I love the outdoor and don't mind a few mosquitoes but frankly ticks creep me out in a way that no other bug ever has. Even more alarming is new research about ticks that carry a new and potentially fatal disease. So suffice to say now there is even more reason to take more care that they don't want to snack on you.The Bangor Daily reported of the first death of a Marilyn Snow from Rockland back in 2013 from Powassan. When bitten by a tick carrying the virus you develop encephalitis, brain swelling, which can be fatal. Seeing a rise in the disease the "tick lab" went looking to see where the worst concentrations of ticks carrying the virus are in Maine. Good new for us in the Bangor area is that the highest concentrations of ticks carrying Powassan was in the southern part of the state. Here there is only Lyme disease, oh the joy. There is a site called ticks Maine that has some great advice of prevention.

But for me all I want to know is how can you keep the little buggers off you? There are plenty of sprays and lotions on the market. However if you are not a fan of strong chemicals these DIY concoctions will do the trick too. According to these household hacks these repellents can last up to 6 hours without all the chemicals.

If you are like me and you get the tick-willes every time you go into the woods do this one first. I used it all last summer and had great success.

Here is the tick recipe:

40 drops Rose Geranium essential oil
1/3 c distilled water
1T vodka or witch hazel
Put it into a spray bottle and off you go.

Here is the mosquito recipe :

30 drops Lemon Eucalyptus (Said to be as effective as Deet)
1t Vanilla Extract
4 oz. Witch Hazel
Mix and put into a spray bottle and you are ready for summer on the lawn!

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