Wait. I’m getting bit by what? How do you know it’s there if you can’t see it? If you’re getting bit by “phantom” bugs, you could very well have a no-see-um issue on your hands, aaand  your arms and your legs and your… sounding familiar? Chances are you aren’t a fan of the incessant itching and agitation no-see-um bites cause. How do you keep the insect at bay? Nowadays, more and more people are becoming conscious of the environment and the effect humans have on it. They are looking for non-endangering options and prevention measures, but don’t know where to start.

Keeping Away No-See-Ums, Mosquitoes, and Other Uninvited Guests

Begin by addressing where it is the no-see-ums and their friends are breeding. If there is standing water on your property, it is literally, a standing invitation to no-see-ums, mosquitoes, and the like. Eliminate all standing water hiding in places like tires, basins, tarps, and planters. Be sure to drain and rinse out birdbaths and other water-filled objects, such as man-made ponds and fountains. If your location has many dips or holes in the ground, fill them with slightly acidic soil, to deter the no-see-ums and to ensure they won’t fill with future stagnant water. Keep grass and vegetation trimmed, as damp grassy areas are just as inviting to bugs as those old water-filled tires.

Chemical Warfare

Using insecticides to deter no-see-ums, mosquitoes, flies, and other insects is not all that bad of an idea, if, of course, the insecticide is safe and all natural. Insecticide, itself, means it isn’t safe for the bugs. With that said, a natural environment is a natural environment for a reason. That’s the way it’s meant to be and changing a population or condition of one species could likely change that of another. Since most insecticides have harmful ingredients, they are a threat to not only the non-harmful insects and vegetation, but to people, their pets, and the local wildlife. What’s natural about that? Better alternatives to insecticides, are natural deterrents. One easy solution, is growing plants belonging to the mint family, in abundance, in the troublesome areas . The natural repelling properties, expelled from the plants, can help keep insect problems to a minimum.

Personal Footprints

The safest, most effective, form of repellent to use in regard to the environment, is the type you use on yourself. A great way to keep the insects, bugs, pests, whatever you want to call them, from bothering you, is to protect, well, you. All natural insect repellent is an excellent approach just like the one No No-See-Um takes. Decreasing the size of the footprint you leave on the environment, increases the strength of future eco-systems. By using all natural ingredients for a personal-use spray, No No-See-Um keeps nature safe and keeps you safe from nature.