So far this year while I have been on morning car-rider duty from 7:15 AM to 7:45 AM, my two partners and I have been inundated with mosquitoes. Pesky, biting, itching pests!
So to solve that problem I brought mosquito repellent to school to spray on my arms, legs, and feet because I felt like I was being eaten alive and had the red whelps to prove it. Then I complained of the smell lingering on my body once I went into my classroom. So my friend, Stacy, brought Handi-Wipes to wipe us all down before we began our morning with the children. The problem was somewhat solved except for a stray area on our bodies that escaped the spraying.
Then the gnats arrived a couple of weeks ago. Swarming our faces, eyes, ears and nostrils. Swarming all the moist parts of our bodies. Yucky. So here we are. Three grown women opening car doors, smiling and swatting at gnats... all at the same time. We even had a couple of parents wave to us because our swatting looked like a friendly "Hello, parent."
Finally, one smart dad asked Stacy, "Are the gnats bothering you? I see you guys waving your hands constantly in front of your faces." She told him the gnats were horrible this year, as well as mosquitoes. "I know a way to get rid of the gnats," he told her and pulled off his cap. There perched on top of his head was a Bounce dryer sheet.
Yes, these are the same dryer sheets that cling to your husband's pants legs or the ones that dangle beneath that woman's slip that you pretend you don't see because she deserves to be humiliated for once.
The parent said he works outside so he wears a Bounce strip every morning to work and the gnats do not bother him anymore. Well, we're not stupid. We looked at each other and thought, "Why not give it a try."
So the next morning we came prepared for WAR against the pests of our duty: Stacy came armed with Bounce dryer strips. Jo came armed with Handi-Wipes and I came armed with Off mosquito repellent. "Let them try to get us now," we chanted. We stuffed the dryer sheets in our bras and sprayed down. I must say these three weapons are doing their jobs. We swat at mosquitoes and wave off gnats much less than before.
Also, there is another pest that is affecting Floridians right now.
Love Bugs!
As one first grader put it this morning..."the two-headed bug." Everyone dreads this pesky bug. They splatter on your car windshields and smear when you try to wash them off with your windshield wipers. Some adults pour Coke on the windshields to remove the carcasses and innards. I often wondered about that. If Coke is that strong, what IS it doing to our bodies?
Oops! Here is a Love Bug that has lost its mate. Poor bug.
Well, enough about the hazards of being a school teacher.
I never thought about using a Bounce dryer sheet! It sure is a better-smelling method of keeping the mosquitoes away.
Posted by: merry jennifer | September 16, 2008 at 04:49 PM