Comments on: Summer Bug Safety for Kids

By: Julie F

Julie F — Mon, 26 May 2008 19:50:21 +0000

I don’t know why it repels certain bugs, but mosquitoes are drawn to the CO2 we emit. Maybe the vanilla masks it, not sure.

I’m serious about the bear thing, though. A few years ago I had forgotten about the black bears at my aunt’s in the Smokey Mountains back in NC at the NC/TN border. We had one come down to the trail we were hiking on. My grandfather had told me I smelled too sweet, he was right!

Luckily black bears are really wary of people (in this area) and in this case it ran, but it could have been a bad situation.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:20:24 +0000

@Julie it seems like vanilla would draw bugs to you – but I know that other smells work to repel, like lavender, cinnamon, and mint; plus some spices, so I guess the vanilla deal makes sense. Good tip – especially since you tried it out! I may rub some on my furniture and walls, and everywhere if the spiders hate it

@kisha In NM we had scorpions, but the mostly stayed away from people. I saw more black widows (shudder). I had a horrible reaction to fire ants in NM once though. And they were at the playground. I hate them.

@Chrissy You’re welcome – have fun camping!

@Hil you’re freaking me out with the red gummy spider thought! Thanks for adding your bug site.

By: Hil

Hil — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:23:40 +0000

One of our favorite bug sites is What's That Bug? Which reminds me ... I have to figure out what that big red, gummy spider was I found in our leaf pile.

By: Chrissy

Chrissy — Mon, 26 May 2008 12:29:50 +0000

Thank you so much for this post. We are suppose to go camping next week.

By: kisha

kisha — Mon, 26 May 2008 05:44:02 +0000

Yeah the scorpions would work well here, thank goodness she hasn’t been bitten as bad as I was last year. I had such a bad reaction to bug bites that I had to go to the dr for them. I mean my bug bites were huge and made doing things really uncomfortable. But I found something great at my local co-op that helped a lot. I have to remember to get some more soon.

By: Julie F

Julie F — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:23:24 +0000

By the way, Jennifer, spiders do not like vanilla, either. Rub some on your furniture and they’ll stay away until the scent is gone. Vanilla beans in furniture polish are supposed to keep them off furniture!

By: Julie F

Julie F — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:20:08 +0000

I found a recipe for repellant 6 years ago on a natural foods yahoo group. It was a group of foragers and we get bitten quite a bit. At the time there was a swamp close to our cabin and we had mosquitoes that looked like B52 bombers. Heh.

The recipe goes like this:
1 tables spoon (more if you’d like) of PURE vanilla extract. Imitation will not work.
1 cup water.

Mix well, wipe on with cotton balls or try a pump bottle. I shook it really well before and during application, then wiped my hand along the skin to make sure it was spread evenly. Don’t rub in, though.

My baby girl (6 now) and I would take walks in the evening and never had another bite! I don’t know what it is about the vanilla, but it worked. I don’t suggest this for people who live in an area with bears, though.