Now that the weather is nice, we will be outside a whole lot more.
But as all of us know, we won't be alone. Mosquitoes are joined by all of their friends and distant relatives. We certainly can't overlook the black flies, deer flies, horse flies as well as other blood thirsty, hungry beasts.
So what do you do?
There are a number of solutions. You can resort to the normal defenses "" DEET or any number of commercial sprays and lotions. But, do we really know what we are putting on our bodies or the future consequences?
Recently, I've looked into a number of alternative ways of fighting the hoards of summer invaders. I'm not guaranteeing these will work for everyone, but they may be worth trying.
Many horse owners are using dryer sheets to keep insects away from their animals' faces. They report they work quite well. On horses, the sheets are tied to the bridals, but you can put one in your hat with part of it hanging out and many of the buzzing creatures will stay away.
A friend of mine adds cider vinegar to her horse's feed in the early spring. By the time she's ready to ride, the flies and biting bugs seem to stay clear of her horse. Certainly, the vinegar won't hurt us. In fact, there are many people who claim it has many healthful benefits.
During the Vietnam War, our soldiers were given vitamin B1 tablets that contained thiomine hydrochloride. You can buy these any place that sells vitamins. Something is secreted through our pores that bugs don't like.
An old-timer told me that wiping Listerine across your neck was a great bug repellent. Certainly, that won't hurt you either.
I knew a fellow who even used it on muscle strains and aching joints. He claimed great results by rubbing it onto the sore spots.
The old woodsmen of the Adirondacks used a mixture of pine tar and other disgusting ingredients. In this instance, the cure seemed almost as bad as the problem.
Well, nothing can be as bad as the Adirondack blackfly.
This infamous creature is nothing more than tiny wings propelling a mass of blood thirsty teeth. A good comparison might be a million tiny grizzly bears swarming in for attack.
While hiking in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness area, I came upon a family out on a one-day hike. One of the boys held his hand above his head while he walked. I asked why he did that and he simply responded, "the bugs like the highest spot." Maybe that's why they swarm around our faces.
Actually, black flies will bite you anywhere "" around shirt cuffs to around your socks. They don't discriminate.
I've found the best protection from those fiendish creatures is an old-fashion head net.
They work.
If you keep all of your body parts covered, you won't get bit.
Just be thankful we don't have an insect problem like Alaska. After all, the mosquito is the "state bird" of our northernmost state.
Rick Brockway writes a weekly outdoors column for The Daily Star. E-mail him at robrockway@hotmail.com.
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