Garlic repels chiggers & ticks.

COUNTRYSIDE: I've been a long-time subscriber/reader of COUNTRYSIDE and can't tell you how much I enjoy it. I just wish it was monthly.

Having seen all the articles over the years on these pests, their bites, and all the remedies for them, I thought I'd throw in what I have done for years that works great and will stop them before you suffer the pain and itch of the bite. A very long time ago, before it became popular, one of my doctors suggested I take garlic tablets for my health. I started doing this and have taken them faithfully for about 12 years now.

Not long after starting this regimen we moved to a farmhouse that was just infested with fleas, but we didn't know this until after we started moving in and my wife and kids were covered with bites, but not me. Over the years I've noticed I don't get bitten at cookouts in the summer while mosquitoes are dining on everyone else, and I can't tell you the last time I had a tick on me.

My wife can't stand the taste, smell or even the thought of garlic (which is odd, her being Italian and all), so she still fights the bites. But I can tell you this: if for no other reason, garlic tablets will always be in my cabinet. Try them and see if they don't work as stated. At the very worst you'll have better health from their use.--T. O. Allen

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