Do water-filled plastic bags keep wasps and bees away?
Q. I was at a child’s birthday party, and wasps and bees were flying all over while the food was out. Someone said to get self- sealing plastic bags (sandwich size is fine), fill them with water, and put them on the table. The wasps disappeared. If I hadn’t seen this with my own eyes, I never would have believed it.
I went to another party, and the host had put plastic bags of water all along her deck and anywhere people were sitting. There were no bees or wasps, and she lives out in the country.
Apparently, the light reflecting on the bags of water hurts the insects’ eyes. This is a cheap way to keep the stinging bugs away without the use of chemicals.
A. Thanks so much for this fascinating tip. We could find no scientific studies to support this approach, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work.
Some folks say that the same trick (with partially filled gallon-sized zippered plastic bags) may work to keep flies away, but others maintain it is an urban legend. Since it is really cheap and risk-free, we see no problem in giving this approach a try.
Q. I have a toenail that is nothing but trouble. Four years ago, I tripped over a metal bed and shattered the nail. It won’t grow out right and is infected with fungus.
I had the nail surgically removed more than a year ago, but it is still a mess. The nail stands up almost like a car trunk lid that’s open. Getting a shoe on is next to impossible.
My doctor wants me to take a powerful anti-fungal medicine, but I am very sensitive to such drugs and worry about side effects. Are there any home remedies that might work? I am desperate to be healed!
A. Removing a toenail surgically is pretty drastic. We’re sorry it didn’t work.
You may wish to try soaking your nails in a vinegar-Listerine (old-fashioned amber-colored mouthwash) foot bath. Other readers tell us that cornmeal soaks also are effective. Applications of tea tree oil or Vicks VapoRub to the infected nail work for others.
We are sending you our Guide to Hair and Nail Care with more information on these and many other remedies for ridding yourself of nail fungus. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. H-31, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Q. I began taking celery seed extract capsules six months ago for gout. Within a day, all foot pain was gone. A blood test six weeks later showed normal levels of uric acid. I take two capsules each morning. It’s a miracle, as far as I’m concerned.
A. Gout is an inflammatory condition in which crystals of uric acid precipitate out of the blood and build up in the joints. This causes excruciating pain and swelling.
Celery seed was a traditional treatment for rheumatism. Ethnobotanist James Duke, Ph.D., author of “The Green Pharmacy,” attests that celery-seed extracts have helped him ward off gout attacks.
Many other readers tell us that sour cherries also can help against gout. One reader reported: “I used tart cherries to cure a gout attack, and it worked. The real news is that the pain from osteoarthritis of the hip joint diminished also.”
XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Favorite Home Remedies From The People’s Pharmacy.”
2009 King Features Syndicate Inc.