Dora Bingel Senior Center
Some foundations are more resistant
You’re invited to visit the Dora Bingel Senior Center, 923 N. 38th St., this month for the following: • May 6, 13, 20, & 27: Al-Anon meeting @ 7 p.m. • May 7, 14, 21, & 28: Grief Support Group @ 10 a.m. • May 15: Billy Troy sings at 11:30 a.m. The Regeneration Lunch is $3. • May 16: Red Hat Club meeting @ noon. • May 29: Birthday Party Luncheon @ noon. Eat free if you have a May birthday. • May 31: Hard of Hearing Support Group @ 10:30 a.m. A nutritious lunch is served on Tuesday and Friday. A fancier lunch is offered on Wednesday. A $1 donation is suggested for the meals, other than $3 for Regeneration. Round-trip transportation is available for $3. Reservations are required 24 hours in advance for all meals. Other activities offered at the facility include: Tuesday: matinee @ 12:30, quilting group @ 1 p.m. Wednesday: Devotions @ 10:30 a.m., Tai Chi @ 11:15 a.m., Bingo @ 1 p.m., and Bible study @ 1 p.m. Friday: Joy Club @ 9:30 a.m. and Bingo @ 1 p.m. A foot care clinic is offered Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost is $10. For more information, please call 402-898-5854.
Call 402-493-7655 to learn more
Breakfast Optimist Club golf event is scheduled for May 17 at Tiburon
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ou’re invited to participate in the 20th annual Don Beals Memorial Golf Tournament sponsored by the Breakfast Optimist Club of Omaha. The event is scheduled for Friday, May 17 at Tiburon Golf Club, 10302 S. 168th St. The 18-hole, four-person Texas scramble will feature a 1 p.m. shotgun start along with team, flag, and raffle prizes. A $10 donation gives a player the chance to win a 2013 Buick Verano by scoring a hole in one on a designated hole. The cost – which includes green fees, a cart, and dinner – is $80 for individuals or $320 for a foursome. Proceeds help support area youth activities. For more information, please call Steve Howard at 402-493-7655
Millard Senior Center You’re invited to visit the Millard Senior Center at Montclair, 2304 S. 135th Ave., this month for the following: • May 8: Project Linus Day. We’ll be making cotton, flannel, or fleece blankets for Omaha-area children. • May 10: Bling Day. Show off your jewelry and then tell center participants the stories behind the items you’re wearing. We’ll also be honoring all the Moms that day. The first Monday and Tuesday of each month, a nurse will be at the center for free blood pressure and pulse readings. The Millard Senior Center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch is served at 11:30. A $3 donation is suggested for the meal. Reservations are due by noon the business day prior to the lunch you wish to enjoy. Center activities include a walking club, Tai Chi (Mondays and Fridays from 10 to 10:45 a.m. for $1), chair volleyball (Tuesdays @ 10 a.m.), card games, and bingo. On Sept. 11, we’ll resume making dresses and shorts for young girls and boys in Africa. For meal reservations and more information, please call Susan Sunderman at 402-546-1270.
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New Horizons
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Termites become more active as the weather warms, find out if your house is susceptible to an infestation By Carol McNulty
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ermites in Nebraska live in the soil in a colony with hundreds or thousands of other termites. Extension educator Barb Ogg, Ph.D., says termites are important decomposers – they recycle dead plant materials and return nutrients to the soil. Termites are rarely seen and are a problem only when they feed on our structures. In Nebraska, termites aren’t very active during the winter when the soil is cold or frozen. But, when temperatures warm in the spring, hungry termites aggressively begin searching for food such as wood, cardboard, paper, or other types of cellulose. Termites have microbes in their gut that helps them turn cellulose into simple sugars, which they can digest. Termite researchers used to think termites wandered randomly through the soil. We know now this isn’t really true. Instead, Ogg says termites move in predictable ways to methodically divide and subdivide the soil to make sure they search every square inch of soil. If there’s a colony in your yard, termites eventually will bump into your house. To keep from becoming dehydrated, termites travel through the soil in mud tubes they make with mud, saliva, and feces. They keep the humidity in these mud tubes moist. In a perfect termite world, these soft-bodied workers would always stay in the soil, feeding on dead trees that have fallen to the ground. But, in urban areas, we clean up our landscapes so there are no dead trees lying around for them to eat. So, being the survivors they are, they search above the ground for wood. Any untreated wood that touches the soil is a potential termite conduit into the house. To get into a structure, termites must build a mud tube over the foundation or they must have a crack in the foundation or floor. Termites can squeeze through a 1/64th-inch wide crack. Ogg says some foundations are better at resisting termites than others: • Poured concrete foundations are best, as long as there aren’t cracks in the concrete. Rebar reinforced concrete will help prevent cracks. • Hollow block foundations are more risky, because the mortar that holds the blocks together may become weakened over time. The other problem with hollow block foundations is if the termites get inside the
hollow block, they can travel vertically into the house with no apparent signs of mud tubes. • Slab foundations are often close to the soil, which means termites can tube fairly easily into the structure. Slabs may have holes and cracks which provide a way into the structure. The basement floor almost always has a crack where it meets the side of the foundation. A susceptible location is often where the garage slab and house are attached. • Crawlspaces are problem areas because they are often humid and can’t be inspected very well. They are also difficult to treat. • Another problem area is called a “dirtfilled” porch. Many newer homes have this type of porch. During its construction, workers filled in the porch with soil and then poured a concrete “cap” on top. The dirt-filled porch is a problem because the soil (in the porch) is often higher than the structural wood of the house and is next to the house. • Some people believe brick houses are resistant to termites, but this isn’t true. Because the structure of a brick house is made of wood, termites will feed on it just as easily as other houses. In fact, a brick house is at risk because termites can travel behind the brick veneer to get into the house without being seen.
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gg gives us some questions to determine how vulnerable is your house? What type of foundation do you have? Do you have an inaccessible crawlspace? Do you have wood touching the soil near the house? Researchers say 90 percent of termite infestations can be traced back to wood in the soil. Do you have moisture problems near the house that may draw termites? How old is your house? The older the house, the more likely it is to have foundation problems. However, we also see termites in newer homes. If your house is vulnerable to termites, you may be able to prevent termites yourself by eliminating wood-soil contact or moisture problems. But, it’s important to be vigilant and watch for signs of termites during the warmer months. For more information on termites and other pest controls, visit http://lancaster.unl. edu and go to the insects, spiders, mice, and more section. (McNulty is an educator with the University of Nebraska cooperative extension office in Douglas and Sarpy counties.)
Your home.Your care.Your pace. PACE: Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly. Our program includes primary, acute and long-term health care as well as day therapeutic and recreational services and transportation. Services are provided in the home, in the community and at our PACE Center. For complete program details and benefits, please call
402-991-0330. 5755 Sorensen Parkway Omaha, NE 68152 www.immanuelpathways.org PACE participants may be fully and personally liable for the costs of unauthorized or out-of-PACE program services. Emergency services are covered. Participants may disenroll at any time.
May 2013