Sweetie, English Butterfly Bunny & Tour Guide

Sweetie, English Butterfly Bunny & Tour Guide
Hi and welcome to "Fairy Castle Farm" I hope you enjoy your stay! I should introduce myself, my name is Sweetie and I am a resident of Fairy Castle Farm. Well it's not actually a farm, but a suburban home in the southern suburbs of South Australia. I am a rare Old English Spot Bunny, and absolutely love life here with all my family and some good friends too... let me take you on a tour ....

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Thursday, August 29, 2013

Yollie's natural and safe Bug Remedies

 Hi friends and furiends...

**SNIFF SNIFF**  (Hey Sweetie are you sure this thing is working??)  *Sweetie is rolling her eyes and nodding her head to proceed*...... 

Hi!  I am Prince Parker the newest Resident of Fairy Castle Farm....
*giggles and whispers to Sweetie -"Oh okay hunny-bun"*

*Clears throat*  Welcome!! It as been sooooo long, Mothers Day in fact since our last post... *hides face in paws*...... So much has been happening here, I don't want to bombard you in one post! So.... more posts to come to explain it all, but for now I welcome you back and hope you are all well!  

Oh sorry, how rude of me. Let me introduce myself (for those of you who have not seen me before).  My name is Prince Parker of Clydesdale the First.  I am a rescued bunny, found by My Yollie's good friend, well truth be told, I am a Prince and I was on a quest to find my Princess.... and I did, Princess Sweetie the Bold of Fairy Castle Farm to be exact. 

Soon I will dedicate a blog update sharing my quest but for now, please enjoy this latest installment..... on what has been happening in our Kingdom.....  here is some of what Yollie has been 'cooking' lol... 

1/  Fly, Mosquito & Wasp (European) solution.

Combine:
1 Teaspoon honey
1 Teaspoon Yeast
1 cup warm water

Done! 

Why it works: 
The flies are attracted to the gas emitted by the yeast and once they fly in they can't get out!! It is non toxic and totally safe to use. It lasts approx two weeks. 

This solution is so simple to make and very effective.   To get the best results we use it to fill the traps you buy from the hardware.... or you can make your own by cutting a plastic soda bottle 2/3 from the neck (around the circumference) then inverting the top so that the neck sits raised from the base - secure with duct tape and fill 1/2 from the bottom with this solution.
Fly, Mosquito and Wasp Trap solution

On to Yollie's Insect Repellent....

2.  Bug Repellent 

Take a selection of fresh herbs.

These herbs have been harvested from our Kingdom so were at hand and in season, but you can use any mix (or even just one type) of known bug repellent herb and use as indicated below.

Lavaender, Rosemary, Passionfruit Daisy flower, Wormwood, Pyrethrum leaves, Citronella Geranium 

Fill your Kettle with approximately 4 Cups of water and boil 
Fill a large Saucepan with freshly picked insect repellent herbs 



Once your water has boiled pour directly over herbs

Cover and Boil rapidly on your stove 

Boil for 5 minutes and turn off heat
Allow to stand for 1 hour (minimum) however allow it to steep overnight is ideal


Double Strain the solution to remove all sediment

Your solution is ready to bottle 
Fill a spray bottle with the solution and it is ready to use.

 This spray is safe as it contains no obnoxious chemicals, however it still has natural oils that irritate if ingested in large quantities.  So as a precaution I remove all food/water and never spray directly on anyone fur/feathered or skin ... Common sense too is required if using near precious fabrics or woods... same as any oil products.

Enjoy!


Okay, so now I can hear some of you asking "What about the herbs?"  Well, I am glad you asked.... nothing goes to waste at Fairy Castle Farm.... so here is what we do with the cooked ingredients...

3.  Hanging Bug Repellent
Cooked herbs


Take an expandable and breathable bag  (citrus or onion bags are perfect) 
.

Fill the bag with the herbs
Or you can cut down the bag and tie each end making multiple pouches 
And there you have it.... hanging Insect repellent bags.   You can give them a squeeze to reactivate the scent by releasing the oils - the bugs hate it!!



I hope you find this useful. Please let us know if you try it out - tell us what you think.

We have noticed that Willow also HATES the smell, but only up close. She happily takes a cat nap beside the bottle but we are careful not to spray the solution near her.

It has been wonderful catching up with you all.  Thank you all for hopping by and till next time, take care and have fun!!
Thank you for visiting and now it's time for my "bunny nap" 

Prince Parker   xoxoxox