Best Spray Roach Killer

Raid Ant & Roach Killer 26 eliminates cockroaches the minute they touch sprayed surfaces, for up to four weeks. Plus, the fragrance-free spray is a game changer, especially for those living in tight spaces.

One thing was sure: I needed an eco-friendly mosquito repellent for the yard that wasn’t going to harm me, my pets or the pollinators. Bees and butterflies are important to me, but the bugs that really bugged me simply had to go.

To protect myself, I resorted to wearing long sleeves, jeans, hats, and rubber boots up to my knees. As the summer temperatures rose, I knew this wasn’t sustainable and I needed to find a solution to my bug problem. This is where the Wonderside Flea and Tick Spray comes in the picture. 

What is Wondercide Flea & Tick Spray

Wondercide Spray kills and repels ants, fleas, ticks and mosquitos at every lifecycle stage. This yard spray also takes care of Japanese beetles, crickets and gnats without using harmful chemicals.

When you’re ready to use the eco-friendly Wondercide Spray, simply attach the nozzle to your garden hose. You’ll quickly cover 5000 square feet without having to wait for a re-entry period. It’s safe and non-toxic to wildlife, humans, pets, bees, and butterflies.

I love that a few women in Texas were on a mission to find a pet-safe alternative to the devastating side effects of pesticide exposure. They were invited to pitch their product on Shark Tank and now it’s available to us! 

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Wondercide Outdoor Pest Control Product Features

Wondercide Spray is a safe and natural product that won’t harm the environment, pets or people. It’s so safe that you can spray and play without any waiting time.

Wondercide also makes indoor pest control spray and personal insect repellent in four different scents; cedarwood, lemongrass, rosemary and my favorite, peppermint. Plus, the brand has tested their products for efficacy and they are on-par with conventional insect repellents.

The product is safe to use around lakes, ponds and creeks, but tuck your chickens in while you spray to protect their sensitive respiratory systems.

How We Tested It

The first time I ordered Wondercide Yard Spray, I also ordered sample sizes of the people and pet insect repellent as well as a bar of dog shampoo. 

As soon as the products arrived, I was chomping at the bit to try them out. Following the directions, I sprayed my entire lawn and the side of my house, including the window wells where spiders like to spin their webs. Per the instructions, I sprayed again a few days later. 

Good-bye tall boots and long pants and hello flip-flops and shorts! With a healthy coating of Wondercide Spray on my lawn, I could finally enjoy summer pest-free.

The real test, however, was at my lake cottage where the mosquitos constantly swarm. I was certain they were breeding in a massive colony under my shady deck. After spraying the Wondercide Spray, we were able to enjoy dinner on the deck without being bitten. Again, we repeated the process a few days later to take care of any stragglers, and once every month thereafter. We were impressed with the long-term results, and will continue to use the product to keep pests at bay. 

The sprayer covers a wide area, so treating your yard is fast and easy. Since it is recommended to avoid spraying while pollinators are active, I usually steer clear of the gardens and flower beds. Even though Wondercide is food-grade, I avoid the vegetable garden as a precaution.

For best results, be sure to use the product as directed, starting with two applications a few days apart. Avoid treating the area before rain, as this is a water soluble biodegradable product.

Pros

• Natural ingredients
• Repels and kills mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, gnats, chiggers, fruit flies and Japanese beetles
• Environmentally friendly
• Safe for pets, humans and pollinators
• Ready-to-use spray applicator attaches to a hose
• Quick and easy to use
• Fast results
• Immediately safe to walk on
• Smells great
• Made in the USA

Cons

• Several applications are needed

FAQ

How do I get rid of mosquitoes in my yard without harming pets?

To get rid of pests without harming pets, avoid chemical formulas with toxic ingredients. Using a natural product like Wondercide is the best option. If you’re unsure if a product is okay to use around pets, please consult with your veterinarian before using it.

Is there a lawn spray that is safe for bees and butterflies?

Yes, there is a lawn spray that is safe for bees and butterflies. The Wondercide Flea and Tick Spray does not harm birds, bees or butterflies. However, caution should be taken to avoid spraying while pollinators are active.

Can I spray my own yard for ticks?

Yes, you can spray your own yard for ticks. It is a cost-effective alternative to using a commercial pest control company. Most commercial pest control companies charge hundreds of dollars to treat your property. These companies are licensed to use toxic chemicals, which effectively kills mosquitoes and ticks.

However, these chemicals may pose a hazard to pollinators and pets. If you decide to spray your yard yourself, you’ll be able to pick a spray that meets your needs without breaking the bank or harming animals.

What Amazon Reviewers Had to Say

Jessica Seely reviewed Wondercide on Amazon saying, “I live in FL and bought this right before hurricane Ian to try to help with bugs because as I said…Florida. But THANKFULLY I waited till after the storm because we and everyone around has standing water in their yard. ABSOLUTE breeding ground for bugs. Felt very plague-ish, So yes I used double the amount needed but IT WORKS, maybe I didn’t need to go hog crazy but I am so happy with it, even having it on repeat order.”

“Works great on mosquitoes,” says SP, a verified Amazon customer. “We have a 1500 sq ft backyard with a swamp behind the yard. We get tons of black flies and mosquitoes after the sun goes behind the woods. We didn’t want to use any dangerous chemicals as we have a 7-yr old often playing in the yard. Wondericide worked amazingly. Sprayed only on the plants just beyond our yard and that itself was sufficient. For the first time in 4 years since we have been here, we were outside sitting on the garden bench after sunset.”

Michelle gave the Wondercide spray five stars saying, “This is the best product I have ever bought. I was skeptical about trying this but I’m so very happy that I did. I have 3 dogs and 1 cat and none of them have had a single flea or tick. It’s so much safer and cheaper than going to the vet for medicine for the fleas and ticks. I will definitely be buying this product again guaranteed”

Product Comparison Mosquito Repellent for Yard

You can find different types of pest repellents like sprays, candles, plants and ultrasonic devices that may help get rid of insects. However, a spray is the best option to treat the entire yard, especially if you have a lot of ground to cover.

Concerned about being eco-friendly? Wondercide encourages reusing the sturdy plastic spray bottle that the repellent comes in. Admittedly, I accumulated five empty bottles before I bought the concentrate and refilled the sprayers. I decided to bite the bullet and purchased the big 128-ounce concentrate, which lasted me through the summer and beyond.

To get started, consider buying the Refill Starter Kit bundle with the ready-to-use reusable applicator and the 16-ounce concentrate. This will give you three treatments and cover up to 5000 square feet. 

Want to save money? Shop for concentrates and bundles, or take advantage of the Chewy and Wondercide auto-ship plans.

Final Verdict

The Wondercide Spray isn’t just a mosquito repellent for your yard—it protects the entire family (including pets).

True confession: I am a Wondercide junkie. I keep a stash of my beloved spray tucked away in my basement (if you couldn’t tell by the many empty bottles in the cover image). With the help of this spray, I haven’t seen a spider in my house in a while, and I’m not afraid to show skin in the backyard. Plus, my gardens are buzzing with bees and butterflies, and the organic vegetables and flowers are thriving. You don’t have to compromise to get proper protection for your yard.

Where to Buy the Wondercide Flea and Tick Spray

I highly recommend Wondercide Flea and Tick Spray to eradicate pesky bugs in your yard. Test my favorite Wondercide product for yourself by purchasing it at retailers like Wondercide, Chewy and Walmart.

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American House Spiders

Spinning their sticky webs in shadowy corners to capture mosquitoes, flies, wasps and cockroaches, the American house spider (aka common house spider) is more friend than foe.

What they look like: The word “common” is apropos when describing these unremarkable spiders. The colors of their globular bodies fall along the “drab” spectrum (from yellowish gray to brown to black), with streaks or mottled markings and darker-ringed legs. Females (the ones you see hanging in webs) are 3/16- to 5/16-in. long, and males generally a bit smaller.

Where to find them: There are about 230 species in this family throughout the U.S. and Canada. They cling to garage or barn doors, and hang between window panes or behind doors. Outdoors, they live in hollowed-out logs, shed eaves and solid, sheltered places.

What to do if you see one: Unless you suffer from arachnophobia or think you have an infestation, the common house spider is harmless, so just let them be.

How to prevent them: Seal cracks and other entry points around the outside of the house.

Incredibly, wasps are pretty important to the ecosystem. They’re fantastic at pest control — hunting flies, spiders and crop pests — and serve as unintentional pollinators.

Despite these good qualities, you don’t want them moving into the wall of your home. Hidden nests can turn your backyard barbecue into an indoor pizza party once wasps start dive-bombing your can of Coke. But what to do, besides hide?

“First, let’s start with the type of wasp that typically creates hidden nests,” says Thomas Dobrinska, a board certified entomologist with Ehrlich Pest Control. Unfortunately, that’s the yellow jacket, an aggressive social wasp that can sting multiple times. Yellow jacket is the common name of several species that typically build nests in cavities rather than out in the open.

If you have a nest in your wall, Dobrinska and fellow entomologist Emma Grace Crumbley at Mosquito Squad offer these solutions.

Signs You Have a Wasp Nest in Your Wall

If there’s a wasp nest in your wall, Dobrinska says you’ll probably notice it June through August when large numbers of wasps fly in and out of a hole on the outside of your home. “It looks similar to airline traffic,” Dobrinska says. Yellow jackets approaching your home stack up like 747s, following a single line in the air as they enter and exit the opening.

Even if you don’t see an entrance point right away, Crumbley says unusually large numbers of wasps in your yard is a tell-tale sign of a nest somewhere on your property. When you see them, pay attention to where they go to see if they’re headed for a crack in your house.

How to tell if you have wasps or bees? “Bees will have a thicker, more robust body while wasps have a sleeker build with a narrow waist,” Crumbley says. Dobrinska says bees are typically fuzzy and feed their young pollen and nectar, while wasps are hunters that catch live prey to chew up for their larval-stage young.

If you think you have bees, particularly honeybees, consult a professional beekeeper or agricultural extension for assistance before attempting to kill or remove them. Honey left behind may damage your walls and attract pests. Not to mention, bees are in decline, so it’s a good idea to relocate them if possible.

How To Remove a Wasp Nest From Your Wall

Yellow jackets are aggressive and dangerous, particularly for people with an allergy. Both experts strongly advise against DIY-ing wasp nest removal from a wall.

“You should call a professional pest control company immediately,” Crumbley says. “A professional company will have the right equipment and necessary tools to safely remove nests from your home to prevent further infestation.”

Depending on the extent of wasp activity and whether nest removal is a standalone service call, Mosquito Squad estimates this could cost from $20 to $130. Of course, prices may vary by company. Regardless, Dobrinska says, “The nest needs to be treated by a licensed pest professional.”

Sometimes the wasp nest isn’t near the point of entry. That’s another reason not to DIY. If you get it wrong, you could be looking at hordes of angry wasps flying out at you, potentially while you’re up on a ladder.

But if you’re intent on trying this yourself, Crumbley says to follow these steps:

• Wear long sleeves, gloves, pants, close-toed shoes, protective headgear and eyewear to protect you from stings.
• Identify all entry and exit points. Cover the holes with caulk or sealant.
• Use a trap or lure near the area to attract wasps away from their colony.
• Drill a hole in the wall where the nest is. The hole should be small enough to prevent wasps from flying out, but large enough for a dust pesticide applicator to fit through.
• Insert the applicator of your pesticide and apply.
• Leave the area immediately.

Once the wasps die, the nest cannot be used again, so Dobrinska says it’s not necessary to remove the nest from the wall. If you’d like to get rid of it anyway, you’ll need to cut a hole in the wall to access it, then patch the hole.

