along, change the water in their pet dish often.  Be sure to drain the water out of tire swings at campground play areas as well.

Though one in five people exhibit symptoms of the West Nile Virus, it shouldn’t be taken lightly.  By following these tips you and your family can prevent mosquito bites and avoid the West Nile Virus on your next float trip.

While black bear encounters are rare in Missouri, it’s better to err on the side of caution, taking the necessary steps to keep them away from your campsite. Here are some safety tips.

Keep your campsite clean. Your pots and pans, utensils and any other items that come into contact with food will attract bears if you keep them out in the open. Keep food and any items that come into contact with food in your car.

As soon as everyone is done eating clean all your utensils and cooking items and never pitch cooking grease or any other food residues into the campfire. The smell of cooked foods will only attract bears.
State parks have bear-proof containers or dumpsters that prevent bears from smelling or gaining access to food. Place your garbage in these designated containers or dumpsters. Never burn or bury your garbage either because bears will dig it up.

Avoid eating or cooking in your tent. The last place you want to encounter a bear is in your tent which is why storing food or other attractants in tents or in your sleeping bags is a bad idea. If you’re backpacking, store these items in your backpack, suspending the backpacks from trees.

Bears have an acute sense of smell and though it’s hard to believe, bears are also attracted to non-food items like deodorant, soap and even gum. So treat these items as food when you’re on your next float trip.
If your pet is camping with you, keep your dog on a leash. Store their food in an airtight container in your car, keeping the container sealed after every use. Be sure to clean up any leftovers or scraps of food after your dog has finished eating. This too can attract bears. Your cooler should be kept in your car’s trunk or truck cab, concealed from view since bears associate coolers with food.

When planning your float trip menu prepare meals that will generate as little garbage as possible. The less garbage you have, the fewer smells you’ll create that could attract bears to your campsite.

If you do see any wild animals at or near your campsite, you should avoid contact with them and never attempt to feed them. This will only make them more attracted to this campsite in the future, causing them to bother future guests and even be considered a nuisance to the point that rangers may be forced to euthanize them. So by avoiding contact with them in the first place, you may be saving the animal’s life. And you should never approach black bears. They are extremely dangerous.

If you plan to do some hiking, bears are usually prompted to leave by normal trail noise before humans can actually see them. When you’re in a berry patch, keep a look out for bears as they are likely to venture into these areas. If you see a bear, don’t approach it and only observe it from a distance. Clap, talk, sing or make other noises so the bear is aware of your presence. If you ever encounter a bear at close range, remain calm and stay standing upright. Don’t look the bear directly in the eye. Speak in a calm, assertive and assured voice as you back up slowly to leave the area.

If a bear comes into your campsite, remain calm and make the bear aware of your presence. Some campers have thrown rocks, banged pots and pans, waved their arms and used airhorns to scare bears away. Don’t feed bears and be sure they have an escape route. If the bear swats at the ground, snaps or pops its jaws or utters a series of huffs you are too close and need to slowly back away. Move to a car or building as soon as possible if the bear won’t go away. Notify park rangers and authorities if the bear is aggressive. While black bears rarely attack people, you should be prepared in the event that one does. Black bears are intimidated by counter attacks so fighting the bear aggressively with anything close by like pots and pans or sticks or your fists can help you to get out of a dangerous situation.

Surrounding Missouri’s rivers, ponds and streams are beautiful landscapes and wooded areas, perfect for families to hike and explore.  Unfortunately, heavily wooded areas also attract ticks.  Here are some tips for removing ticks and treating tick bites should they occur on your next float trip.

If your little ones have been playing in wooded areas most of the day, it’s important to inspect for insect bites, especially from ticks before they hop into their sleeping bags for the night.  A complete body scan, yep, head to toe, is essential.  Start by looking in your child’s hair, behind their ears and along the neck, working your way down.  Check clothing too because it’s the perfect place for a stowaway to hide.

If you do find a tick, the first thing you want to do is remove it.  Ticks burrow their heads in their victim’s skin.  The best way to remove a tick is with a tweezers.  Firmly grasp the tick at its head as close to your child’s skin as possible, then pull steadily until it lets go.  Avoid jerking or twisting the tweezers when attempting to pull out the tick or you may leave its head embedded in your child’s skin.  Do not use petroleum jelly or a lighter or lit match to remove a tick.  These methods do not work, are scary to children and only cause the tick to dig deeper into your child’s skin.

