​I used to live near the bay here in Olympia, Washington State. Every summer, the tidal grasslands would be full of mosquitoes so... taking a walk or spending time outdoors mowing or playing was a miserable biting experience. Then I married a man from the Caribbean and each time we went to visit his family I was swarmed by mosquitoes and what the locals call "noseeums". The resulting hives and all night scratching was miserable. I found that Benadryl Gel was the best remedy but the conundrum was.... how to stop them being attracted to me in the first place? They don't go near my husband! The locals say that the bugs prefer fresh new blood!
As an Ovarian Cancer survivor who has worked with chemicals in my former adult life, I don't want to put anything else toxic in or on my body. I began to research and test various organic only formulas. Two years ago, we went again to visit our Caribbean family. We had other family members come to visit while we were there. The mosquitoes were very busy trying to bite and suck all this "new blood" but with excitement .... we were armed with my newest concoction. 
The result was, not one person had a bite when using it!!!
Not one bite!
Since then, we have asked friends and family, who live in or visit other mosquito havens in the world, to test No More Bites On Me. The reports of results all determined that there had not been any bites. Even in the Amazon Jungle!
So I went into business. 
I joined the American Mosquito Control Association and learned from their latest research, which Organic compounds work the best. I have included that into the recipe. I learned a lot of things from them about mosquitoes including that only the female mosquito bites in order to get the blood so that they are able to produce eggs. Check out the blogs below to learn more. ​

The news is pretty disturbing as the mosquito and tick populations of the world advance further north due to the warming climate of the earth, especially those varieties of mosquito and ticks that carry and spread disease. Following are a couple of articles from the Association's publication that duplicates these articles in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.  Extracts and  links to the full articles are included, if you care to read.

• Disease cases from #mosquitoes and #ticks have more than tripled in the US from 2004-2016. A new tick has arrived in the US.  
• The US is vulnerable to diseases from mosquito and tick bites. To protect people from costly and sometimes deadly diseases, like West Nile virus and Lyme disease, a national strategy is needed to reverse increasing vector-borne disease incidence. Discovery of an invasive tick now in 9 states highlights the need.​
• [ https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/pdfs/AsianLonghornedTick-P.pdf

Summary:
​What is already known about this topic? Haemaphysalis longicornis is a tick indigenous to Asia, where it is an important vector of human and animal disease agents, which can result in human hemorrhagic fever and substantive reduction in dairy production.
During 2017–2018, H. longicornis has been detected in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia on various species of domestic animals and wildlife, and from two humans.
The presence of H. longicornis in the United States represents a new and emerging disease threat. Characterization of the tick’s biology and ecology are needed, and surveillance efforts should include testing for potential indigenous and exotic pathogens.
Combatting the Increasing Threat of Vector-Borne Disease in the United States with a National Vector-Borne Disease Prevention and Control System is needed. 

• Lyle R. Petersen, Charles B. Beard and Susanna N. Visser
• Publisher: The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 
  Available online: 29 November 2018
• Reported cases of vector-borne diseases in the United States have more than tripled since 2004, characterized by steadily increasing incidence of tick-borne diseases and sporadic outbreaks of domestic and invasive mosquito-borne diseases. An effective public health response to these trends relies on public health surveillance and laboratory systems, proven prevention and mitigation measures, scalable capacity to implement these measures, sensitive and specific diagnostics, and effective therapeutics. However, significant obstacles hinder successful implementation of these public health strategies. The recent emergence of Haemaphysalis longicornis, the first invasive tick to emerge in the United States in approximately 80 years, serves as the most recent example of the need for a coordinated public health response. Addressing the dual needs for innovation and discovery and for building state and local capacities may overcome current challenges in vector-borne disease prevention and control, but will require coordination across a national network of collaborators operating under a national strategy. Such an effort should reduce the impact of emerging vectors and could reverse the increasing trend of vector-borne disease incidence and associated morbidity and mortality.
  © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
  
  [open-access] This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

As a member of The American Mosquito Control Association, I see that in the most recent newsletter, the AMCA has published their own research results of the most effective mosquito control Agents.  Organic Lemon Eucalyptus that is now in our repellent product of NO MORE BITES ON ME was top recommendation for Organic deterrents.
As a result, we have included Organic Lemon-Eucalyptus Oil into the NO MORE BITES ON ME product and removed the  organic Eucalyptus oil. There is a big difference in effectiveness. Some other formula changes will allow our product to remain effective on the skin for a longer period of time, up to seven hours.
Eucalyptus Lemon is extracted from the leaves and twigs of the "Lemon- Eucalyptus (Citrodora), an an actual tree that is native to Australia, Vietnam, and Madagascar, but it is also grown in India, South Africa, Guatemala, Egypt, Colombia, Indonesia, and Albania. 
​The Eucalyptus Citriodora tree has smooth, pale, uniform, slightly mottled bark, which is white to coppery in the summer. It has a conspicuously narrow-leaved crown which smells strongly of lemons. The strong lemon and mint scent makes it one of the more revered oils in the Eucalyptus Essential Oil family.
 
The AMCA research states that Lemon-Eucalyptus is the most effective natural, non chemical agent. We are now incorporating this Organic Lemon-Eucalyptus oil into our product. You can be confident that our formula ingredients are always sourced USDA Certified Organic.
Here is to No More Bites on You!
​Cheers!
  