How To Prevent Wasps From Building a Nest in Your Wall

“The best prevention is exclusion,” Dobrinska says. That means checking under your eaves, in siding and brick facades, and repairing any gaps and cracks.

Before you seal up holes, make sure there’s not an active nest in the wall. If you seal the entry without eliminating the nest, Dobrinska says the wasps will try to get out, likely damaging drywall and materials inside the walls.

Crumbley says natural deterrents like herbs and essential oils discourage wasps. “A combination of clove, lemongrass and geranium essential oils is ideal for applying to outdoor walls, crevices and other places you’ve noticed wasp activity,” Crumbley says. “Peppermint oil is also effective.”

Although he did everything right, the bats didn’t stick around. Sometimes that’s what happens with bats. But just because it didn’t work for old Perky doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. Lots of people successfully attract bats to bat houses.

Why Do I Want Bats Around?

Besides being awe-inspiring as they come out at dusk, bats are ecosystem protectors. They eat harmful beetles and other crop-decimating insects, and their guano (poop) makes good fertilizer. But there’s one overriding reason to have them in your yard — their appetite for mosquitos.

“If you have an overabundance of mosquitos in your garden, you definitely want to encourage bats to set up housekeeping in your yard,” says Peggy Doyle, CEO of Gardening Know How. “One bat can eat more than 600 mosquitoes in a single hour!”

By encouraging them into your yard, you’re also helping them out. Many species are increasingly threatened by loss of habitat and water sources, improper exclusions, and extreme temperatures and diseases exacerbated by climate change.

“People additionally endanger bats by simply failing to educate themselves,” says Danielle Cordani, program coordinator for Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation. “Fear is the number one cause of violence towards bats, which is driven by misunderstanding.”

Does Where I Live Determine My Success in Attracting Bats?

A little. Bats prefer areas with reasonable access to food, water and shelter. Because they’re native to nearly everywhere, as long as those needs are met, they very well could take up residence in your bat house.

“It really is just a matter of a proper bat house, time and a little luck,” says Addison McCool, executive director of Bat World Sanctuary. “In many areas, bats are very accustomed to the sounds of traffic and people, and many colonies even roost in extremely urban areas, such as downtown Austin, Texas.”

So is it easy to attract bats? Yes and no. “We’ve seen bat houses become occupied in a number of days, and some in a number of years,” says Cordani. Here’s how to maximize your chances:

Buy or Make a Quality Bat House

A well-constructed bat house is a must. If you purchase one, get it from a credible manufacturer, like these recommendations from Merlin Tuttle’s researchers. If you have the time and money, install a variety of house options.

There are a variety of DIY options. I built this one. So far we haven’t had bats take up roost there, but I’m hopeful they will come soon. I’d love to have them around.

Choose a High Place to Mount It

Bat houses should be 15 to 20 feet off of the ground and at least 20 feet from any potential perches where an animal could reach the bats. That makes bats feel safer from predators like owls, snakes and raccoons, plus the height enables them to swoop down and take flight. It’s important not to plant any vegetation below the house that could hinder this. Cordani also recommends predator guards for houses mounted on poles, to prevent snakes from climbing in. Bat houses mounted on freestanding poles or on buildings have a higher success rate.

“Houses mounted on trees rarely work, and mounting in this fashion also allows for easy access to the bats by predators,” says McCool.

Also, avoid installing bat houses over common walkways. “This will allow people to avoid guano in unwanted areas,” says Cordani. “Speaking of guano, it should be harvested and handled carefully enough to not breathe in any dust — that same care you would take when handling any animal feces.”

Keep It Warm

Bats prefer warmth, so place your bat house in a sunny spot. Installing it on the side of a building can also help keep it warmer. But depending on your climate, bats may prefer varying amounts of sun and shade.

“Many bat lovers find success in double boxes either side by side or back to back, one side dark and one side light,” says Doyle.”This method allows the bats to relocate within the structure according to their needs.”

Just Add Water

Ideally, your bat house will be within a quarter mile of a freshwater source like a pond or stream. That makes life easier for mother bats when caring for their young.

A lack of water won’t make or break your success. But if you don’t have water nearby, you can try adding some. A bird bath is probably too small because bats fly low and skim the surface of the water to drink.

“Natural water sources not only provide drinking areas but are typically rich habitats full of diverse insect prey for bats to eat,” says Cordani. “Having said that, bats have been known to visit swimming pools to get a drink.”

Plant a Bat Garden

Bats prefer areas rich in native vegetation that draws a diverse suite of prey. “Planting night-blooming flowers, especially white or pale-colored ones, attracts insects and moths, increasing food availability for your bats,” says Cordani.

Put the Cat Indoors

Cats will take advantage of a roost if they can access it. Any predators will scare bats away from roosting in your bat house. “It’s important to limit any disturbance to your bat house while bats are present,” says Cordani.

Be Patient

Despite all your best efforts, it can take weeks, months or even years to attract bats.

“Bats are very stubborn about their roosting spots, so they will not abandon a roosting site in favor of a brand new bat house,” says McCool. “Something has to disturb them from that area, whether it be human interference or predator activity.”

Stay Au Natural

Unfortunately, there are no easy ways to attract bats to a bat house.

“There are sprays and other attractants on the market, but those do not have any proven track record of actually working,” McCool says. “Some bat hormone attractants will actually have the opposite effect, as some species are territorial and will avoid houses that have used these sprays.”

Start a Maintenance Routine

Check your bat house periodically to make sure wasps haven’t moved in, and remove them if they have. Then, once bats begin roosting, observe their behavior to learn how you can best accommodate them. “It’s important to remember that installing a bat house is a commitment, and it requires patience and maintenance!” says Cordani.

Paw Prints

Paw prints are the most obvious sign of a raccoon infestation in or around your home. Raccoon paws have five finger-like toes with a diameter of two to three inches across, according to Alderleaf Wilderness College. Raccoon trails are a unique pattern. Step lengths are typically 10 to 18 inches, according to Alderleaf Wilderness College.

You probably know about, or maybe encountered, bed bugs. But have you ever heard of bat bugs?

Bed bugs are tiny insects that suck the blood of birds and mammals. They’re one of the few species that adapted to living entirely with human beings.

Bat bugs are tiny bloodsucking insects, too. But they develop and feed in colonies of live bats, hence the name.

“For much of the second half of the 20th century, bat bugs were more common than bed bugs,” says Katelyn A. Kesheimer, Ph.D., an assistant professor and extension specialist at the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn University. That’s because effective insecticides eradicated much of the bed bug population.

However, in the last 20 years, the world has become more of a global society. With that has come a tremendous resurgence in bed bugs.

“Since bed bugs are so closely tied with humans, we have unknowingly transported them around and around,” Kesheimer says. “This, paired with a build-up of resistance to insecticides, has made bed bugs much more common than bat bugs at the moment.”

Bat Bugs vs. Bed Bugs: What Do They Look Like?

Because bed bugs and bat bugs are “cousins,” it’s not surprising they look nearly identical, at least to the untrained eye.

Both are brownish-red and similar in size, approximately 1/4-in. long. Both have short, broad heads attached to flat, oval-shaped bodies. Because both are hairy, the only surefire way to distinguish between the two is with a microscope. If you look closely, bat bugs have longer hairs around their faces than bed bugs.

Whenever you’re dealing with a potential pest in your home, Kait Chapman, an extension educator and urban entomology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln recommends properly identifying first. “Knowing exactly what you’re dealing with also lets you know exactly how to handle the problem,” she says. “Bed bugs and bat bugs are treated very differently.”

Bat Bugs vs. Bed Bugs: Where Do They Live?

Bed bugs and bat bugs can be found on every continent except Antarctica. But bat bugs only flourish in areas with a sufficient population of bats.

Within a warm and cozy home, you’ll find bed bugs where people spend most of their time — in beds, sofas, upholstered chairs, etc. Bed bugs can also infect hotels (budget and luxury) and hospitals.

Bat bugs, on the other hand, rely heavily on their hosts. They reside in attics, behind walls, in chimneys — anywhere bats might roost. Take away the hosts, and bat bugs can’t survive or reproduce for very long.

“If the bats are removed, the bat bugs will wander looking for a blood meal,”  Kesheimer says. “But they will eventually die as they cannot survive on human blood alone.”

Bat Bugs vs. Bed Bugs: How To Get Rid of Them

Eliminating bat bugs

To get rid of bat bugs, you have to get rid of the bats in your home. If you find a large colony of bats in your attic, contact a wildlife removal expert to help.

Once the bats have been removed, you’ll need to seal up the cracks and crevices to prevent bats from reentering the home. After that, treat the area with an insecticide specially formulated to kill bat bugs.

Eliminating bed bugs

With bed bugs, Kesheimer says the process can be challenging and potentially expensive. Depending on the extent of the infestation, it can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

It often takes a thorough, methodical approach with several types of treatments — heat, chemical pesticides and/or both. That’s why it’s crucial to take immediate action.

“Many home treatments of bed bugs, including ‘bug bombs’ or other over-the-counter products, end up making the problem worse,” says Kesheimer. “This is because rather than killing the bed bugs, you are causing them to disperse through the residence and hide further in inaccessible places.”

She recommends hiring a pest control expert specializing in bed bugs, because only professionals stock some of the most effective insecticides against them. Before the pro arrives, you can save money by doing a lot of the prep work yourself,  like washing clothes and linens, moving furniture, isolating mattresses, etc.

“Make sure to look through all the crevices and folds of the area, especially upholstered areas like couches and mattresses where there are bends,” Kesheimer says. “These are great harborages for the bed bugs.”

Having fleas and ticks in and around your home can be worrisome — especially for those of us with pets.

Though fleas (photo on left, above) and ticks (photo on right) both feed on the blood of mammals, transmit diseases and sometimes cause painful allergic reactions, they’re actually very different.

Fleas are tiny blood-sucking insects that infect wild animals (think raccoons and rodents) as well as domestic ones (mainly dogs and cats). They reproduce quickly and attach to one host throughout their lifetime.

“Fleas are fantastic jumpers,” says Katelyn A. Kesheimer, Ph.D., an assistant professor and extension specialist at the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn University. Their large back legs let them jump more than six inches. For a small insect, that’s a huge leap!

Ticks are slightly larger than fleas, but still small and hard to spot. Members of the arachnid family (i.e., spiders and mites), they’re eight-legged hitchhikers who latch onto their prey, burying their heads into the skin after biting. Unlike fleas, ticks are nomads who move from one host to another at a whim.

Should you find one of these blood-sucking critters on your pet, it’s important to recognize the specific signs and symptoms of each so you’ll know what to do.

What Do Fleas and Ticks Look Like?

Though both are relatively small, fleas and ticks have noticeable physical differences. Here’s how to tell which is which.

What fleas look like

Fleas are usually dark reddish-brown to black with flat, wingless bodies and needle-like mouthparts. When they bite, they penetrate the skin, causing itching and swelling. Adult fleas measure about 1/8-in. long with three pairs of legs.

Jim Fredericks, Ph.D., an entomology and wildlife ecology specialist and senior vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association, says fleas can be hard to spot with the naked eye because they move so fast along the animal’s body. “Flea combs and wetting an animal’s hair can help you grasp them for a visual inspection,” he said.

What ticks look like

Nearly 100 tick species live in the United States, and they come in all kinds of colors (brown, black, gray, red, yellow, etc.). The most common types in North America include blacklegged/deer, American dog, brown dog, lone star and Rocky Mountain wood ticks.

Ticks can range from 1/8-in. (the size of a sesame seed) to as much as 1/2-inch. They’re flat top to bottom but grow round when engorged with blood. Nymph and adult ticks have four pairs of legs but only three pairs in the larvae stage.

Did you know? A recent survey found 63% of Americans have seen or removed a tick from themselves, someone else or a pet.