Once you’ve removed the tick, place the tick in a Ziploc bag.  Be sure to swab the area of the tick bite with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball or pad.  It’s a good idea to contact your child’s pediatrician about the tick bite.  Many pediatricians will want to make sure your child doesn’t have Lyme disease.  Deer ticks carry Lyme disease, a bacterial disease that’s harmful to children’s health.  Lyme disease causes a red bull’s-eye-shaped rash, appearing within 3-30 days of a deer tick bite.  When your child has been bitten by a deer tick bite you’ll want to keep an eye on the area for several weeks and take your child to the pediatrician right away if a rash occurs.  Lyme disease is easily treated with antibiotics and works best at the first signs of infection.

When it comes to ticks, Benjamin Franklin was right when he said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  One way to protect your children from ticks is to dress them in long-sleeved shirts and long pants before they go hiking in the woods or tall grass where ticks hang out.  If you or your children have been walking or playing in woods or grassy fields, check each other for ticks.  Ticks thrive in moist, humid places like piles of leaves and wooded or grassy areas.  Insect repellents containing 30 percent DEET or 10 percent picaridin also provide good protection against ticks.  Apply the repellent to your child’s clothing and exposed skin except the hands and face.  Ask your child’s doctor to recommend an insect repellent if you have safety concerns.  Most insect repellents protect against mosquito, spider and tick bites.

Protecting your family and pets from ticks on your next float trip takes preparation.  By wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants in wooded and grassy areas, using insect repellents containing DEET or picaridin and conducting full body scans for ticks you’re more likely to avoid tick bites and Lyme disease.

This summer many campers will enjoy fish fries over their campfires on their float trips. But a select few will enjoy frog legs. There’s nothing like trudging along river banks or ponds with your flashlight in one hand and gig in the other as you and your kids search for iridescent pink bullfrog eyes. Missouri’s frog season opens at sunset on June 30th and closes October 31st.

Most frog hunters, or froggers, look for bullfrogs because they have more meat, weighing up to several pounds. Olive in color with white or yellow bellies and dark brown stripes on their hind legs, their reflective pink eyes and light-colored bellies will help you to identify and locate them in farm ponds, rivers, sloughs, swamps and marshes. Bullfrogs prefer permanent wetlands without fish, making them the top aquatic predators with little or no competition for food. This is what allows them to grow large and become abundant.

Bullfrogs are most active at night with Missouri’s seasonal temperatures dictating where you’re most likely to find them. In May and June bullfrogs are often found in shallow water where they call, breed and lay eggs. But as the weather gets hotter, you’re more likely to find them along the banks where it’s cooler and the food is more abundant. Bullfrogs aren’t able to regulate their internal body temperature so in August and September when shallow ponds can reach 85 degrees they leave the water at night to cool off along the shore and slow their metabolism. By late September when temperatures drop, frogs nestle in the aquatic vegetation because the deeper water is warmer than the air. By late October bullfrogs are burrowing in the mud, readying for winter. This is about the same time Missouri’s frogging season ends.

Harvesting frogs can be done using a variety of methods. The Wildlife Code of Missouri allows artificial lights, grabbing, hand nets, gigs, crossbows, longbows, trotlines, throw lines, limb lines, bank lines, jug lines, pole and line, snagging, snaring, .22 caliber firearms or pellet guns. Missouri’s daily limit is 8 frogs and you can only have 16 in your possession at any given time. Hunting or fishing licenses are required by all persons except those under the age of 16 or over the age of 65.

The key to harvesting frogs is to creep up slowly and dazzle them with your light. Headlamps like those used by cave explorers are ideal. Once a frog is dazzled by your light, it won’t move unless you startle it. Get as close as you can to the frog. Use your body weight to thrust the spear right behind its head. Once you’ve speared a frog you must harvest it as Missouri Wildlife code considers releasing an injured frog “wanton waste” since it’s not likely to survive. This is why many frog hunters prefer grabbing. Catching frogs with your hands gives you the chance to let it go if you’d prefer to catch a bigger one.