 I think it important explain something here. 
 We all learned in school that OIL and WATER don't mix. Right?
There is oil in NO MORE BITES ON ME and there are also other ingredients that are water based, such as the aloe, witch hazel and vinegar.... not that we put any water at all in our product. Other manufacturers do.
Directions on the label say  "SHAKE WELL and OFTEN".
Shake well before use and then shake again as you spray it on your skin. Best to shake it well as you move to each different area of your body. Then spread it around evenly with a hand. If you do this you will not get bitten.
When I was creating No MORE BITES ON ME I tried adding an emulsifier. The result was that the product became thicker and did not spray well. So I left emulsifiers out.
​The new and improved formula lasts for up to seven hours now, unless you have been swimming or sweating a lot.
​If you love our products, please write a review here:
www.weebly.com/editor/main.php#/
Thank you!
 

My second son was married to a seriously amazing and wonderful woman last month. They FaceTimed me from their honeymoon in the coastal jungle of Costa Rica.
After showing me their honeymoon villa and jungle environment, they were excited to tell me that they had been warned by the hotel staff about the evening and night-time bugs that bite and told to be sure to use a spray for protection. They had taken some of our NO MORE BITES ON ME with them and used it.
NOT ONE BITE! Honest to God's Truth.....
They were tickled pink (not by the bugs) and couldn't wait to tell me.
However, they are family and so their reviews don't carry much, if any, weight. 
Not on Amazon or elsewhere. In fact, Amazon doesn't permit reviews from anyone who is a friend on Facebook. However, I get to tell you about it here ... and as my new daughter in law says ... "It smells really good!"
What are you waiting for people? It really works and is completely organic and non toxic.
My daughters are celebrating me today and I them.... Happy Mother's Day to all​you Mothers out there. Being a mother is the very best of lifetime experiences for most of us. And to those who have suffered as a result, we send you love and light energy for your healing and inner peace.

Happy Mother's Day!
 

....in a very lovely country garden. Washington State is getting a Springtime treat from the sun. 80 degrees! This was a dinner to honor the Hospice volunteers and was held at  a "Garden Party" event facility in Olympia. The blossoms were all heavily burdening the apple orchard trees. The bees were happily buzzing from bloom to bloom and the Redwing Blackbirds were singing, having just arrived back from their winter migration. I saw three Swallows too!

I know that I have mentioned to you before how the bugs love me. Well....I was swarmed. They were not biting bugs though. Tiny little flying things, oval and hard shelled. I even went so far as to put the protection of my napkin over my head.... much to the amusement of my fellow volunteers! I am certain that this is not the norm for this event facility. It was just the springtime bloom as the bugs all hatch.

It never occurred to me prior that I would need my NO MORE BITES ON ME !! I sooo wished that I had it with me. Lesson learned! From now on there will be a travel size light weight bottle in my purse. (And.... I could have sampled everyone by putting bottle on each table!)

Needless to say, we are all loving this warm weather here in Olympia. This is when we all remember, after a long and very wet winter, why we live here. However, no frost and snow means that the mosquito/bug population will not have been culled by weather this winter.
Watch out folks.... the bugs are looking for you!
Happy Spring everyone. Let's get out and enjoy it bug free with.................. 
NO MORE BITES ON ME!
​

 I was prompted to remember when I awoke this morning that today is Earth Day  and I began to think about that....

​It seems that we are reminded daily how the plastics that we use are filling our oceans in the amount equivalent to a garbage truck full load dumped into the ocean every few minutes! That is mind boggling! 
More and more dead sea creatures are being found with stomachs full of plastic.
​BUT, we might say:
"Plastic is so convenient!"  or....
"How will I keep my produce clean and separated if I don't use the bags provided?" or "So many groceries are packaged in plastic. How can I avoid that?"
I know. I get it. I even bought a set of drawstring lightweight mesh bags of varying sizes for that very purpose. Then I forget them when I am going shopping! 
My own personal concern, as a four time Ovarian Cancer survivor, is the toxins that we are exposed to not only in food but also in makeup, creams, lotions, shampoos, soaps, toothpaste, hairspray, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, household cleaning supplies and a lot more, twenty four hours  a day. Even the plastic bottles and tubes that products are packaged in these days are leaching toxins into their contents and are a possible threat to our health.
Think about it. All of these have close contact with our skin. Anything on our skin is absorbed into our bodies. 
Have you taken the time to read the ingredients lists on food and products that you buy? My rule of thumb: If I don't know what it is or cannot pronounce it, I don't buy it.
Our skin is an organ ...... actually the  body's largest organ. It absorbs whatever we put on it and those toxins get transferred by the blood supply into the body. Given the amount of toxins used in cosmetics etc., is it any wonder that we often develop skin problems? Allergies, rashes, eruptions, dryness, breakouts and a lot more. Personally, I am allergic to Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, a sudsing agent.
When we go natural and organic, those issues can generally be healed with elimination of the toxic and polluting ingredients. When we use organic and natural certified ingredients that have been time tested, they can actually be good for not only the skin but maybe your overall health too. This isn't Cod's Wallop! It is  science! (Cod's Wallop is an English term for garbage! Sorry....I can't help it...the Brit in me just comes out).
Let's get real and become aware of our environment and how we live in it...  
​Cheers!

​