Geraniums Travel To Ethiopia

By Carol L. Allen

I recently told Dan Ritter of BugBand about the upcoming trip to Ethiopia for a group of ASU anthropology students — including my youngest daughter Chelle Brookes. I also told him that one of the major concerns of the anthropologists was bugs — huge mosquitoes and more!

So, Ritter is sending a number of Bug Bands and other kits to help the students. He will ask for photos and commentary as to how his products fared against the major pests there in the bush country of Ethiopia.

The ASU students will be near Hadar, Ethiopia, (closest major city is Addis Ababa, the capitol). There will be four professors, four teaching assistants, 16 undergraduate ASU students and two Ethiopian students.

The dig site is where ASU professor Don Johannsen, now director of the Institute of Human Origins at ASU, found the famous fossil hominid “Lucy” (Afarensis austioolipiathecus) in the early ‘70s.

The students leave in early October, and they’ll be at the site for six weeks, so, hopefully Bug Band will help protect them during that time. 

According to Ritter, “BugBand™ products are a proven, effective alternative to synthetic traditional pesticides, protecting children and adults from biting insects while avoiding the risks associated with irritating chemicals.

“BugBand is [a safe and effective]choice. Geraniol, the plant-based active ingredient in BugBand, is a proven repellent.” Geraniol is derived from the geranium, which acts as a natural insect repellant.