Reasons To Not Garden In The Dark

Actually, there is only one good reason to not garden in the dark.........critters! ANY kind; flying, crawling, creeping, flitting, buzzing, slithering, you name it! Anything that does do any of these things is not your friend.
I was real proud of myself, I figured out the way to beat the heat was to string up lights and work at night. Sounded like a good idea, anyway. Well, I got out at dawn the other day, and was doing some heavy-duty clearing out of brush and weeds, and stirred up a hornet's nest. I managed to get out of the way real fast, but not before one of them got me; in three different places! Good grief! I didn't know that hornets (or wasps, whichever the one was that got me) could sting so quick in succession. That little booger got me good! And the bad thing about it is, that, as I have written about in the past, I am allergic to insect bites. I don't think that I am as allergic as my dad, ( a bee sting would actually send him into anaphalactic shock), but I definitely had a reaction. I got nauseated big time, and the injection sites themselves lasted for over a week, got real hard, and HURT for several days. Also, itched for several days.
As you know by now, I am always one to try a natural way to deal with a lot of things; not only do I like to try to save money, but it interests me to be able to solve the problem myself, instead of calling the doctor, or having to go buy insect spray, also, I feel a lot better using natural products instead of chemicals. All that to say; I dipped a q-tip in witch hazel, and kept it pressed to the injection sites, and it worked very well! I was so pleased to be able to find a home remedy that actually worked, ( so many that I have tried have NOT worked).
Which is actually one of the reasons for me starting a blog; to have a forum to be able to pass along things that I have learned (usually the hard way). So now we know..........
1. Witch hazel relieves itch from insect bites.
2.Bounce dryer sheets tied to your belt does NOT deter mosquitoes.
3. Avon skin-so-soft applied to skin is not a good mosquito repellent. ( but you smell good)
Another adventure that I experienced while I was working at dawn ( to beat the heat) ; I was lifting a rock that had fallen over from my flower bed, ( right by the front door.......very close to the house.........where people walk frequently.........) , and when I lifted the rock, I saw a very unusual-looking spider. Now, when you live in the country, you are going to see quite a wide variety of unusual-looking insects and vermin, but I had never seen a spider like this one before. And even though I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT LIKE SPIDERS, I got me a couple of sticks and picked this one up and put it into a jar ( with a tight lid), so that I could look it up and try to identify it. When I was able to identify it, I found out that it was a sure-enough black widow spider. You have heard about certain things all your life, and sometimes they seem like a myth in a way, but then later discover that they actually DO exist in our part of the world. I was very glad that I had captured the thing, not only to identify it, but to rest secure knowing that there is one less black widow spider ( waiting beside my front door) , that I have to worry about biting me or one of my loved ones!
Ever since I found him, (or her), I have been afraid to walk into a dark room, afraid that if I sit on the couch that one will crawl from behind or under the cushions, afraid to go into my closet.
I am not afraid of snakes, but I absolutely cannot abide spiders, and creepy-crawlie insects. So, I will be initiating a spraying program to rid my little part of the world of this dangerous creature, so that I can feel more at ease in going about my every-day activities. I'll let you know what spray I wind up using, and how I feel that it works. Happy Gardening!

Facts that I have learned about black widow spiders:
1. when a female spider mates with a male, she actually very seldom ever eats him.
2. male black widows and juvenile black widows do not bite, only the females do.
3. black widows will only bite if they feel threatened.
4. they live under rocks, and in dark places.
5. black widow bites are 15 times more potent than a snake bite, but since so little venom is injected, humans rarely die from being bitten. ( Although this is the case, it is still an excellent idea to see your physician if you are bitten.)
6. black widows are very shiny black, and have the classic bright red 'hour-glass' mark on their underside.
7. black widows are one of the very few spiders that are actually harmful to humans. ( great, that WOULD be the one that I found on my property).