Critter Corner: Remedies to Keep Bugs from Biting

Summer in Hillcrest this year has been particularly conducive to biting insects, although mosquitoes have been held in check by dry albeit humid weather.

Pet owners have never been in a more difficult position. Blanket your pet in poison (either internally or externally) or face inconvenience and possible life-threatening diseases like heartworm or lyme disease.

Expensive chemical solutions such as Advantix, Frontline and Advantage have become increasingly popular. These are quick to apply and are effective insect annihilation programs.

Although application is easy, pet owners are left with pages of small print containing serious warnings and a list of side effects. There are natural insecticides, repellents, and life cycle interrupters with minimal warnings and no side effects.

However, before jumping to the conclusion that natural is better, it is best to consider that more natural methods are not as effective as quickly, take repeated applications and are not inexpensive. Just like their counterparts, these natural methods can be applied directly on the animal, in the outdoor area or ingested.

Here is a starting point of natural remedies to investigate.

Cedar: There are several mixtures available for direct application to your pet (dog or cat), indoor areas and in a solution for the outdoors. Look at cedarcide.com and cleannorth.org for ideas. This ingredient is safe around children and pets and is considered a minimal-risk pesticide by the EPA. It can even be used around food. The downsides are that it must be reapplied relatively often and some people do not like the pungent smell.

Garlic: This ingredient is used primarily to ward off mosquitoes outside. It has a strong odor but dissipates in about 20 minutes. It can last for two to four weeks depending on rainfall. Check out mosquitobarrier.com.

Healthypets.mercola.com has a spray-on mixture containing lemongrass, cinnamon, sesame and castor oils.

Herbal powders are sold in health food stores and farm markets have other insect-repelling ingredients such as eucalyptus, sage, yarrow and rosemary. The secret here lies not only in the herbs but in the diatomaceous earth that is inert on a pet's skin, yet can be deadly to insects.

Most natural remedy sources agree that brewers yeast taken internally is a great flea repellent. Dosage varies based on animal size, but works on both dogs and cats. Additionally, garlic extract is sometimes still recommended, although there has been some controversy regarding the safety.

Overall, there is no best way to solve the biting insect problems that come to a head in late summer. Natural methods with no side effects are available, but take more work and are not inexpensive.