Insects are very common in the province and our place is not exempted. So when God called us to minister here in Panglao, Bohol one of the most difficult things to embrace is the insect bites. Aside from mosquitoes there other insects which pester our skins on daily basis. There is no single day that our skins our spared from insect bites.
All of us, Husband, my girls and me are not immune to insect bites but the most pitiful is my little girl’s skin. The bites leave her skin awful dark marks which stay on her skin for so long. I already resorted to using insect repellent lotion. I think for almost the whole week, I applied it to her arms but not on her hands. I also put her in pajamas even on day time so that her legs will not be exposed to insects. But because I was not confident if the insect repellent lotion I used was safe for my baby, I didn’t stop asking Mr. Google. I learned that insect repellent lotions with DEET content are not advisable for infants.  So I checked the lotion I used on her and found out that it has 25% DEET. From there on I stop using it. My officemate suggested to use a baby lotion because it also repels insects. This is also effective.
During my research, I also learned that there were plants which can be used as insect repellent yet safe for human. One of them is a plant known as Citronella. Citronella stuck to my mind. So when we visit Bohol Coco Farm and the tourist guide mentioned this plant, I became interested. According to the guide, this plant is indeed effectively in driving away insects. They are selling Citronella in Virgin Coconut Oil. This product is applied to the skin like oil. I asked her if we could buy some Citronella stalk to plant in our yard and she said yes. I was so happy that they sell this plant. A stalk which is ready to plant only cost 5 pesos.  Needless to say, I bought some and immediately planted them in pots to make sure that they would survive. Now I am waiting for the plant to grow and multiply so I can plant them all around the church yard 🙂