Once you’ve harvested your frogs, you’re ready to clean them and fry up some succulent frog legs. First, rinse the frog. Then place its head in your hands, grasping it behind its front legs, belly down on a cutting board. Stretch out its hind legs and cut them with a cleaver or heavy knife just above the hip. Keeping the legs attached as a pair will make for easier cooking. Pull down the skin to the ankles like your peeling down a pair of tube socks. Cut off the skin and feet. Then place the legs into a freezer bag with a tablespoon of salt per gallon bag of frog legs and fill the bag with water. Refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to cook them. When you’re ready to fry them combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup crushed saltine crackers, ¼ cup corn starch, 1 TBSP black pepper, 1 TBSP salt and 1 TBSP lemon pepper salt in a bowl. In another bowl mix 2 eggs and 1 cup milk. Heat ¼ cup oil on your skillet. Drop frog legs into the egg and milk mixture. Remove legs and then place into the dry mixture until coated before placing on skillet. Fry until golden brown.

You’ll create lifelong memories this summer when hunting Missouri bullfrogs with your friends and family while enjoying the delectable taste of Missouri’s plentiful resources.

This spring and summer many people will be reluctant to go on a float trip because of their fear of snakes.  Missouri’s snakes play a vital role in nature, eating other animals like mice, and disease carrying rats, lizards, toads and frogs while serving as a source of food for hawks, owls, mink, skunks and herons.  Unfortunately, many people are afraid of snakes, frequently killing those that are harmless.  The more you know about snakes, the more you’ll appreciate their role in nature and overcome your fear of them.

Missouri is home to 51 different species and subspecies of snakes.  Snakes are reptiles, with bodies that are covered in scales and the same temperature as their surroundings.  Half of them lay eggs while half give birth to young that are completely developed.  All snakes can swim and shed their skin as they grow, three to five times a year.  Snakes are legless and have no external ear opening.  Harmless snakes will bite to defend themselves, merely leaving simple scratches.

Venom

What scares most people about snakes is venom.  Missouri’s venomous snakes are members of the pit viper family.  These snakes have a characteristic pit between their eye and nostril on both sides of their heads.  Venomous pit viper snakes have elliptical shaped pupils and a pair of well-developed fangs.  People often mistakenly identify snakes as poisonous because of a triangular shaped head, especially when many harmless snakes like the water snake, garter snake and hognose snake can flatten their heads and appear triangular in shape.  Harmless snakes lack the pit and fangs venomous snakes have and their pupils are round.  The most common venomous snake in Missouri is the copperhead.  Other venomous snakes include the Osage and southern copperhead, cottonmouth, massasauga rattlesnake, western pygmy rattlesnake and timber rattlesnake.  So far, there is no record of anyone dying in Missouri from a copperhead bite.

Benefits of Missouri’s Snakes

Missouri’s beneficial snake species needs more than just understanding and needless killings by misinformed people to survive.  Shelters like brush piles, rock piles and logs provide snakes with the security and the availability of mice, native rats, lizards, toads and frogs they need.  Building ponds near forested areas that are well maintained will also benefit many kinds of snakes.  Missouri’s snakes are as much a part of the landscape as its squirrels and deer.  By the same token, there are simple ways to discourage snakes from coming near buildings and campsites.  Avoid keeping burlap, dump heaps, piles of boards or rocks, fence posts, slabs of bark or scrap corrugated steel roofing near buildings and campsites as they provide hiding places for snakes and the food they eat.  Keeping areas tidy is the best way to keep snakes away from the premises.  You should also check for any openings around doors and low windows where snakes could enter.  If you do encounter a harmless snake, use a hoe or stick to relocate the snake unharmed in an isolated, safe habitat.

Encountering snakes along Missouri’s rivers and campsites is rare.  You can do your part to avoid such encounters by keeping your campsite free of debris and piles of bark, rocks and boards that attract snakes and their prey.  A better understanding of snakes can help you to overcome your fear and better enjoy your Missouri float trip.

The state of Missouri is home to 14 different types of bats.  These amazing flying mammals can often be seen at dusk darting around eating those pesky insects in the summer months.  Since the Show Me State has the second largest amount of caves in the United States, it is no wonder that these marvelous creatures call Missouri home.

Bats in general have gotten a bad rap due to the myths surrounding them due to popular books and movies.  This disinformation has caused many people to fear these fascinating animals.  The truth is, bats are an important part of the food chain in nature.  For instance, all of the bats that are native to Missouri feed only on flying insects.  By selectively feeding on only flying insects, they help to keep the insect population in check.  So, instead of thinking of bats as a nuisance, look at them as nature’s bug zapper and their role in the food chain become quite clear.