Where Do Fleas and Ticks Live?

Fleas

“Almost all indoor flea infestations are because of a pet (or other animal),” says Kesheimer. Fleas may live in the yard for a while. But as soon as they find a ride into the house, they’ll abandon the outdoor life for the warmth of the indoors.

Fleas are generally content to spend their entire lives on the same hairy dog or furry cat, happily feeding and reproducing. They lay their eggs, which eventually fall off the animal and hatch into tiny worm-like larvae, infesting carpets and furniture. After emerging as adult fleas, they’ll jump back onto their host, and the cycle continues.

Did you know? Fleas can produce as many as 400 to 500 offspring in their lifetime.

Ticks

Ticks thrive in warm, humid climates and prefer to hide in tall grass, scrubs and wooded areas. They’re not only relegated to forested or rural areas; they can also be found in urban centers or coastal locations.

“Ticks usually contact a host by crawling up on the tips of low-growing vegetation and waiting for a host to pass by and brush the vegetation,” says Fredericks. Keep in mind a tick can be really patient, often waiting weeks or months for its next host to come along.

Handy tick locator: To find out which type of ticks live in your part of the country, check out this Tick Surveillance map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Signs of Fleas vs. Ticks

Here’s how to determine whether you’re dealing with a flea or tick infestation.

Signs of Fleas

• Pet scratching an irritated or infected spot;
• Hair or fur loss;
• Tiny black specks (flea feces) on the skin, pet beds, carpets or linens.

For humans, you may find itchy red bites around the feet and lower legs. “This is an easy jump for a flea to make from a dog to your leg,” says Kesheimer.

Signs of Ticks

Indications that your pet or you may have been bitten by a tick:

• Sighting of an actual tick on you or your pet’s body;
• You find ticks or their eggs in potted plants or elsewhere in the garden;
• Your pet (or you) feels lethargic, with muscle weakness, loss of appetite, trouble breathing or vomiting.

Health Risks of Fleas vs. Ticks

Should you be concerned about health risks associated with fleas and ticks in your home?

For common fleas, Kesheimer says, “Not really.”

For the most part, flea bites can be itchy and annoying, but it’s rare they become a vector for diseases. A kind of tapeworm can be transmitted by fleas, but it’s rare and doesn’t generally cause serious health effects.

Ticks are another story.

In the U.S., Kesheimer says ticks are responsible for most vector-borne illnesses. The most common are Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Because tick-borne diseases can easily go undiagnosed and bring long-lasting consequences, it’s important to seek medical attention immediately if you suspect you’ve been bitten by a tick, aren’t feeling well or experiencing strange symptoms. Different species of ticks pose different threats to your health.

Fortunately, antibiotics can treat most tick-borne illnesses.

How To Get Rid of Fleas vs. Ticks

“It’s complicated,” says Kesheimer. “Since fleas are very small, you might not see them with your naked eye until there are a lot of them.” In the case of an infestation, she says you’ll likely notice tiny black specs jumping all around.

To get rid of fleas completely, you should:

• Treat pets at the same time you treat the home;
• Vacuum carpets, floors and upholstery frequently;
• Wash bed linens, collars and plush toys in hot water;
• Seal entry points around the perimeter of the home, since fleas can catch rides on rodents.
• Look for flea larvae and spray with indoor insecticides, or try natural remedies.

The best way to reduce the number of ticks:

• Check yourself and your pet before coming indoors;
• Keep grasses and vegetation in the yard mowed and trimmed;
• Spray an outdoor insecticide or repellent;
• Remove ticks immediately (here’s how);
• For a large infestation, call a pest control professional.

For ticks and fleas, talk to your vet about treatments and preventative options.

To stop playing cat and mouse (pun intended), learn these easy hacks to make your mousetraps more successful.

What to Do When Your Mousetrap Isn’t Working

TikTok regulars @twinhomeexperts posted some helpful hacks to try whenever you find mousetraps not working. The solutions don’t require extra purchases and don’t take long. All you’ll need are traditional mousetraps and some everyday household items.

@twinhomeexperts When MICE traps don’t work, try these 3 mice trap hacks! #mice #micetrap #hackstiktok #twinhomeexperts #pestcontrolservice ♬ TOES – DuWayne Phinisey

While these hacks are among the best ways to trap mice, know that there are other options, too, including sticky mousetraps, though it’s important to note that the latter is far less humane than a spring-loaded trap. Before setting your traps with these hacks, the creators also state that you should use gloves before touching the trap to eliminate contamination via your scent. A mouse may not go near a trap or bait that smells like a human.

Put Your Bait Underneath the Pedal, Not on Top of It

When you put the mouse bait—whether that’s peanut butter or cheese—on top of the trigger pedal, a mouse may be able to grab the food and scurry away. That’s because the trap isn’t activated as quickly when you place the bait there. Instead, try putting your bait underneath the pedal. By doing so, the mouse must go underneath the pedal to retrieve the bait, thus keeping its neck there longer. This will activate the trap and solve the problem.

Make the Trap More Sensitive With an Everyday Tool

Before you set and place your trap, get a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Since the arm bar rests on top of the trap, flip it back and out of the way. Then locate the latch (which holds the arm bar) on the trap mechanism. Use your pliers to bend it in slightly to make your mousetrap more sensitive and activate quicker. A traditional mousetrap is spring-loaded, so by turning the prong in more, the spring mechanism will react faster when a mouse steps on the pedal.

Use Peanut Butter and Cotton to Keep the Mouse in the Trap Longer

The last hack is to keep a mouse lingering in the trap rather than running off with bait unscathed. The longer a mouse is in a trap, the more likely you’ll have a successful outcome. To achieve this, get a piece of cotton and apply peanut butter to it. Then place the cotton on top of the pedal, stuffing it in so a little bit of cotton is peeking out. Because the peanut-butter-covered cotton will get stuck in a mouse’s mouth, it will stay in the trap longer, and your chances of success will be higher.

Having a mouse-free home will give you peace of mind. Once you’ve cleared your home of pests, prevent them from coming in by checking your home for entry sites you can close off and eliminate your home of convenient food sources for mice and rats.

Don’t opt for mousetraps if you’re experiencing a rat invasion. Instead, choose from the best rat traps to help clear your home of them.

What Bald-Faced Hornets Look Like and Where They Live

To identify these insects, look for distinctive white markings on their face, thorax, legs and abdomen. Bald-faced hornets live throughout most of the United States, including Alaska, and also in Canada. It’s likely you have some in your neighborhood.

Bald-Faced Hornet Behaviors

According to Penn State University Extension, bald-faced hornets are not “true” hornets; they’re actually yellow jackets. All species in the genus Dolichovespula build these big, gray football-shaped nests. They’re often easier to spot in winter after leaves fall off the trees.

Yellow jackets, a type of social wasp, are predators that feed on many insects. They also like sugar and may visit hummingbird and jelly feeders, especially in the fall, when their numbers are at their highest. Social wasps build large nests and aggressively defend them if someone approaches within a few feet. There is one reproductive queen and hundreds of “workers.”

How to Deter Bald-Faced Hornets

You don’t want these pests anywhere around your home. Destroying a nest is the easiest way to deter them. However, that’s easier said than done, and dangerous to attempt if you’re not experienced.

If you find an active bald-faced hornet nest, it’s best to stay away from it. Seek professional assistance if it’s somewhere with a lot of foot traffic. If provoked, these busy insects will defend their home.

Homeowners have come up with creative ways to keep pests away. One popular and affordable pest solution is to hang pennies in a bag of water on a front porch. This hack, mostly used in the South in summer, is primarily a DIY fly repellent. Neem oil is another popular bug repellent.

No one yet has found the magic that’ll make dust disappear, particularly airborne dust. Hardware improvements such as vacuums with better filtration and whole-house air cleaners can make the job a bit easier, but dusting is still a weekly chore. And frankly, we don’t have any revolutionary ideas either.

The basic solution is pretty much the same as grandma taught—clean, clean, clean. But it’s important to know whether you should dust or vacuum first.

However, if you target the key places where dust collects and deal with it before it goes airborne, you can at least put a damper on dust. In this article, we’ll tell you where dust originates and where it builds up, so you can focus your cleaning efforts on those spots.

What Is Dust Made Of?

For practical purposes, household dust fits into two categories: small stuff and really small stuff. It’s the small stuff that we’re most familiar with, the stuff that you see collecting in the corners or accumulating on bookshelves.

It’s made up of a variety of stuff. Tiny particles of dirt from outside makes up a significant portion of it. Dirt particles come from shoes, clothing or pets when you come inside. The wind can blow it in through open windows and doors.

Household dust also contains fabric fiber (from rugs and clothing), pet dander, hair, pollen, microscopic plastic particles, dust mites, dead insect parts, etc.

The fabric fibers are also small, the same lint that you collect on the dryer screen. These particles range in size from 10 to 300 microns (1 micron equals 1/1000th of a millimeter). If you have sharp eyes, you can just barely see a 20-micron fabric filament floating in a shaft of sunlight that’s streaming through the window. In comparison, the typical hair caught in your hairbrush is about 100 microns thick.

You can’t see the really small stuff, particles smaller than 10 microns, unless they collect in high concentrations. So even though your home contains millions of these particles, they’re so small that they won’t contribute much to the visible dust invasion.

If you have a dust-related health problem, don’t try expensive home remedies until you’ve consulted a physician. Dust control strategies for really small particles are difficult and can be costly if you have to replace carpeting with a different floor covering or buy a special vacuum cleaner. Your physician will help you discover the particular offender so you can target your control strategies, rather than attack all types of dust.

Does Dust Contain Dead Skin Cells?

It does, but not as much as we’ve been lead to believe. Most of our dead skin falls off in the shower or while washing our hands. Make no mistake, there’s dead skin in that ball of dust under your couch, but it’s an urban myth that it makes up the majority of the dust in your home.

How to Get Rid of Dust

You really can’t prevent dust from accumulating in your home, but you can take some steps so that it doesn’t get out of hand.

Start at the top

Clean walls and the ceiling first. If you don’t, if you start with the floor or the stuff closer to the floor, dust will resettle in areas you’ve already cleaned. By tackling the heights first, you’ll be cleaning up the stuff that falls downward as you clean.

Vacuum the ceilings and walls with a dust attachment, slowly working your way down. Don’t forget ceiling fans. The blades can accumulate a thick layer of dust that gets blown around the room whenever you turn it on.

Vacuum carpets and shake out rugs weekly

Carpeting is a world-class dust-collector, and it launches particles back into the air every time you walk across it. It’s virtually impossible to clean. Vacuuming helps, but it’s like trying to suck up all the leaves from a forest. It’s easier to clean area rugs, because you can shake or beat them outside or periodically send them to the cleaners.

Frequent vacuuming of busy pathways won’t eliminate dust, but it’ll cut down the volume. And it will reduce the sand particles that abrade the carpet fibers and cause them to break down.

Don’t forget to vacuum furniture cushions and wash pillows regularly. Like carpeting, they create, collect and spew dust into the air whenever you sit down on them.

Clean bedrooms and vacuum closets weekly

Fibers from your clothing build up in the bedroom. Flakes of skin are another factor here too, as they can collect in bedding. Regular laundering will help keep the dust down.

If you suffer from allergies, bedrooms rank at the top of the list for dust control.

Closets collect dust too. Every time you pull out clothing and shoes from the closet, dust from fabric fibers and dirt get launched into the air. Dust particles work their way downward, so it’s good to declutter your closet for quick, more effective vacuuming.

Clean hidden dust collection spots

Some of the worst spots for collecting dust are the places you can’t see: under beds and furniture, behind the stove and refrigerator, etc. Once dust settles in those spots, it usually sits there undisturbed, with more and more dust accumulating. Clean them regularly, however, if you have allergies, because dust mites can thrive there.

