A HUSBAND and wife team best known for their bakery business are proving there are no flies on them with a bug-busting business venture.

Tony Gelder and his wife Shirley from Sunderland-based Gelder’s Bakery now have a sideline in environmentally-friendly insect repellents after experiencing the products first hand while on holiday in Mexico.

They bought natural insect repellent bracelets sold at their hotel and escaped unscathed. They were particularly impressed because Shirley, who is usually a magnet for mosquitoes, escaped without a single bite.

Back home in Sunderland, Tony contacted the US company that makes the bands to find out whether they could be imported for sale in the UK.

The result was the Joshua Tree, which has already secured orders from CenterParcs, Northumbrian Water, Kielder activities centre and a number of camp sites and golf courses in Scotland. The couple are currently running the business with their daughter Victoria but are keen to expand.

The Gelders were especially impressed by how effective the repellent was because its active ingredients are all natural essential oils.

Previously, when they took their young grandson on holiday, they had to use traditional chemical insect repellents such as deet-based products.

In addition to the bands, the Joshua Tree sells pin-on badges and a version that can be hung up while camping.