Smoothie Land

Today I am going to tell you about a cheap treatment for repelling mosquitoes and those aggravating biting flies. It is also a good repellent for moles. I use mothballs to control the mosquitoes and flies. Before I put it out, the “skeeters” (as I call ‘em) will eat you alive and then the flies will tote what is left away, lol. You cannot even set down a drink without them getting into it. Put out some mothballs (and then water the area) and see what the difference is the next day. I can actually sit outside without bug spray on and do not have to cover up my drink.  Be sure to buy several boxes (especially if they are on sale) because it is hard to tell how much it will take. Two boxes should cover a small backyard. Just be sure you do not handle the mothballs with your hands, open the box and start spreading them by shaking them out.  You will have the odor of mothballs in your yard, but I can handle that as opposed to getting eatin’ alive!

This works wonderful as an insect repellent on plants, but do not put on plants that produce crops because it is absorbed by the leaves. Take a package of chewing tobacco and put inside of a quart jar, add warm water to it. Take the jar and set it in the sun for at least 24 hours and let it steep. (Be careful when you do this next step as the mixture is poisonous and you can absorb it through your skin, so treat it like you would chemicals from the store) Strain the tobacco from the tea and pour into a sprayer. Spray your plants and repeat as necessary.

This is a very easy and quick way to get rid of pests and make your plants cleaner and healthier. Take about 2 Tablespoons of your favorite dishsoap (word has it lemon-scented Joy is the best for this) and put it into a garden sprayer (like the kind you get with Miracle-Gro). Turn the water on and spray down all of your plants while you water them. You can also use it on your lawn. This will get rid of and repel insects that enjoy eating on your plants. It will also clean the plant off which aids in it breathing better.