Toxic Tuesday: Commercial Pesticides
Are you a novice gardener like us? šæ We planted our first veggie garden this past spring and are still learning.
Should you spray commercial pesticides in your garden?
If you have lived in the valley for any length of time, you know that when it heats up the bugs seek refuge where it’s cool. Ants, crickets, and worst of all, scorpions start showing up in your home and you will to any length to get rid of them. They have eaten away at our chard and kale.
A diet high in pesticides is linked to a lower sperm count
The troubling link between pesticide exposure and fertility isnāt new; scientists have already established that people who work with pesticides tend to have lower fertility than people who donāt. But for the majority of us who donāt work with chemicals, diet is the biggest source of exposure, says a new study published in the journal Human Reproduction.
Here is an affordable and quick bug spray to make at home š:
Combine all essential oils and the apple cider vinegar or witch hazel in the eight-ounce glass spray bottle.
Top off the bottle with distilled or filtered water. Screw on the sprayer and shake well. Apply label.To use: Shake bottle well, then apply liberally on exposed skin every 1-2 hours while outdoors.
For Bug Bitesš:
Lavender oil is great to use both for the prevention and treatment of bug bites.Use lavender oil in a lotion base; carrier oil, such as sunflower oil; or a spray before applying to the skin as a bug repellent. Although lavender oil is one of the few essential oils that can be applied to the skin undiluted, it is advisable a little amount first to make sure you do not get an adverse reaction. We like to mix lavender oil with grapefruit or eucalyptus oil to use as a bug repellent.