I read the list of ingredients on the label of the insecticide bottle. Herbal remedies, exactly what I needed, I thought to myself. I tried not to use any form of insecticide or pesticide on my backyard, but lately I’d noticed a lot of damage on my vegetables and fruits. The ants were especially starting to become an unbearable pest.
“Are you sure this is not harmful to children and pets?” I asked the store clerk behind the counter for the third time.
“Absolutely toxin free,” she said. “It keeps the bugs away with herbal scents. This one has a fresh lemony smell, which bugs and slugs don’t take to.”
“How often do I need to apply it?” I asked and take a careful whiff of the cap.
“Once a month.”
“What if I water the garden, or if it rains? Will that affect its potency?”
“The scent will be soaked into the ground and be sucked back up to the plants. It is actually more effective that way.”
I shook my head. “I don’t like the idea of ingesting that.”
“Don’t worry, ma’am. The extracts are from real herbal plants, which are certified safe for consumption. In addition to that you can get rid of them just by soaking your vegetables and fruits in cold water for half an hour. It’s perfectly safe.”
“Okay,” I said. Since the brand I was holding also came highly recommended by my neighbor, I asked for two bottles. Lucille had been using the produce for two months and had not complained of any problems. A lot of people had also commented that her garden smelled nice and clean.
When I got home, I mixed the solution in a bucket with 10 parts of water. Even though the instruction didn’t require it, I put on goggles, mask and a pair of gloves before I started. Carefully, I poured the mix into a spray tank. Then I put on a pair of wellingtons and slung the single tank onto my shoulder, holding the long nozzle gingerly in front of and away from me.
The kitchen window opened. “What are you doing, mom?” my son Andrew called out.
“Shut the window back and stay in the house,” I shouted back sternly.
Instantly the window clicked shut, though I could see him press his nose against the glass. I went to the farthest edge of the yard and sprayed an island of carrot tops. The mist settled over the leaves and stems and seemed to almost immediately evaporate, leaving behind a thin layer of oily sheen. Feeling more confident, I continued spraying the rest of my vegetables, moving the nozzle from left to right then back again.
For the next couple of days I watched my garden; no bugs, no slugs and not a single ant crawling on the vines. I was ecstatic. My family began to enjoy our greens again without having to worry about finding something else in between the folds of leaves and stems.
I stopped fretting and worrying about my family’s well-being for well over a week until my son came to me with a swollen red welt on his arm. “Mom,” he whined, “Something bit me.”
“Did you see what it was?”
“No, but it bit me all over.”
I took off his shirt to check then gasped with horror on seeing red spots about his abdomen, under his upper arm and on his back. I scanned the inside of the shirt and found tiny ants crawling along the sewn edges. I could also see that certain parts of his shirt was chewed through.
First my garden, now my home, I thought to myself. I was enraged. Wasn’t there any permanent way to get rid of the pests? I called the shop for suggestions.
The same store clerk said, “Well, ma’am, there are two things I can recommend. An air freshener that repels insects and a detergent that will make your clothes smell and taste unattractive to them.” Without missing a beat she added, “They are both certified safe.”
I was relieved to hear it and placed an order immediately. She was kind enough to have them delivered to my house that same morning. It solved a lot of our bug problems inside the house.
One evening, while enjoying the last of summer on the back porch, my son said, “Mom, are frogs and crickets extinct?”
I smiled. “No, they are not, baby.”
He was silent for a long moment then he asked, “How come I don’t hear them anymore?”
I listened, and sure enough other than my neighbor’s TV blaring in the distance, I couldn’t hear anything either. “Maybe they went to sleep early.”
“But it’s still summer, mom. They won’t have to go away until winter.”
I pressed my lips together. I knew exactly why there were no crickets and no frogs. Finally I said, “Maybe they have gone to where the ants and the bugs are.”
“Are the ants and the bugs all dead?”
“No, they are not. We just chased them all away.”
He stared into the dark thoughtfully. Then he said, “Carol is selling CD’s with sounds of water and bugs and frogs and stuff. I thought it was silly this morning.” A pause. “Would you like me to get one?”
I heaved a sigh of relief. My son wasn’t complaining about never hearing frogs or crickets in our backyard ever again. In fact, I was so proud that he had found a solution to his need. “Of course, baby. I will give you the money, and you can choose to buy any sound you want.” Then I clasped his face in my hands and kissed his forehead.
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