Some studies suggest that taking thiamine (vitamin B1) 25mg to 50 mg three times per day is effective in reducing mosquito bites. This safe vitamin apparently produces a skin odor that is not detectable by humans, but is disagreeable to pregnant mosquitoes (Pediatric Clinics of North America, 16:191, 1969). It seems to be especially effective for those people with large allergic reactions. Thiamine takes about 2 weeks before the odor fully saturates the skin. * I copied that from here http://www.drgreene.com/21_36.html I've heard or read that mosquitos prefer nice sweaty skin, and also sweet perfumes and shampoos. we have a HUGE mosquito problem, plus we live on the river. mosquito larvae will live in moist mulch under your shrubbery, they don't have to just grow in standing water. besides mosquitos we have gnats, yellow flies(deer flies) horse flies, and black flies-they look just like the house flies but bite the snotfire out of you-;red bugs,....bleh-there's more! but that's enough to scare you for now :D

In regards to Louisiana_botanist and anyone else interested in the effectiveness of Mosquito Barrier... I purchased two bottles of this to help combat the army of mosquitos that we had just in our backyard. The first application I added a little more of the product than needed but we had severe mosquitos. The product claims to also repel fleas and ticks which is a plus since we have two dogs. I applied the stuff with a sprayer following instructions and sprayed entire yard and some of the tree near our patio. Once you apply it, your yard will smell like garlic for an hour or two so be sure to spray it in a way so you don't step on the grass that was just sprayed (I sprayed it walking backwards) so I didn't track the smell in the house. The next night we went to see how well it did, surprisingly enough it worked well. Instead of getting bit 8 times while constantly moving around for 2-3 minutes, I didn't get bit at all for 5 minutes while even standing still but I did see at least one mosqutio while out. It lasts for a good while so long as there isn't a heavy rain or you water the lawn more than once a week. General application would typically last 2-3 weeks for me due to needing to water at least twice a week and/or rain. The "barrier" tends to be breached by a few mosquitos as each day passes until they increase in numbers where you notice them again and need to spray a second application. Since I used to live in New Orleans I know how bad mosquitos can be there but I would say you will definately see a difference after using this. The cause of my mosquito problem was due to a neighbor with a water fountain in the backyard that had lots of standing water. Now that they have let it just dry out, I have 1/10 the mosquitos I had before and haven't needed to spray anything in over a month.

Jim: Trader Joe is a local store, that's where I get my RAW nuts to roast. RAW cashew roast at 300 for 15 min. is great snack. Folks who eat more nuts have smaller waist line. Google MUFA and belly fat loss, you'll see plenty of studies backing that up. MUFA is mono-saturated fat in nuts, olive oil, and avocado. Still feel bad that my Dad died of a stroke when he was 85, that could had been prevented if there's a Trader Joe back then. My Dad loved nuts, but all the nuts were salty back then. Now I buy RAW nuts and roast them to avoid the salt. Eating nuts cut down the risk of stroke by 30%, if there's no salt. Carol: Losing weight is easier than taking care for my kid. Hopefully she likes salad. ANYONE know of a tasty salad-dressing for kids? Full-fat is OK, I need to get her to like salads. Here's a link "6-salad ingredients that help to lose weight": Hemp Seeds "These trendy seeds are a great source of satiating protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and fiber," says Kohn. Also, because they're slightly sweet, they satisfy your sweet tooth without added sugar. You can add a tablespoon to your salad for a reasonable 40 calories. Avocado Half an avocado (160 calories) is loaded with heart-healthy vitamins, minerals, and fats, says Kohn. Plus, the fruit is so creamy and smooth, it can also function as dressing—so you can subtract the 100 or so calories you'd normally take in from ranch, Italian, or even oil and vinegar. MORE: 5 New Ways to Use Avocado Apple Cider Vinegar Using just two tablespoons as part of your salad dressing could contribute to weight loss. "The vinegar may suppress appetite, stimulate the metabolism, and reduce water retention and bloating," says Kohn. And at five calories." http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/best-salad-ingredients-for-weight-loss *** From Straw: I agree with apple cider for weight loss, the acid helps with digestion of starch. Ever since I squeeze fresh lime into my water, I eat much less. Before this the sugar in commercial juice really stimulate my appetite. What's your favorite salad dressing, or bottled salad dressing? Thanks. I checked Pinterest and the most popular salad dressing recipe, is also the most simple: Copycat Babe's salad: http://www.sugarandgrace.com/2013/06/15/copycat-babes-salad/ INGREDIENTS: 2 TBS sugar 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper 1/4 c apple cider vinegar 2 Tbs canola oil (I usually use olive oil in salads, but here I feel it is just too strong) 1 head iceberg lettuce

It's great that you are teaching the kids with worms! Worms are awesome, and I definitely thought so when I was a kid, and even more so now that I am a somewhat older kid. As the worm bin is very, very new, don't rush things at first. It helps a lot that you had well-composted material, with worms already in it, to start. If you got a good number of worms at the start (at least 1000 or even more) that helps too. Nevertheless, it takes time for a worm bin system to ramp up to full processing capability. The #1 piece of advice for every new worm bin is to GO SLOW - don't add too much food at first. Wait. The worms will not starve - it's not like a cage of hamsters where they eat the food you gave them yesterday and need more food today. You could stop feeding for weeks and the worms would be fine. Maybe make an experiment out of it for the kids - have them observe how fast the food breaks down, how fast different kinds of food break down, etc - and a good lesson in patience! I would be pro-active on the assumption that there WILL be flies in the bin sooner or later; either fungus gnats, or fruit flies, or both. It's going to be very difficult to avoid. I managed to break the life cycle of a very large fungus gnat invasion in my Worm Factory by putting mosquito netting tightly over the whole thing. You may want to have this at the ready, or just start covering the bin right now. Those little flies, although not harmful, are annoying and a very, very bad ambassador for worm composting, and may lead to the untimely eviction of your worm bin by other parties. My main piece of Worm Factory advice is that I found it works much, much better if you have something inside each tray to prop it up and keep the trays from pressing down on the contents of the trays below. This allows more air and worm circulation and I got much better processed vermicompost as a result. I described the jars I use in my posts above, in this topic. Anything non-degradable that is about 3 inches high will work for this. You won't need it yet since you only have one tray going. The instructions on the Worm Factory say that the worms can't climb up from one tray into another unless the bottom of the tray is contacting the material in the tray below. This is completely untrue. The worms climb up and down with no problem even when there is this small airspace between the trays.