Cooler weather cure for mosquitoes

It's Sept. 1 as I write this and it's the first freeze that has been cold enough to kill our zucchini this morning. Luckily there are still some of the hard-shelled squashes alive. The outside thermometer reads only 30 degrees. Lots of our tomatoes are in a protected area so they survived and somehow our green beans did also. My husband brought in three large buckets filled with beautiful, thin, delicious green beans. After I finish writing this column I'll process them and freeze them.

There are some good things that come with the killer freeze, and that is a lot fewer mosquitoes are around. Just saying the word "mosquitoes" makes me start scratching all the welts on my arms and legs. The nasty critters munched on me mostly while we were out camping. The itch seems to go on and on, especially when I scratch the bites.

I've complained a lot, but I haven't gotten much sympathy. What I have received is home remedies that some people swear take the itch out. Things like vinegar, meat tenderizer, baking soda, Vaseline, witch hazel, Epsom salts, toothpaste, zinc oxide, mud, juice from a mildweek plant and a hot spoon applied to the bite. I tried them all, but to no avail. Well, there was one suggestion from a lady friend that I didn't try, as I just couldn't hack it. She chews a little tobacco from a cigarette (yuck!) or she said you can spit on it to make a paste, and then dabs it on the mosquito bites. She's convinced it takes the sting out.

I guess I'll stick to my own regimen. First I disinfect the bite with soap and water and an antiseptic. Then I put ice packs on the bite. Occasionally, I'll rub an aspirin paste directly over the affected area to reduce inflammation. Next comes old-fashioned Calamine lotion and if I'm still itchy, I'll resort to using some maximum strength Cortisone anti-itch cream with aloe and maybe take a Benadryl. If that doesn't work, I'll start complaining to my husband some more.

To add insult to injury, I got stung by a yellow jacket on my arm right next to a mosquito bite. The vicious yellow jacket zapped me three times real fast. All three jabs injected venom as I immediately felt stabbing pain and the area began to swell. I tried to kill the stinging creature but he got away. Perhaps that was lucky for me because I once heard that if you smash one of them and break its venom sac, a chemical is released that summons other yellow jackets to attack. I sure don't want that! I'll take the mosquitoes any time.

n Linda Monohan may be reached at 782-5802.