Plant Gardens 101

Mosquitoes are responsible for nearly three million deaths each year; the diseases spread by a mosquito include malaria, dengue, encephalitis and Filaria. In fact no other insect is responsible for as many diseases as the mosquito. Today there are a number of mosquito repellents available in the market that can protect a person from mosquito bites, and ultimately from one of the many diseases that a mosquito is responsible for.

There are two types of mosquito repellents available in the market, the first type of mosquito repellents are based on synthetic chemicals, the second type are based on natural ingredients. Additionally mosquito repellents are also divided on the basis of their method of distribution; the major methods of dispersion of mosquito repellents include sprays, burning mosquito repellent sticks, skin creams, mosquito traps and the latest mosquito repellent bags that require no skin contact whatsoever.

Synthetic mosquito repellents contain chemicals like DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide), PMD (p-menthane-3,8-diol), Icaridin and Permethrin. Although the list of the chemicals used in mosquito repellents is long, the truth is the chemicals like PMD are extracted from the lemon eucalyptus tree. In addition to the chemicals mentioned, another powerful substance used in natural mosquito repellents is Citronella Oil. The problem with synthetic mosquito repellents is that many users have reported skin allergies and rashes while using these mosquito repellents. In fact the reason why more and more users have started using natural insect repellents is because of the almost negligible reports of side effects. (more…)

Between January and July 2007 the confirmed cases of human infection with the West Nile Virus have only been confined to the province however the past 60 days have seen cases of the virus reaching most areas of Canada. However, confirmed cases of the virus have been documented across the many parts of the United States including North Dakota, Michigan, New York and Florida.

Symptoms are usually mild and include fever, headache, body aches, sometimes skin rash and swollen lymph glands. Severe infection is marked by headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, with coma, tremors, convulsions, paralysis and occasionally death. If illness occurs, it usually happens within five to 15 days of being bitten by an infected mosquito. What are we doing as a society to stop this? The answer to that question is complex, the Canadian and US governments are monitoring birds and mosquitoes to prevent a major outbreak of the virus. Many states and provinces have implemented a mass spraying program in summer 2002 to control populations of the type of adult mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus. (more…)

While I was enjoying the summer night life a few weeks ago, I was annoyed at the insects that were trying to bite my arms and legs. I commented to my friend that I was worried about getting the West Nile Virus because I had recently heard that there was an increased chance of outbreak this year, as the California Governor was taking increased precautions against the virus. My friend said that his neighbor had contracted the Virus from an infected mosquito. That knowledge really began to worry me. Vying to protect my health (I could definitely not afford to get sick because of school and work), I looked into ways to protect myself from mosquito bites besides wearing long sleeves and pants. (more…)