Dusting hard surfaces

A damp cloth is all you need to pick up dust from hard, smooth surfaces. (Not wet, because water left behind carries dirt and can ruin the finish on fine furniture.) The dust sticks to the cloth rather than flying around and spreading.

Microfiber cloths or electrostatic dusters charges work well. Plus, you can often find these products with long handles to get into hard-to-reach areas.

You don’t need a spray like Pledge for dusting surfaces, especially wood. Those products contain silicone that can cause buildup on surfaces. It can leave a waxy film on your wood too.

Declutter your house

Dust loves clutter. Clutter demoralizes even a veteran housecleaner by increasing the time and effort involved. Store stuff you’re not using, and enclose knickknacks in showcases.

What Are Dust Mites?

Mites are tiny arachnoids. Like spiders, they have eight legs and no antennas. Dust mites can live in bedding, upholstered furniture and other soft surfaces in your home, such as carpets and curtains.

Dust mites live in almost every home, because they like a warm, humid environment with lots of skin flakes to eat. They’d be disgusting if they weren’t so tiny, an almost invisible speck 250 microns in size.

The good news is that they don’t bite or burrow under skin. Dust mites  scoop up dead skin flakes with an opening on their body, and secrete an enzyme to break down their food.

The biggest problem with dust mites is that they are one of the most common triggers for indoor allergic reactions in people, causing asthma and allergic rhinitis.

How to Get Rid of Dust Mites

In most cases they aren’t a problem and are easily controlled by laundering bedding and vacuuming regularly. Pay special attention to furniture, vacuuming anything with soft fabric where people and pets might sit.

Another option is to invest in an air purifier with a HEPA filter removes animal dander and dust, which helps control dust mites. A dehumidifier can help too by making the environment in your home harder to sustain dust mites.

If the same thing happens to you, you’ll need to act fast. Besides being a nuisance, some flies can transmit disease-causing organisms like salmonella, e-coli and even typhoid fever. Yikes!

We asked Rachel Maccini, an urban entomologist and pesticide safety education program coordinator at the University of New Hampshire Extension, to offer her insight into the characteristics and behaviors of flies. “There’s a lot homeowners can do themselves to remedy a fly infestation, though it may require some detective work,” says Maccini.

Start here:

Step One: Catch and Kill

Use a bag-type vacuum cleaner to suck up as many flies as possible. Dispose of the bag outside in a sealed trash container. Since flies can carry germs, don’t forget to wear protective gloves.

Another option: Your trusty fly swatter. This old-school method works if you’re only dealing with a handful of pests. For a larger cloud of flies, go with the vacuum method.

Step Two: Locate The Fly Breeding Site

Most flies enter the home from outside in search of shelter or food. Some species, however, breed and complete their life cycles indoors, especially if they find a wet and warm spot to start their families.

You know you’ve found the breeding site if you see small, dark clusters of spots the size of a pinhead (eggs) or pale-colored larva (maggots) resembling little worms. Once these maggots develop hard cases, flies are about to hatch!

Three common varieties of flies lay eggs indoors, each with a different preferred breeding site:

• House or cluster (aka blow) flies: These lay their eggs in moist garbage or pet waste. Adult house flies measure about 5/32- to 17/64-in. long with sponging mouthparts, a thorax with four narrow stripes and one pair of wings. Cluster flies are large and sluggish, often invading homes in fall and turning into wintertime pests.
• Fruit or vinegar flies: Usually found on overripe fruit and vegetables (i.e., bananas on the counter or tomatoes in a bowl). They’re about 1/16- to 1/5-in. long and dull brownish-yellow to brownish-black. Their head and thorax are tan-colored, while the abdomen is black and gray underneath. Some species have red eyes.
• Drain (aka moth or humpback) flies: These live and reproduce in drains where organic material tends to collect. Slightly larger than fruit flies, they range from light tan or gray to black. They’ve got furry bodies with large, oval-shaped wings.

Step Three: Eliminate the Fly Breeding Site

Your remedy depends on the type of fly.

For house or cluster fly eggs

Cover or remove garbage containers. Seal compost bins and drain and dry areas with standing water.

For fruit fly eggs

Ditch the fruit they’re attracted to. After that, Maccini recommends covering or storing susceptible food in a refrigerator for at least a week so the adult flies die off. (Their entire life cycle only spans one to two weeks.)

For drain fly eggs

Clean pipes with a brush to remove the bacterial scum that often lines plumbing, which these flies are attracted to. Use an enzyme-action product found in custodial supply stores or online to break up the sticky bond of bacteria and algae in the pipes.

Avoid bleach; it’s not effective against fly larvae. And do NOT pour insecticide down the drain. Maccini says it’s unlikely to work and can severely damage sewer and sanitation systems.

How To Prevent Fly Eggs From Hatching in Your House

To prevent the eggs, you need to keep out the flies that lay them. Try these methods:

• Keep home clean and sanitary;
• Cover food and beverages or store them in a refrigerator;
• Install or repair screens on windows and doors;
• Seal cracks and fill in crevices to the exterior with expandable caulking or other material;
• Clean litter boxes and yard of pet waste;
• Close trash cans and seal garbage bags completely;
• Remove household garbage every four to five days in hot summer months;
• Set out sticky traps, flypaper or make this simple DIY fly trap;
• Install ultraviolet light boxes that attract flies, then kill them with an electric zapper;
• Employ fly bait that contains insecticides that, when ingested, kills in minutes.
• Apply indoor fly spray (found at grocery or hardware stores) directly to the insects or their larva. Coat surfaces around windows, doors, screened-in porches and cracks with a residual fly pesticide. These types of sprays can remain active for weeks, so they’re effective at suppressing fly populations.

When To Call a Pest Professional

If you’re unable to determine which kind of fly has infested your home, Maccini advises contacting a pest control specialist ASAP. Failure to clean a breeding site thoroughly means your fly problem will most likely continue.

It starts with the smallest of movements, but then you look a little closer. That’s when you notice it’s not just one thing moving around on the tree—it’s thousands of things.

Bugs!

Bugs in your Christmas tree sounds like something out of a horror movie. Luckily, it’s a rare occurrence and the bugs that live in evergreen trees aren’t harmful. That doesn’t make them any less gross, and it’s certainly not something you want to deal with when you’d rather be sipping egg nog.

What Kind of Bugs Live in Christmas Trees?

Obviously, bugs are something you only have to worry about with real Christmas trees. When you bring a tree into the warm indoors, it tricks those critters into thinking that spring has sprung, and it’s time to party. However, they typically don’t live long once the tree is inside.

There are a few different types of creepy crawlers that can get into your tree. It’s helpful to know what they are and how to identify them.

Adelgids: These bugs look like little pieces of snow because of the wax they produce that covers their yellow bodies.

Aphids: If you’ve ever grown tomatoes, you’re probably familiar with aphids. They’re tiny black or brown bugs that look like ticks, except with six legs. They feed on the sap.

Bark Beetles: There’s nothing fab about these things. They burrow into the wood of a tree. They prefer moist wood, so your furniture is safe.

Mites: If there is a bird’s nest in your tree, there could be mites and parasites that live in the nests. These can be harmful, so inspect your tree to make sure there’s not a bird’s nest in the branches.

Pine Needle Scales: If you notice little white sacks on the needles of your tree, those are the eggs of the pine needle scale. When they hatch, they turn into small red bugs, and they can cause needles to fall off.

Praying Mantis: These bugs will sometimes leave their egg sacks in trees, which can start to hatch after a few weeks indoors. They’re not harmful.

Psocids: These are small, winged insects that feed off mold and fungus in a tree. They’ll die quickly inside the house where the humidity is low.

Spiders: Yep, spiders can live in trees. The good news is that the kinds of spiders that live in trees are not harmful. They eat the other insects living in the tree.

How to Kill Bugs in Your Christmas Tree

First and foremost, do not use any kind of bug spray or insecticide. Those are flammable and pose a risk next to the heat caused by Christmas tree lights.

You can leave the bugs and let nature take its course. It’s impossible for most of these critters to live very long indoors. Another option is to spray your tree with neem oil to kill the insects. You can also dust the tree with diatomaceous earth, but that can be dangerous to pets if you use too much of it.

If you see bugs from the tree gathering on the ceiling or in a window, you can just vacuum them up.

How to Prevent Christmas Tree Bugs

An ounce of prevention is really the best method for dealing with Christmas tree bugs. Just follow a few simple steps when you’re picking out a tree.

1. Give the tree a thorough examination. Look for bugs and check for bird’s nests. If there is a nest in the tree, find another one.
2. Look for white sacks on the needles or the branches. Those could be adelgids or pine needle scales.
3. Give it a good shake. A hardy rattle or two will send bugs scurrying for the exits. It’s worth giving it another shake when you get home, before bringing it into the house.

Finally, if you really don’t want to deal with bugs you can always get an artificial Christmas tree.

Mark and Cut the Pieces from the Plywood and the 1×6 Board

• Refer to the diagram for dimensions and bevels. Following the cut list in Figure 1, begin to mark the plywood for your cuts. Pro tip: Mark your cut lines one at a time. If you mark them all at once, your boards will be too short, because the saw blade removes part of the wood.
• Use the skill saw or jigsaw to make your first cuts, taking time to keep the cuts as straight as possible. After these parts are cut, mark your next lines and repeat.
• Label each piece once you cut it so that you can easily identify it during assembly.
• Perform the same procedure, marking and cutting the 1×6 into its pieces.
• Using the orbital sander (or by hand), lightly sand all boards, including the edges, to prevent splinters.

I was thrilled!

Over the years I’ve had other bear encounters, usually while backpacking. But last month, while on a walk with my mom, I inadvertently came close to a large black bear in, of all places, a neighbor’s yard. I thought it would be scary to see one in town, but the bear was not at all interested in us. It actually felt uplifting to share space with such a large, wild creature.

Regardless, a yard is not a good place for a bear to be. If you’re worried about bears in your yard, here’s what to know.

What Homeowners Should Know About Bears

A bear’s sense of smell is seven times greater than a bloodhound’s, and that sometimes brings them to our yards for an easy snack.

“Being as strong and as smart as they are, this can cause a lot of problems,” says Nicolas Kilby of Think Wild. “However, most conflicts with bears can be easily avoided, as they usually result from improper storage of attractants like garbage, pet food and poultry.”

It’s important to never attract a bear. Once rewarded with easy access to food, it may come back for more.

“Each time this happens, he can become more tolerant of human presence — and this food-conditioning can lead to problematic behavior,” says Lynsey White, director of humane wildlife conflict resolution at the Humane Society of the United States. Besides being dangerous to humans, it often leads to the bear being killed.

Are bears dangerous?

Bears can be dangerous and unpredictable when provoked, but mostly they’re timid animals who rarely attack people. “Although the sight of a black bear can certainly be frightening, most bears run away as soon as they are spotted by a human, and usually even before that,” says White.

What type of bear might come to my yard?

Of the three types of bears in North America, most people are only likely to encounter black bears. They’re in 41 states, thriving everywhere from mountains to forests to deserts to even Florida suburbs. Because grizzly and polar bears are specific to only a couple of regions, this article will focus on black bears.

What do black bears eat?

Bears are opportunistic omnivores. They’ll eat anything that’s an easy meal.

In the wild, a black bear’s diet largely consists of fruits, berries, nuts and other plant matter. In your yard, they might eat garbage, fruit, bird seed, drippings from grills, pet food and chickens.

When am I most likely to find a bear in my yard?

You might see a bear anytime, but evenings and nights in the spring, late summer and fall are more common.

Bears don’t technically hibernate, but they do go into a state of light sleep called torpor. They prepare for this with a feeding frenzy in late summer and fall called hyperphagia, when they consume 20,000 or more calories a day.

