Hi Thomis- My spray schedule is almost the same as yours. But, I get aphids pretty bad around here. My little hand sprayer of Sevin isn't really staying on top of them. I'm about to do another spray of Triazicide and Agristrep. And I just got some Tangle Foot wrap so I can put on the TF again and stop those aphid-herding ants. -Glenn

There is no pain or itching at all involved with these bites. I have a co worker who gets chewed up by gnats at the golf course all of the time, and they seem to bite her more around the head. My attack sites are always on the legs. They only way I'd know I was bitten is to notice the darker rosey spot. Lynn, you herbal wise woman, thanks for the pointer about plantain. I will try to file that away in the cockles of my grey matter. no shortage of plantain in my yard. I was so sure there would be an entymologist in our midst... Has anyone got any other natural anti bug agents to recommend. I thought I'd read that mint repels bug bites. rubbed some spearmint leaves on my ankles when I was getting bitten by those gosh darned whatever kind of flies and they seemed to leave me alone for about 4 1/2 minutes when I did. Am I just imagining that.....(getting delusional in my old age)? thanks for the input guys. suzy

Here is some information from a veterinary journal: Petting-induced aggression Some cats that are not fearful, in pain, or exhibiting any of the other emotional states described in this article bite while being petted. This problem can be disconcerting for the family. Such cats often seek attention, crawl into laps, or rub against legs and seem to enjoy the initial physical contact. But after a certain amount of petting occurs, the cats suddenly bite and run off. It seems that these cats have a threshold for how much physical interaction they can tolerate and cannot communicate that they have had enough in an acceptable manner. However, an observant owner knows when a cat is about to bite since the cat usually shows signs, including fidgeting, tail twitching, tenseness, leaning away, flattened ears, horizontal retraction of the lips, and hissing. Treatment. Instruct the family to never absentmindedly pet the cat. Desensitization and counterconditioning should be attempted only when the cat voluntarily approaches. The threshold for the bite behavior must be determined, and petting should stop well before the threshold is reached. For example, if a cat always tolerates five seconds of petting but may bite after that time, then petting sessions should initially be three or four seconds. If the cat shows no sign of anxiety or aggression, it should be offered a tasty food treat. The owner should consistently say "good kitty" or some similar phrase every time the cat takes the treat. To encourage the cat's participation in the petting sessions, the sessions should be held just before feeding time and food treats should be withheld except during training. If the sessions take place on an owner's lap, the cat should not be restrained and should be allowed or encouraged to jump down (a treat can be tossed to the floor if necessary) as soon as each session is complete. Sessions with the cat in someone's lap or next to someone on the sofa should be frequent, and, gradually, the length of the petting sessions should be increased. With time, the cat will learn to tolerate longer and longer petting sessions in anticipation of a food reward. Eventually, the treats can be phased out, and the cue words good kitty can be used without food to promote a relaxed state.

chispa, I know, it's creepy! (And yes, I did look up!) When I had the spider bite a couple of years ago, I looked up pictures online and yes, they were nasty. In that case, it was late spring and it was one bite, so it sort of made more sense. And again for the record I was AWAY from home -- just in case people are starting to think I live in a bug-infested house. THAT bite was on my chest and got infected -- a red line started moving out from the bite area -- which was a bit scary. I did go to the dr. and was on antibiotics for a while. I AM more susceptible to mosquito bites than anyone in my family, but it still seems odd to me that there would have been mosquitoes in my house back in March. And these bites are all bigger than my typical mosquito bite. Depending on how these bites look tomorrow, I may pop into the dr. just to see what they think. I'm not worried, just curious! And of course slightly freaked out about the idea of spiders in my bed. Why can't they at least walk over to DH and bite him a few times too?