The oldest living organisms in the world are the Bristlecomb pines of the mountain regions of California and Nevada. They can live for greater than 5,000 years and in the course of their lifetime they will see 1,000,000 sunrises!
The battle against bugs that bite
The battle against bugs that bite The best way to get away from biting bugs is to
get to know what the bugs like and don't like, and use it to your
advantage. It is helpful to know what repellents work best, why,
and under what conditions, and to know the insects' behaviours. Of
the 67,000 insects that make Canada their home, only half of them
have been catalogued by scientists. Here are just a couple of the
many fascinating facts about bugs. Bugs are attracted to humans in
two different ways. Firstly, bugs are able to find us by the carbon
dioxide that we exhale, and secondly, bugs are also attracted to us
if we are hot, sweaty and wearing dark colors. The most effective
way of keeping bugs away is using Johnson & Johnson's "Off!"
spray. It is made with "N,N, diethyl-meta-toluamide" (DEET) which
was first developed by the army in the early 1940s. The
concentration of this chemical varies from product to product and
should be under 25 per cent to remain safe for children. If you use
a repellent with a high percentage of DEET for a prolonged time,
there is a possibility of brain disease - there have been several
recorded deaths. Another chemical, "ethol-Hexanediol" (e-Hex), as
well as natural repellents such as citronella and cinnamon oil, are
mildly repellent and are often mixed in with DEET for a higher
potency. Contrary to popular belief the "Skin So Soft" repellent
has only been shown to offer a mild 45 minute repelling effect.
Products such as esoterica, citronella candles, electronic devices
and unltrasonic gadgets are not believed to be successful at
slowing down the bug population, but still remain
popular. 18 MAY 1999
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