Why are black bears beneficial?

Black bears are key contributors to a healthy ecosystem in lots of ways. They disperse seeds across vast distances, even better than birds; break up logs while grubbing, which helps with decomposition and returning nutrients to the soil; and open up forest canopies to allow more sun, allowing greater biological diversity on forest floors.

How To Keep Bears Out of Your Yard

It’s simple: Get rid of anything that might attract them. “No yard is absolutely bear-proof as bears are excellent climbers and swimmers,” White says. “Neither a fence nor a moat will keep them at bay.”

If bears are part of your community, here’s how to make your yard less attractive to them.

• Secure your garbage: This is by far the most effective step. Bring trash cans and recycling inside at night or use bear-resistant containers, like those certified by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.
• Manage your compost: Keep compost as odor-free as possible by turning it frequently and using lime and dry grass clippings to hasten decomposition. Never put meat, fish, oil, grease or dairy products into your compost. If you live in a bear-intensive area, consider skipping composting altogether.
• Rethink your bird feeders: Avoid putting them out from April 1 to November 30. If you do, hang them away from your house and at least 11 feet off of the ground with a thick cable. Switch to sunflower hearts instead of whole seeds and avoid mixes with millet.
• Keep doors and windows locked: Or, if you must lock them open, leave a gap too small for bears to enter.
• Predator-proof your coops: At night, keep chickens in bear-resistant coops. During the day, runs enclosed by electric fencing can protect chickens. “A well-trained guard dog or another guard animal can also be helpful,” says White.
• Protect your beehives and gardens: Electric fencing teaches bears to stay away from food sources, White says. She recommends attaching foil strips to the top wire (at least 24 inches off the ground) and smearing peanut butter or honey on the strips. This will encourage the bear to interact with the fence, giving him a quick jolt and teaching him to stay away.
• Pick fruit before it ripens: Think carefully before planting any new fruit trees. If you already have some, pluck the fruit just before it ripens. And immediately pick up fruit that has fallen to the ground.
• Feed pets indoors: Pet food attracts not only bears, but skunks, raccoons and mice. “The golden rule is to never feed pets outdoors, especially in bear country,” says White. “Doing so trains bears and other wildlife to come to people’s homes for food.”
• Clean your gill: Promptly clean up drippings, move the grill away from your house when not in use, and clean it regularly with ammonia or bleach.
• Never intentionally feed a bear: It encourages encounters and develops behavior that’s dangerous to you and the bear.

What To Do if a Bear Is in Your Yard

Stay calm, stay inside and leave it alone. Attacks by black bears on people are rare, and chances are it will wander away before long.

“If you see a black bear in your yard, don’t fear the worst,” says White. “A youngster may simply be passing through in search of a home of his own. Or an adult may be checking out an enticing smell or interesting sound. Usually, when he finds out there are people around, he’ll head for the hills, never to be seen again.”

You may also scare it away with loud noises. “While this can startle a bear and get it to run away, please make sure you are far away from the bear, or have easy access to a car or home,” says Kilby.

If you’re already outside and cannot safely get to your house:

• Stand and face the bear directly. Never run away from or approach him.
• Make yourself look as big as possible by spreading your arms or, better yet, a coat.
• Make as much noise as possible by yelling, banging pots and pans or other noise-making devices.
• If the bear approaches and you have bear spray, use it. Note: Statistically, bear spray is more effective than firearms. If you live near bears, it’s smart to buy a can of it and know how to safely and properly use it.
• In the rare case that a black bear does attack you, fight back (don’t play dead).
• After the bear leaves, remove whatever attracted him to the location.

Note: These directions are specific for black bears. Here’s what to do in a grizzly bear encounter.

Those early city dwellers had to be fed by the city or well-meaning citizens because natural food sources like trees were scarce. Once the squirrel population took off, though, there was no stopping them. Now, squirrels are perhaps the most ubiquitous urban animal one can imagine.

If you’re ruing the day those first squirrels landed in town, you’re not alone. Squirrels eat away at our gardens, torment our dogs and cause electrical fires to the tune of millions of dollars a year. If you’re sick of dealing with them, here are ways to keep them out of your yard.

Are Squirrels Rodents?

Yes. That’s right: Cute, chattering squirrels share a scientific order — Rodentia — with mice, rats and porcupines. Rodents make up 40 percent of all mammals, and they all have one common trait: constantly-growing front teeth which they must keep in check by gnawing.

What Attracts Squirrels?

Squirrels look for two things when deciding where to live: food and shelter. Trees provide sustenance and nesting spots. So if your property has trees, squirrels won’t be far away.

Other things that attract squirrels:

• Bird feeders;
• Trash cans;
• Vegetable gardens.

Signs of Squirrels

Squirrels are destructive. Tearing up your lovingly-planted veggies in search of a hidden nut means nothing to them. Here are the signs you’ve got squirrels:

• Small holes dug in pots and gardens, with plants flung around;
• Half-eaten veggies and missing flowers;
• Bark chewed off trees, sometimes in a circular pattern called girdling;
• Wrecked bird feeders with seed scattered everywhere.

How To Keep Squirrels Out of Your Yard

Squirrels are crafty and determined, so keeping them out of your yard will take vigilance. This isn’t a one-and-done situation, either. Factor in your time and interest in keeping up a daily struggle.

Install fencing

Squirrels scamper right over standard stockade fences, but you can keep them out of specific areas of your garden and yard with heavy-duty chicken wire. Box in the entire area, including the top. Bury the wire several inches deep to deter digging under. And don’t forget to include a door!

Spray them with water

Like most animals, squirrels hate an unexpected blast of chilly water. Motion-activated sprinkler systems like the Yard Enforcer from Orbit hook up to a regular garden hose and offer adjustable coverage areas. When a critter walks by, the Enforcer delivers an annoying but harmless drenching.

These deterrents will spray anything that trips the sensor, including mail carriers, dogs and you, so keep that in mind. You may need several for optimum coverage and to avoid dousing everyone in your neighborhood.

Scare them

Dogs famously harass squirrels. If you have one, they’re probably doing their best to keep the furry pests away. If that’s not enough, install scarecrows. Because squirrels are prey to larger animals and birds like owls, squirrels have developed a strong fear response. Move the decoys around periodically; squirrels are smart and will figure out the ruse in time.

Reflective, moving things like pinwheels and wildlife tape have proponents. Squirrels avoid strange noises and movement, so place these around your property to make them think twice about coming in.

Pepper your plants

Squirrels don’t like capsaicin, the chemical that gives hot peppers their heat, so sprinkle cayenne around plants you want to protect. Make a hot-pepper spray and douse your yard around trees and other places squirrels enter. It won’t hurt your plants and squirrels don’t want any part of it.

Though cost-effective — a ten-pound box of cayenne costs around $40 — you’ll need to reapply the stuff after it rains. If you have kids and pets, use caution. Just like squirrels, humans and domestic animals respond to pepper, too.

Get rid of the birdfeeder

Squirrels treat bird feeders like personal charcuterie boards. So if you really want to keep squirrels out of your yard, the bird feeders have to go. If you’re not ready for that drastic step, use a squirrel baffle and change your birdseed to a squirrel-unfriendly one like safflower seed.

Remember: Baffles and unpopular seed deter squirrels from robbing your feeder, but the critters will still come to your yard to try their luck. To remove the temptation, remove the feeder.

Plant mint

Squirrels dislike the smell of peppermint, so plant mint around your property to give squirrels an opportunity to reconsider. Note: Mint grows fast. If you’re concerned about it becoming invasive, use pots and place strategically.

Rake your yard

Squirrels forage for acorns and nuts on the ground. If you rake under your trees daily to remove food sources, squirrels will look elsewhere. Keep your expectations realistic, though. Your trees will have squirrels no matter how clean you keep the ground.

Build a greenhouse

For a more permanent solution than chicken wire fencing, build a greenhouse. These extend your growing season and keep squirrels out, so they’re a win-win for gardeners. If you have a green thumb and DIY ability, a greenhouse offers a permanent, attractive solution to keeping squirrels from munching on your garden plants.

Keep your expectations realistic. Clever squirrels won’t vacate your property easily. The University of Georgia Extension says to ask yourself: Are squirrels merely annoying, or are they costing you money?

Burying acorns in your yard may cause cosmetic damage, but pulling a few sprouted trees every few weeks may be a decent trade-off. Squirrel removal is a big undertaking, and efforts in your yard must continue in perpetuity. Make sure you’re ready for the time and expense of starting an eradication campaign.

Signs You Have a Squirrel Problem

“Squirrels are rodents, and will constantly gnaw on wood and other surfaces of a residence or building,” says Meg Pearson, a wildlife division training manager at CritterControl.com. Rodents, including beavers, mice, rats and squirrels, gnaw on things because their teeth constantly grow.

Squirrels chew siding, wood, trees and ornamental plants. A hole chewed under your eaves or in the soffit could mean a squirrel is in your attic, storing food or nesting with their young. Squirrels even gnaw on the soft metal of lead roof vent coverings, according to the University of Alabama Extension.

Squirrels who make it inside your house will most likely be heard before being seen. “If they make entrance into the attic, you’ll hear scurrying or running,” says Pearson. A bad smell you can’t find could mean a squirrel got trapped in a wall and died.

Outside, young plants in your garden may be pulled up and birdfeeders will be emptied, with seeds they don’t like scattered everywhere. Nuisance squirrels sometimes gnaw entire rings around the circumference of trees, called girdling.

What Attracts Squirrels to Your Yard and Home?

“Shelter and food are the primary factors behind squirrels deciding where to nest and live,” says Pearson. Squirrels eat what’s called “mast,” meaning dry fruits from woody plants. Mast includes acorns from oak trees, hickory and beech nuts, black walnuts and more. If you have these trees, chances are you’ll find a few squirrels.

Squirrels also need a place to store their stash of nuts and hide from predators, so your attic and other quiet, uninhabited places in your home appeal to them. Your yard is attractive, too. Digging squirrels pockmark the lawn with holes for their acorn stash, and ground squirrels damage it with their burrows.

Squirrels treat birdfeeders like a 24-hour buffet. So if you have one, it’s attracting squirrels, despite the efforts of the ever-growing squirrel baffle industry.

Gardens offer a squirrel cornucopia, from corn to tomatoes. Squirrels do adapt to food beyond typical nuts and fruits. Urban squirrels feast on trash and discarded food. So if you live on an alley or near a park or commercial district, squirrels won’t be far away.

How To Get Rid of Squirrels in Your House or Attic

If a squirrel has moved into your home, check the eaves and soffits for entry points and prepare to mend the damage once the squirrel leaves. It’s possible squirrels gained entry through a crawlspace and climbed vertically into your walls, so check under your house, too.

The University of Alabama Extension says once you find the entry point, try one-way doors. As the name suggests, these allow the squirrel to leave the way it came in while preventing return access. Squirrels generally forage outdoors in the morning and early evening, so don’t seal up the hole midday while they may be resting inside.

Be aware that mother squirrels may have come inside to give birth. Call a professional if you find baby squirrels so they and the mother can be relocated humanely. If the mother leaves during the day and can’t come back in, you’ll stress her out and be left with baby squirrels dying in your home.

Pearson does not recommend DIY squirrel removal. “Squirrels are wild animals and should not be handled or trapped by anyone who has not been trained,” she says.

How To Get Rid of Squirrels in Your Yard or Garden

“It is especially difficult to get squirrels to leave your yard,” Pearson says. Removing their food source may encourage them to find a better meal ticket. But unless you cut down all your trees and live on a parking lot, squirrels will likely persist. Plus, if you remove squirrels but don’t make changes to exclude them, more will just move in.

