Summer is full of delicious foods, fun-filled vacations, outdoor BBQs, and warm days and nights. Along with all of the fun summer time activities comes the downside of this sunny time of year - one of those being mosquitoes. If you live near  water, you understand the annoyance that these little bugs bring to your life when you’re trying to do some outdoor living. It never ceases to amaze me how such a tiny bug can cause such a reaction in my skin, and I am always looking for ways to relieve the itching and swelling that their bites cause. This summer I looked no further than my (alternative) medicine cabinet to find my secret remedy for those unsightly bumps.  Tea tree oil (Melaleuca Alternafolia) has more uses than I can cover here, but it’s ability to squelch the itch of a bug bite is what’s impressing me lately.  To keep the itch at bay, I dab straight tea tree oil on any bite and the sting is diffused in usually less than a minute.  The good news! Tea tree oil also detracts mosquitoes (they hate the smell).  If you’re looking for a natural way to ward off and heal bites, give tea tree oil a tree (I’ve been using it since I was a kid)!