Since the bats feed only on flying insects, the maneuvers that they perform in mid air are quite a spectacle to watch.  Bats begin this feeding frenzy on insects by capturing the insects in their mouths.  The bats use their leathery wings or tail membranes to scoop them out of the air.  The bat then reaches down mid flight to pop the insect in their mouth.  This is the reason why many people enjoy watching these flying acrobats in the evening hours as they perform spectacular dance.

Many of us have heard the saying “blind as a bat”.  Even though bats may appear to not have very good eyesight, they actually can visually detect small insects flying around them.  Bats also rely on echolocation to hunt flying bugs.  Echolocation works as a form of sonar.  The bat will emit high frequency pulses that bounce off their prey in order to locate them.

Watching bats can be a fun activity while sitting outside in the evening hours during the summer months.  Bats can often be seen swooping around streetlights feeding on all those pesky summertime bugs.  Even though watching bats at safe distance is fine, it is not all right to explore caves that the bats use to roost in during the daytime.  This cannot only be dangerous for humans; it can also be dangerous for the bats.  Like any other type of wildlife, the presence of humans can disrupt breeding, nesting and hibernation patterns.

Missouri bats are a vital to the ecosystem.  They help to control many of the nocturnal insects that are native to Missouri.  Farmers are fans of bats because they eat many of the bugs that can be detrimental to cops such as corn and wheat.  The mosquito for instance can become a huge problem for many people in the summer months.  It is hard to step outside in the evening without getting bitten by these blood-sucking insects.  Bats love to feast on mosquitoes and help to keep these pesky bugs at bay.

Before bats were feared by many people, but through education that is starting to change.  The Missouri bat population is an important part of the food chain not only to other animals, but also to humans.  So instead of fearing them or looking at them in disgust, just think of them of nature’s little bug zapper in the summer months.

With the summer rapidly approaching, it brings with it a plethora of different bugs and one unwelcomed variety is the mosquito.  Because mosquitoes carry diseases like encephalitis and the West Nile virus, it is important to use insect repellant if you are going to be exposed to these pesky bugs for any length of time.  Some people are sensitive to the ingredients in commercial insect repellants, which is why some individuals prefer to use precautions and all natural bug repellants to ward off these tiny flying vampires.

Mosquitoes have a complex method of seeking out a host and different types of mosquitoes respond to different stimuli.  These nasty little vectors are most active at dawn and dusk, but there are also varieties which seek out a host all during the day.  There are ways a person can avoid being bitten and a good way of doing this is to make sure you are not doing anything to attract them as well.

The following is a list of mosquito attractants which a person should be aware of and avoid if at all possible:

·    Dark clothing is an attractant because mosquitoes use vision to find a host from varying distances.

·    Lactic acid is released either after a person exercises or from eating certain foods such as those containing high levels of sodium and potassium.  You should avoid working out and limit sodium in the diet before attending an outdoor event in the summer, to limit mosquito attacks.

·    Carbon dioxide is given off if a person is hot or has been exercising, burning candles, torches or having a bon fire are other ways the gas is released into the air and it will act as an attractant.

·    Skin temperature can be an attractant, but the exact temperature will depend on the type of mosquito and many are drawn by lower temperatures than higher.

·    Moisture attracts mosquitoes because of the chemicals released and because it increases humidity.  Even small amounts of water, such as moist grass, plants or standing water, will also draw mosquitoes and provides a perfect breeding ground.

·    In addition to perfume, hair care products and scented lotions and sunscreens, mosquitoes also love floral fragrances which you should avoid at all costs, lest you become a bug buffet.

For those people wanting to make their own all natural bug repellant, there are many inexpensive alternatives which will effectively repel mosquitoes, but require more frequent application (every 2-hours).  Because there are so many different types of mosquitoes, a person should use a combination of different repellants to best ward off bugs.  Natural repellants include the following:

·    Oils from verbena, lavender, pine, cajeput, basil, thyme and allspice, garlic, and soybean
·    Citronella oil
·    Lemon eucalyptus oil
·    Geranium oil
·    Cinnamon oil
·    Castor oil
·    Lemongrass oil
·    Clove oil
·    Peppermint oil
·    Rosemary oil
·    Cedar oil

Remember things like sunscreens, swimming, sweating and rain can dilute the effectiveness of natural repellants, so it is important to reapply often for maximum effectiveness.  The word natural does not always imply safe, and many people are allergic or sensitive to the oils in plant extracts, so perform a spot test before slathering any on your body.  It is important to find a combination that works for you and to remember to follow the manufacturer’s instructions before using any all natural bug repellants.