A Good Bug Repellent

[Don M.]

Every Spring, bug season gets into full swing in our area...ants, ladybugs, small spiders, etc. I don't like to use potentially harmful chemicals in the living areas. A few years ago, my wife found a solution that works quite well.

She saves a few days of coffee grounds, and lets them dry on paper plates. Once they've dried good, she sews some small cloth pouches, and fills them with a small teaspoon of these grounds, and sews them shut. Then, she places them on the ledges of the windows and on the floor near the doorways, and "Bingo", no more infestation of bugs! Plus, these coffee ground pouches emit a very slight and pleasant odor that we like.

So, if you get bugs in the house, and do some sewing, and have some cloth scraps, you might want to try this "safe" solution.

 

[Paco Dennis]

That's a great plan, thanks. Since we both live in mid-Missouri, what are we to do with "Mosquito Paradise". Do you hunt for Morels? We have been searching but not finding. 20 years ago our forest would provide about 6 lbs of them.

 

[Don M.]

That's a great plan, thanks. Since we both live in mid-Missouri, what are we to do with "Mosquito Paradise". Do you hunt for Morels? We have been searching but not finding. 20 years ago our forest would provide about 6 lbs of them.

We have a small creek on our property, and it runs nicely during the Spring rains. But, when drier weather arrives, it has a few pools of standing water that provide a good place for mosquitoes to grow. So, I fill a spray bottle with Diesel Fuel, and spray a couple of shots of diesel onto the standing water, which quickly spreads across the "pool" and kills the larvae. Plus, when I'm working outdoors, I keep a good supply of "Deet" insect repellent, on hand, and use that on my arms, etc. So far, so good.

I'm not a mushroom "expert", but the young couple across the road likes to walk through our forest and they always find a good supply of Morels, and give us some....plus they spot any down/dead trees and let me know so I can harvest them for Winter firewood for our outdoor wood furnace.