Mosquitoes and blackflies are among nature's most obnoxious insects — known for relentlessly biting and buzzing around your head with little to no mercy.
However, one TikToker just discovered a game-changing hack to keep them away that doesn't even require bug repellent.
The scoop
Amanda Jackett (@amandaleechjackett) is a farmer in Canada, a place where she says the "bugs are so bad this year."
"We have them all — mosquitoes, blackflies, deer flies, all the blood-draining b*******," she says in her clip.
She mentions that she happened to find a dragonfly brooch laying around that morning, and decided to put it on her sweatshirt just to see if it might act as an extra bug deterrent.
The result? She hadn't been touched by any "blood-sucking b*******" all day.
@amandaleechjackett 🇨🇦bugs are so bad this year. Meet my new sidekick! #keepbugsaway #fuckoffmosquitos #dragonfly ♬ original sound - whitewood.acres Amanda Jackett
Dragonflies are known for being brutal hunters. Even in their larval stage, when they live in water, they're happy to eat almost anything — tadpoles, fish, mosquitoes, and even dragonfly larvae.
Once they mature into adults, they become expert fliers, with the ability to hover and even fly straight up and down to catch their prey.
"[They're] stone-cold assassins, aerial ninjas," Jackett says.
Turns out, their prey is well aware of this, too, and will leave you alone even if the dragonfly on your shoulder is fake.
How it's helping
This hack seems almost too good to be true — unlike spraying pesticide regularly, this bug repellent requires almost zero upkeep. Plus, if you can find a local artist to make you a few dragonfly pins, you'll be supporting a small business as well.
On top of that, buying little to no insect killer will help to keep toxic chemicals out of your local ecosystem.
Bug repellents contain a variety of harmful chemicals that pollute the air, water, and soil, and they pose a threat to non-target organisms like fish, birds, and beneficial insects.
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