Many states and localities have strict wildlife removal requirements, so think twice before attempting to trap and relocate squirrels from your yard and garden yourself. Ninety-seven percent of squirrels relocated away from their home turf didn’t make it, according to this study of Eastern gray squirrels. Even if you mean well, it likely won’t end well for the squirrel.

Squirrels respond to fear, so a dog or cat may scare them off, but only if your pet is outside when squirrels are active. Whirligigs and scarecrows like fake owls, suggested by several university extension services, may keep them away for a while. But squirrels are smart and won’t be fooled for long.

Chemical repellents like capsaicin are known to deter squirrels, but need to be reapplied often. Place these around your garden plants or trees if squirrels are gnawing on the bark. Beware of anything labeled an ultrasonic device; there’s no proof these work.

Calling a Pro vs. DIY Squirrel Removal

“Squirrels can be extremely difficult to trap and remove,” Pearson says. If you have nuisance squirrels on your property, a professional trained in wildlife removal will offer a comprehensive service for removal and exclusion.

Squirrels, while cute, are wild rodents. They bite and carry diseases, some of which are dangerous to humans. If you decide to remove them yourself, whether through humane means or “taking” through lethal traps or shooting, always consider your safety and that of your neighbors. And check any local laws first.

Spiders

Spiders belong to a subgroup of terrestrial arthropods (aka arachnids) whose main prey are mites, ticks and scorpions. A spider has four pairs of legs, eight eyes and unsegmented abdomens. If you find wings or antennae on a crawler, what you have instead is an insect. Outside of Antarctica and in the oceans, spider habitats are found everywhere in the world.

Why you shouldn’t kill spiders

Putting arachnophobia aside, allowing spiders to coexist with you indoors can be a big plus. According to Katelyn A. Kesheimer, Ph.D., assistant professor and extension specialist at the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn University, “Spiders are harmless and provide free and excellent biological [pest] control.”

Wolf spiders are commonly found crawling along the ground in leaf litter or may even make it into the house. You shouldn’t kill them because, Kesheimer says, they’re harmless and feed on small insects inside and outside your home.

“I don’t know that most people would want spiders around,” she says. “But at the very least, if we can learn to live with them, we may fear insects less and appreciate the critters around us.”

My friend bought a house recently. While packing up and moving out of her rental, she found tennis balls stuffed in the wall under a little-used cabinet. Curious, she mentioned it to her landlord, who said, “Yeah, those keep the rats out.”

She never slept there again.

Rats and mice carry diseases like hantavirus. Shane McCoy of Ehrlich Pest Control, a board-certified entomologist, says they contaminate up to one-third of the world’s food supply. But which one does the most damage?

Before we go there, let’s review what we’re dealing with.

What Is a Rat?

A rat is a small mammal in the order Rodentia, aka rodents. Rodents have constantly-growing teeth which they must wear down by gnawing — Rodentia means “to gnaw” in Latin. The appropriately-named genus Rattus houses the “true rats,” including the common Norway and roof rats.

Rats measure about 16 inches from nose to tail and weigh from 12 to 16 ounces. Depending on the species, they have brown, black, gray or white fur, along with long tails.

Rats generally nest in the ground, burrowing under rocks and vegetation near your home’s foundation, McCoy says. These burrows can be up to seven feet long. Indoor rats nest in walls, attics, equipment and furniture voids.

Around America, these are the most rat infested cities.

What Is a Mouse?

A mouse is also a rodent but a lot lighter, weighing one-half to one ounce. A typical house mouse is in the genus Mus. Like other rodents, mouse teeth require diligent gnawing.

Mice often live outside buildings in grassy and wooded areas, feeding on seeds and insects. But even with a healthy outside diet, mice are attracted to the warmth and smells of our homes. They’ll enter under doors and through small openings.

Adult mice range from five to eight inches long, including the tail. House mice usually have big ears and light brown or gray fur.

Differences Between Rat vs. Mouse Behavior

Are mice just little rats? No, says McCoy. While size is a key difference, behavior is definitely specific to each species.

More curious than rats, mice enter traps more readily than naturally-wary or “neophobic” rats, McCoy says. Homeowners must to work around this fear of new things when setting rat traps, McCoy says.

Rats search for food 25 to 100 feet from their nest, while mice only make it 10 to 30 feet away. McCoy says that’s important for homeowners to know.

“You can almost guarantee mice are close to the kitchen or an area where food is stored — including dog food and bird seed — like pantries, garages and basements,” says McCoy.

Rats vs. Mice: Which Can Cause More Damage to a Home?

It depends.

Mice are smaller, so they squeeze easily behind walls and appliances where they gnaw baseboards, drywall, insulation and electrical wiring. They also dribble urine wherever they go, McCoy says.

Considering where mice wander unabated in a home — typically near the kitchen — that’s a lot of pee in a lot of places you don’t want it. Mouse urine smells nasty. It’s also dirty and damages wood and other building materials. Mouse poop isn’t a picnic, either, as exterminator horror stories attest.

Rats damage homes just like mice, by gnawing, nesting, peeing and pooping. But because they’re larger, an individual rat causes much more damage than a single mouse. Rats have bigger teeth and leave tooth marks about an eighth of an inch long on whatever they gnaw: wood, windows, doors, wiring and PVC pipes.

Though single rats cause more damage, mice are responsible for a large majority of rodent infestations, McCoy says. It’s just easier for them to get established.

Mice don’t need much room or food, and they don’t require a separate water source. McCoy says they get all their water from food, so they’re perfectly happy living in a wall void or under your stove, gnawing and breeding. Mice have up to 10 litters of five to six pups per year.

But rats are harder to get rid of due to their cautious nature, says McCoy. That means they hang around longer, and they’re equally prolific — six litters of eight to nine pups each per year. The longer it takes to catch them, the more damage they and their offspring cause.

Rats vs. Mice Prevention

“The two key features of rodent prevention are sanitation and exclusion,” McCoy says. It’s important to make your home unattractive and inaccessible to rodents. Mice can squeeze through a one-quarter inch opening in your home’s exterior. For rats, it’s one-half inch.

“Rats and mice need food, water and shelter,” McCoy says. “When these resources are limited, so is the growth of their populations.”

Reduce the chance of a rodent damaging your home by following these tips:

Sanitation

• Store dog food and bird seed in heavy-duty plastic or metal containers.
• Pick up pet dishes at night. Pick up dog waste every day.
• Don’t leave food out on kitchen counters.
• Use baffles and other rodent-deterring bird feeding techniques.
• Store firewood off the ground and away from the house.
• Maintain landscaping around home’s foundation. Don’t let debris and vegetation pile up.
• Use trash bags for all household trash, and keep bin lids tightly closed.

Exclusion

• Ensure crawlspace vent covers are tight-fitting and properly screened.
• Cap chimneys and confirm exterior vents have screens.
• Seal around wall penetrations like pipes, ducts and cables.
• Make sure garage doors close all the way.
• Maintain less than a 1/4-in. gap under and around doors. Install weatherstripping.

Mice vs. Rats Control

Once you’ve shored up your home’s defenses, control mice and rats with these tried-and-true methods.

• Snap traps are popular with homeowners because they work. Set traps where you see droppings, but be careful. Rat traps are big.
• Bait traps with peanut butter, beef jerky, fish or fruit, says McCoy. Rats avoid new things, so pre-bait those traps for a few days for better success.
• Always follow the label when using rat or mouse poison, says McCoy. Use tamper-proof bait stations, too. Exposure to kids and pets can be deadly.
• Approach “ultrasonic” mice and rat control with healthy skepticism. While some users report success, McCoy says these devices aren’t proven to be effective against rats and mice.

Why fire? Imagine an ancient traveler, stopping in the woods to build a fire for the night. Salamanders live in dead logs and forest debris, and if their home gets tossed into a fire, they’ll run. An early fire-builder might conclude salamanders “came from” the fire, or were fireproof.

Do you have salamanders in your neighborhood? Luckily, if left alone they’re harmless, says Kent Hering of Solutions Pest and Lawn. But there are things you can do to keep them outside where they belong.

What Are Salamanders?

Salamanders are amphibians that mostly live near or in water. As ectotherms — i.e. cold-blooded — they cannot regulate their temperature like humans and other mammals. Salamanders rely on their environment for warmth.

All have porous skin. Depending on the species, some breathe through their skin, others through gills, lungs or a combination of respiration mechanisms. They’re often slimy due to the mucous they secrete, which keeps their skin moist and regulates their temperature.

Salamanders can regenerate their limbs and tails, a useful trait for evading predators if captured.

What Do Salamanders Look Like?

Salamanders resemble lizards, but as amphibians are more closely related to frogs and toads. Salamanders are small, usually less than six inches long, and with few exceptions have four legs. They all have tails, too — their scientific group is Caudata, Latin for “tail.”

Salamanders generally offer a stubbier profile than lizards. Their legs are shorter, and their bellies drag on the ground compared to thinner, taller lizards. Salamanders can be colorful — many are spotted, striped or otherwise showy, which tells predators to back off.

Where Are Salamanders Found?

The Southeastern U.S. features the greatest diversity of salamanders in the world, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Fifty-six species call North Carolina home. Salamanders live all over the world, usually near water or in damp environments.

Some salamanders need water more than others. Sirens live entirely in the water. Newts are semiaquatic — they live partially on land but move to the water part of the year to reproduce. Tiger salamanders and other more terrestrial species live nearly their entire adult lives on land, although they too return to water to breed.

Are Salamanders Destructive?

No. Salamanders are quiet and often nocturnal. Most of the time you’ll never even know they are nearby, except that you’ll probably notice fewer pests, like slugs, snails and mosquitoes.

Salamanders, like most amphibians, are excellent indicators of ecosystem health. That’s because their permeable skin is vulnerable to environmental changes. A healthy population of salamanders means the area, whether a stream, vernal pool or forest floor, is in good overall shape.

Do Salamanders Bite?

Yes, but it’s unlikely. Salamanders have teeth, but they’re generally shy and avoid humans. People who keep them as pets might tell a different story, but getting bit by a wild salamander would be a real feat.

Never pick up, harass or provoke a salamander; some excrete poisons from their skin to deter predators. Tetrodotoxin, the chemical produced by newts and other salamanders, is the same poison found in puffer fish, which have famously caused several deaths.

How To Get Rid of Salamanders

If salamanders aren’t pests, leave them alone.

Hering says there’s no chemical way to get rid of salamanders. “Controlling insects in the lawn should help reduce salamander populations,” he adds. If food is scarce, salamanders will be too.

If salamanders infiltrate your home, Hering says glue traps can “mitigate a regular influx.” But it’s important to change outdoor conditions with the tips below first. Salamander populations are in trouble, and killing them should be a last resort.

Clean up rotting logs and debris

Logs and leaf litter are prime salamander habitat. Cleaning up wood debris around your home’s foundation deters salamanders and the bugs they eat. Bonus: You don’t want those bugs in your house, either. Keep vegetation trimmed to keep moist, shady areas to a minimum.

Get rid of standing water

Salamanders eat mosquito larvae, and nothing loves standing water like a mosquito. Level your yard to eliminate depressions that hold water, and check the drainage around your foundation. Make sure soil slopes away from the foundation.

Seal cracks in your home

Salamanders may have come into your home in search of a cool, damp basement or crawlspace. Seal any exterior cracks, and make sure entrances to crawlspaces and basements close tightly.

Keep these areas clean and free of salamander food (bugs). Reduce moisture in basements using fans or improved ventilation.

Relocate salamanders

Gently scoop or coax them into a box. Don’t grab them or squeeze them — remember, they have toxins on their skin, and you can harm them with the salts and chemicals from your body. Deposit salamanders near a pond or on a damp, shaded forest floor.

Wash your hands thoroughly after handling a salamander, or wear gloves.

Best Catch and Release Rat Traps (Non-Lethal)

Made of galvanized steel and simple to set up, the Havahart (get it!) One-Door Animal Trap with smooth internal edges won’t injure trapped rats. They’ll be humanely caught and confined them until they can be returned safely to the wild, hopefully far from your home.

The trap is also available in a two-door version, for twice the trapping potential.

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Fruit flies are incredible little insects. They often producing thousands of offspring during their lifespan, which can last as long as 50 days. So when you see fruit flies, it’s time to take action to get rid of them.

One popular method, as demonstrated on several TikTok videos, involves setting out a bowl of apple cider vinegar. One video shows a mixture of vinegar with sugar and dishwashing liquid. Another video features straight vinegar with a squirt of dishwashing liquid.

How It Works

Both of these methods work. Fruit flies are attracted to the apple cider vinegar, with and without sugar. And because they’re poor swimmers, they end up drowning in the liquid. The addition of dishwashing soap cuts the surface tension and ensures the fruit flies will sink and drown.

A Few Pointers To Make Sure Your Vinegar Trap Really Works

If you decide to go with the apple cider vinegar method to trap and kill fruit flies, a couple of tricks make this work even better.

• Use raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar instead of filtered.
• Add a top with holes to the dish. Fruit flies go into the holes and can’t find their way out. You could cover the dish with plastic wrap with holes punched in it. In one video they used with the top of a one-liter plastic bottle, which acts like a funnel.
• Place the vinegar near the source of the fruit flies — likely the kitchen trash can.

Other Methods for Trapping Fruit Flies

You can also successfully trap fruit flies with a ready-made trap like the Terro Fruit Fly Trap.

If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, try yellow sticky traps. The flies stick to these traps and can’t escape. I’ve used these and am always surprised how many fruit flies are hanging around my house!

All these methods for trapping fruit flies work great for trapping fungus gnats, too. Fungus gnats, which like the moist soil of houseplants, can be just as pesky as fruit flies.

These pests are invading this summer and causing alarm far and wide as they go after neighborhood trees, gardens, farms and orchards nationwide. Not all products that keep bugs away will kill spotted lanternflies, so here’s how to tackle them effectively.

What Is a Spotted Lanternfly?

The spotted lanternfly first appeared in the U.S. in 2012. This invasive insect attacks plants and agriculture in states like Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Delaware and Maryland, and it’s spreading quickly in large numbers.

Why Are Spotted Lanternflies Bad?

The spotted lanternfly makes outdoor recreation unpleasant. It gives off a sap that wilts and curls leaves, causing dieback in established trees, vines, crops and other plants. When these insects feed, they excrete a sugary substance called honeydew that leads to the growth of an unsightly black mold.

Smothering, squishing and stomping these pests offer varying degrees of success. I know one fellow gardener who showed no mercy, employing a vacuum! Normally, killing creatures in the garden and yard goes against everything I believe in. But … this is war.

What Do You Do When You Find a Spotted Lanternfly?

Squish the bugs

Many kids will tell you squishing an unwanted insect is the best way to kill it. The kids are right! Experts recommend an “If you see it, squish it,” approach, according to a recent ABC News report.

One savvy student figured out the perfect squish. This New Jersey teen investigated the pests under a microscope she got from her school’s science department. She concluded it’s most effective to step on the head and avoid the wings.

Spray with vinegar

Vinegar, a natural insect repellent, works without damaging plants and growth in the garden. White vinegar in a spray bottle will kill lanternflies almost instantly. You can also use neem oil to eliminate these bugs on contact.

Capture in a bottle

Trap the lanternflies in an empty plastic water bottle. Hold the bottle over the lanternflies and they’ll find their way in. When you’ve captured enough of them, place the bottle in the freezer to kill them.

Use a shop vac

Some people report success with a shop vac and liquid soap. The soap and water in the reservoir will help trap the lanternflies and kill them. Be sure to dispose of the dead bugs in a sealed plastic bag.

Scrape away the eggs

Killing the eggs means getting rid of the future source of problems. This is a really important part of the battle!

As fall approaches, be on the watch for spotted lanternfly egg masses. They resemble brown patches on outdoor surfaces like trees, fence posts, railings, garden walls and rocks.

If you spot egg masses, use a credit card to scrape them into a zip-close bag with a little rubbing alcohol. This will kill the bugs on contact. You can also try hand sanitizer or bleach.

Unfortunately, when you find a tree covered in bugs, there are most likely others nearby in the area. Stay vigilant!

Aphids are soft-bodied insects with mouth parts they use to pierce leaves and stems, sucking the life out of plants. My second response after spotting aphids is checking for any ladybugs nearby. Ladybugs devour aphids.

Some sources claim a ladybug will eat 50 aphids in one day. But if I don’t see any ladybugs in my garden, should I buy some, as suggested in this TikTok video?

@texasgardenguy

1500 LIVE LADYBUGS! #ladybug #ladybug🐞 #ladybugs #aphidseverywhere #aphids #macysownyourstyle #gardentok #planttiktok #bugtok #gardening #gardenhack

♬ Lady Bug – Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen

How It Works

The presence of ladybugs (technically beetles) in your garden should reduce the aphid population enough to prevent damage to your favorite plants. You can buy ladybugs to put in your garden if you don’t see any. In theory, they’ll eat the aphids, solving the problem.

“In theory” is the key phrase here.

Why Purchased Ladybugs Might Not Work

There’s no guarantee the introduced ladybugs will hang around and keep your garden aphid-free. Ladybugs will go wherever there’s food. If your garden isn’t a good natural habitat for ladybugs, they will soon fly off.

In the Tiktok video, the gardener releases the ladybugs in a greenhouse. Though less likely to fly away, the ladybugs won’t live long if that greenhouse environment doesn’t provide for their long-term needs.

And be careful when buying ladybugs at the garden center. In her book Plant Partners, Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden, Jessica Walliser tells consumers to avoid them.

“In most cases they are convergent ladybugs (Hippodamia convergens) that are wild collected from their overwintering sites on sunny mountaintops in the western United States and shipped around the country for sale,” she writes. “The practice disturbs wild populations and potentially spreads disease to indigenous ladybug species in your garden.”

How to Keep Ladybugs in Your Garden

For ladybugs to keep aphids under control in your garden, you need a garden ladybugs are attracted to. In general:

• Provide nectar sources: Planting sunflowers, alyssum, dill and fennel can attract ladybugs to plants regularly attacked by aphids.
• Provide places for ladybugs to overwinter:  Ladybugs love fallen leaves. Keep the leaves right where they fall.
• Avoid spraying pesticides: You’ll likely kill the ladybugs along with your targeted pests.

Other Ways to Get Rid of Aphids

If ladybugs aren’t solving your aphid problem, try one of these methods.

• Put on a pair of garden gloves and wipe the aphids off the plants. Aphids won’t fly away when you touch them, so it’s easy to wipe away small populations by hand.
• Spray them off the plants with water from a garden hose. Use a strong enough spray to knock the aphids off, but not so strong that it damages the plant.

When you have an ant problem, do you need a full array of pesticides? Or will something as simple as a homemade orange oil solution work, as demonstrated in this TikTok video?

@gardeningsimplified

Quick way to get rid of ants Naturally #tipsandtricks #antproblem #ants #gardeningtipsforbeginners #gardeningtips #gardenhacks #diypestcontrol #diy

♬ Drop It Like It’s Hot – Snoop Dogg

How It Works

The video demonstrates how to make the solution: Pulverize orange peels, mix with water and heat for several minutes. Then pour the hot orange oil mixture on the ants.

Did it kill the ants as the narrator claims? Probably some.

Orange oil from peels contains a chemical known as D-limonene. When applied to ants and other insects, it removes the waxy coating on their respiratory system, suffocating them. Pouring the mixture while still hot may not have made a difference, but it sure made the person in the video happy.

How To Kill Ants With Orange Oil

You don’t have to make your own orange oil ant-killing solution. You can buy a product like Orange Guard which contains orange oil to control fire ants and other insects.

The manufacturer suggests two ways to use it. Spraying directly on ants kills them on contact. Spraying every three to four weeks in cracks or crevices where insects enter your house can prevent them from coming in. Orange Guard is certified organic by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).

To kill fire ants, pour the orange oil down into the mound as instructed on the label. That increases the likelihood of killing the queen, effectively killing the colony.

Do Other Home Remedies Kill Fire Ants or Other Ants?

No. According to the Extension Service at Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities, most home remedies for killing fire ants don’t work. Those include anything with grits, club soda, soapy water, wood ash, baking soda, molasses or vinegar. Mixing fire ant mounds together, if you’re brave enough to try it, doesn’t work either!

Other Methods of Killing Ants

Besides orange oil products, you can also kill some ants with traps or baits.

I prefer Terro Indoor Liquid Ant Killer Baits, which contain Borax. When I see ants indoors, I place one of the baits near them. Foraging ants are attracted to the bait and carry the Borax back to their colony, killing all the ants inside. Problem solved!

If you’re using bait to kill fire ants, be sure to get one labeled for fire ants, like Amdro Fire Ant Killer Bait. Then carefully follow the instructions on the label.

Of course, to deal with a particularly bad infestation of fire ants, ants or termites, it may be time to call a professional pest exterminator. Always be sure they’re licensed and insured before signing anything.

Mosquitoes

No matter where you live, mosquitos are common outdoor companions. “Mosquitoes are one of the most annoying insects, and they’re especially bad when you’re camping,” says Nicholas Kilby of Think Wild.

Start by choosing your campsite wisely. Avoid areas with standing or stagnant water like ponds, puddles and marshes. Also, seek places prone to breezes, which can prevent mosquitoes from swarming.

To further keep them at bay, you’ll likely need a combination of the following:

• Clothing: Wear loose clothing to cover up exposed skin. A recent study also suggests clothing color can make a difference. Green, purple, blue and white seem to deter mosquitoes, while red, orange, black and cyan attract them. Other studies have shown that stinky items like unwashed socks attract them as well.
• Chemical repellents: DEET and permethrin are usually effective but can cause allergic reactions and harm the environment, so try to use them in moderation. “DEET can corrode valuable camping equipment and prolonged exposure to high concentrations of permethrin has been linked to different types of cancer,” says Kilby.
• Natural repellents: Scents like citronella and eucalyptus can help keep mosquitoes away without harsh chemicals. “However, these methods don’t usually work when the mosquitoes are really bad,” says Kilby.
• Bug-repellant clothes: Some clothing lines are made from or treated with insect repellants. “Exofficio is one of my favorite bug-repellent clothing brands,” Kilby says, “and Sawyer makes great bug repellant for your skin and clothing that will not damage your gear.”
• Smoke: Smoke from a small fire can bring some relief. But never leave a fire untended, and extinguish it properly to prevent wildfires.

Once you’re bitten, resist the urge to scratch. Scratching increases your histamine response, which makes the bite itch more. And once the skin is broken, you risk infection. An anti-itch cream can help.

Why do mosquitoes even exist? “Mosquitos play an important role in the ecosystem, some species serving as important pollinators,” says Susan Getty, Public Policy Specialist, Wildlife at the Humane Society of the United States. They’re also a vital food source for certain birds, bats, fish, dragonflies, frogs and others.

According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, there are roughly 175 mosquito species in the U.S. Few transmit disease, although it’s still a good idea to avoid getting bitten.

In northern Minnesota, where I spend many of my weekends, I can’t remember a year when the mosquitoes were this terrible. All summer long we’ve experimented with new and different insect repellents, fogging methods and anything else to limit my family’s itchy bites. Nothing worked.

So I started scouring the internet for mosquito extermination options and found the Skeeter Hawk Fly Trap. I ordered one up and tested it to see if it could be the thing to save our summer.

What Is the Skeeter Hawk Fly Trap?

The Skeeter Hawk Large Fly Trap lures, captures and kills mosquitoes, gnats, house flies, horseflies and many other flying insects. The dual-band, bright blue LED UV light attracts them, and the ultra-quiet fan draws them to the canister where they die from dehydration.

Roughly 16 inches tall, it plugs into a conventional 110-volt outlet. A fold-down hanging hook makes it easy to keep out of the way, indoors or outdoors. And a single power button and twist-lock insect dehydration canister make it extremely user-friendly. Skeeter Hawk Large Fly Traps protect large rooms, yards, pools, patios and decks without chemicals or continuous buzzing.

How We Tested It

With the summer winding down, I packed up the family for a quiet August weekend at a small northern Minnesota cabin. Since my in-laws are also staying there, I brought the Skeeter Hawk Fly Trap to help keep the mosquitoes away during outdoor meals and patio sessions with us and our new baby, their newest grandchild.

I was eager to determine how well the the fly trap worked, whether the sound or brightness were nuisances, and how easily I could dispose of the dead insects.

Operation

FAQs

Q: Can the Skeeter Hawk Fly Trap run on batteries if there’s no outlet available?

A: No, it requires a wall outlet.

Q: Do the Fly Traps come in any other sizes or colors?

A: There are two sizes of Skeeter Hawk Fly Traps: small and large. They’re only available with a gray body and blue LED lights.

What Other Reviewers Had To Say

Cockroaches are fast, they eat anything, they carry diseases and they’re just plain gross. They’re so ingrained in our collective nightmares that they’re the baddies of more than a few horror movies.

So it’s no wonder social media is rife with tricks and tips to get rid of them. This latest anti-roach TikTok hack claims that after spraying lavender water in her client’s home, roaches hit the road and were scarce for a week.

@kikidavis

#nomoreroaches #noinsecticides #noinsectsinmyhome #lavenderroachkilla #lavenderroachkiller #lavenderflowers💜 #nobedbugshere #insectfreezone

♬ original sound – Kiki Davis

We asked an entomologist if this hack was sound. Is lavender water really a cheap, natural alternative to harsh chemical insecticides?

How it Works

The recipe is simple: Two tablespoons of lavender flower and four to six cups of water, simmered for four to six hours. Alternatively, let the lavender steep without heat for two days. Strain the lavender out of the mixture, let it cool and put the lavender water into a spray bottle.

According to the hack, just spray this where you see roaches and it should repel the nasty bugs from your home.

From the Expert

But will this hack work? Not according to Scott Green, a board-certified entomologist (BCE) with Ehrlich Pest Control.

“As an essential oil (EO), lavender can repel some small insects like flies and fleas,” says Green. It’s especially effective, he says, when combined with other EOs like spearmint and wintermint.

One problem: EOs don’t have a ton of residual efficacy. That means they must be reapplied frequently, and roaches don’t carry them back to their pals in your walls. For roach control, that’s a problem.

What Is An Essential Oil?

Essential oils are chemical compounds that make lavender smell like lavender and mint smell like mint. They are the “essence” of the plant. “Bugs come up, smell it and want no part of it,” says Green.

Essential oils are bug paralytics, affecting certain neurotransmitters that control movement and communication between tissues. They can be used in concentrated form or as a spray.

Lavender Water vs. Lavender Oil

If essential oil sprays are effective against some bugs, why wouldn’t this hack work? What’s the difference between lavender water and lavender essential oil?

Essential oils must be extracted from a plant via steam distillation, cold-pressing, solvent extraction or other specific means. Essential oils are not really oils in the traditional sense. They’re volatile chemical compounds, meaning they evaporate easily under normal temperature and pressure.

Those vaporized compounds must be captured and condensed to be used effectively. Think of a whiskey still. You wouldn’t get any booze in the bottle if you let the alcohol molecules escape with the steam.

True lavender water, or hydrosol, is the solution left over after extracting essential oils. Lavender water has a ton of great uses, from cooking to relaxing. But the EOs contain repellant qualities, so lavender water is just not going to be the best solution for roaches.

And then there’s this: “Lavender isn’t one of the oils that truly eliminates anything,” Green says. Well, shoot.

What To Do About Roaches

“The best way to control cockroaches is not to allow them into your house,” Green says. Here’s how:

• Move woodpiles and other cockroach hiding places away from your house.
• Clean up pet waste!
• Pick up rotting fruit and vegetables that fall from trees or garden plants.
• Don’t leave food or water outside. If you feed your pet on the patio, pick up the dish when they’re finished.
• Seal up cracks and crevices in your home’s exterior.

If you do find roaches, an integrated approach is best. Sanitation, mechanical repair, cleaning and changing personal habits are always the first thing to try:

• Vacuum the bug up, if possible.
• Clean and sanitize the area daily.
• Trap roaches on a glue trap and have them identified by an expert. This knowledge can help determine the best way to eliminate them.
• Hire a pest control expert to take care of infestations.

While essential oils show promise for some bugs, cockroaches are nothing to mess around with. Unfortunately, there’s just no evidence that homemade lavender water is going to cut it.

Spiders are complex creatures that are often misunderstood. Prolific hunters, they eat bugs around the house and control agricultural pests without harming crops.

Some spiders weave beautiful webs and provide color to our backyards and gardens. A few species are venomous to humans. But for the most part, they leave people alone to carry on their spider business.

Still, they’re a little creepy. They’re also everywhere, including our homes. In a recent study, researchers at North Carolina State University found spiders in 100 percent of homes surveyed and nearly 80 percent of all rooms. Great!

If you’re like me, you ignore them and hope for the best. I can’t bring myself to kill spiders; anything that eats mosquitoes is a friend of mine. But most people prefer they not come into the house at all. That might take some doing, as many common house spiders have been living indoors since the Roman Empire.

But you can take steps to prevent outdoor spiders from entering your home, and minimize the likelihood of house spiders invading your personal space. We talked to an expert entomologist to find out why spiders are in your home, and what you can do to stop them.

Why Do Spiders Enter Homes?

“Spiders enter for the same reason we do: food, water and shelter,” says Michael Thome, an associate certified entomologist with Ehrlich Pest Control. Some wander in from outside, but many are different species of house spiders that live indoors for their entire life cycle.

Here are the primary reasons spiders take up residence in your home:

• Food: Spiders are carnivores and eat flies, mosquitoes, ants, roaches and other common household pests.
• Water: Some spiders love damp areas of your home like crawlspaces and bathrooms, but all spiders need water.
• Shelter: Dusty attic corners or stacks of boxes in your basement provide great cover for spiders. Find out how to get rid of spiders in your basement.

Homeowners usually notice an uptick in spiders in the fall, but Thome says that’s not when they enter the house. Spiders hatch inside in the spring, and by fall the young are large enough to look for a mate. That’s when we tend to see them inside, though they’ve been there awhile.

How Do Spiders Get Into Homes?

Spiders gain entry two ways, Thome says. First, they just walk right in. Second, they hitchhike.

Here are some specific ways spiders enter your house:

• Gaps and cracks in your home’s foundation or masonry facade;
• Open windows and doors;
• Torn window and door screens;
• Openings around pipes, vents and ductwork;
• Clothing, firewood, toys, plants, camping gear — anything that’s been outside that you brought inside;
• Building materials and furniture shipped in commerce.

How To Keep Spiders From Entering Your Home

When it comes to pest control strategies, sometimes the best offense is a strong defense, as the old saying goes. Spiders are considered opportunistic predators; they’ll set up shop when they find a place that fulfills their basic needs. Make sure that place isn’t your home.

Thome suggests fixing the following issues:

• Seal cracks and holes in your foundation and masonry;
• Replace torn or damaged window and door screens;
• Install door sweeps and weatherstripping around windows;
• Make sure doors and windows close properly;
• Reduce clutter and keep the inside of your home clean, including attics, basements and crawl spaces;
• Turn off outside lights at night. Flying insects love lights, and spiders love insects;
• Inspect things that have been outside, and sweep off spiders or webs before bringing them inside.

Most of the time, people and spiders live harmoniously inside together. If spiders are becoming a nuisance, try these DIY solutions first. Spiders can often be discouraged with a few key changes around the house. If you have an infestation, it might be time to call a professional.

However, there is one contender for natural pest control that may actually live up to its hype — a specific type of eucalyptus oil. Here’s a look at what it can and can’t do, and why all eucalyptus oil isn’t created equal.

Eucalyptus Oil for Pest Control

You may know eucalyptus oil can be an effective repellent for biting and parasitic insects like mosquitoes and ticks. But, of the more than 800 species of trees and plants in the eucalypteae “tribe” (as the grouping is known among botanists), only one of them produces an oil that’s actually been proven to repel bugs. Corymbia citriodora, commonly known as lemon eucalyptus or lemon-scented gum tree, only occurs naturally in parts of Australia, though the trees are available for purchase in the U.S.

It’s important to read the labels when you buy a eucalyptus oil bug repellent, and here’s why:

• Oil of lemon eucalyptus, which will be labeled as OLE or PMD (for p-menthane-3,8-diol) is sourced from the leaves of lemon eucalyptus. If you buy an insect repellent that contains “oil of lemon eucalyptus,” OLE or PMD, you’re getting a formula that’s been verified in studies, one as recent as 2016.
• Products labeled as containing lemon eucalyptus essential oil aren’t the same thing. It’s confusing, we know! Lemon eucalyptus essential oil contains only trace amounts of PMD, and therefore doesn’t have the same ability to repel insects.

The 2016 study in the Wilderness and Environmental Medicine Journal showed that oil of lemon eucalyptus/OLE/PMD was as effective, or more effective, than DEET in repelling the following insects:

• Anopheline mosquitoes, which carry malaria;
• Culicine mosquitoes, which carry arboviruses, including Dengue fever and West Nile virus;
• Ticks, including deer ticks, which carry Lyme disease;
• Flies and biting midges (called “no-see-ums” in some parts of the U.S.).

Because it contains small amounts of PMD, lemon eucalyptus essential oil can help repel bugs — a little. But it doesn’t last nearly as long as products with higher concentrations of PMD, and it doesn’t dissuade the bugs nearly as effectively.

How To Use Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus for Pest Control

When shopping for a product containing PMD, do your homework. When we inserted the search term “oil of lemon eucalyptus” on Amazon, the results that came back were virtually all lemon eucalyptus essential oil, not — repeat not! — the same thing. Instead, a search for “PMD insect repellent” turned up a few options, including pump-spray formulas from Cutter and Repel. Read the label and make sure you’re buying a product that contains oil of lemon eucalyptus, not lemongrass oil, lemon eucalyptus essential oil or other ingredients that are either less concentrated or not derived from the same trees.

These spray products can be applied topically, just like any other mosquito spray, to skin and clothing. If you’re spending an extended amount of time outdoors, you’ll want to reapply every two hours.

Other Essential Oils and Natural Forms of Pest Control

Oil of lemon eucalyptus may be the only essential oil proven to work on ticks and mosquitos, but there are plenty of other plant-derived solutions for pest control:

• Peppermint oil. We may love it for fresh breath and its minty flavor, but bugs absolutely hate it. A diluted spray of peppermint oil and water will keep away most common household bugs, such as flies, ants and roaches. (And mice!)
• Cedar oil. When sprayed on plants, a mix of cedar oil, witch hazel and distilled water will eliminate nymphal-stage black-legged ticks.
• Lavender oil diluted with water can be sprayed on bed linens and in closets to deter moths, and it will kill tick eggs.
• Consider planting some mosquito-repelling plants, especially around outdoor areas where people and pets are most likely to congregate. Basil, lavender, lemongrass and penny royal are just a few plants that naturally repel mosquitos.