Eliminating Pests in the Home

Eliminating Pests in the Home BY LISA S.T. DOSS

Gary Lawson’s Far Side comic provided a world filled with uncomfortable social situations through surrealistic humor. You may recall the illustration, or one similar, of Ed and Barbara welcoming the beetle family, accompanied by suitcases, at their front door. What does Barbara say? “I’ll get the coffee on!” The moment is inevitable. Seasonal invaders arrive seeking the same home comforts—shelter, food, and water! Prevention is by far the most effective way to ensure bugs have no choice but to leave!

WELCOME SIGN Sometimes, an open door, basket, grocery bag, or package is the carrier to transport pests indoors. Before taking a step over the threshold, despite the heavily laden weight, take time to examine the various containers, especially if they hold produce or a live plant. Family pets can also bring in nature.

Additionally:

• Brush your family’s outdoor pets transitioning to the indoors, even if it’s with a tool or your hand.

• Perhaps the used couch was a great find, but you don’t know what’s lurking unseen on it, awaiting better food prospects!

SEALING CREVICES AND GAPS The slightest opening is just enough for a critter to enter; therefore, take the time to check all your windows, screens, sliding and storm doors, and other points of entry. After turning on all the interior lights, go outdoors to search for light emanating from the house. If you find it, that is a good indication you’ll need to caulk, replace weatherstripping, renew the door sweep, use screen tape, or repair the threshold. In looking for crevices, cracks, holes, and vent openings, check your foundation, attic, and fuse boxes, wall outlets, light switches, and baseboards!

CLEAN OUT PANTRIES Along baseboards of kitchens, crumbs are perfect for particular types of bugs. Ants love sweetened foods, while the Indian meal moth prefers rice, flour, cereal, and nuts. The flour beetle is aptly named; yet it also likes to delve into cake mix boxes, dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, and spices. One solution is eliminating cardboard and easy-access bags and investing in heavy-duty, plastic, sealable containers with snapping or spinning lids. Consider using a food-grade bucket and Gamma lid to store flour, sugar, rice, and pet food. Use Mason jars to contain smaller, daily amounts, ensuring your food is just for human consumption.

CHECK PLANTS Beyond the cupboards and pantries, you might need to look in one hidden location—your plants. Aphids, earwigs, scale, and spider mites are just a few pests which can be lurking in your soil or attached to leaves. Transplant to another pot if leaves are not clean!

MOP, VACUUM, AND CLEAN!

All your good housekeeping methods will help deter the bugs from staying.

Elicit children to help by emptying trashcans, cleaning sinks, and bathtubs weekly. Use a drain cleaner to wash away drain flies, and remove stacks of paper-based products, including magazines, newspapers, and boxes; cockroaches love them!

THE BASEMENT Rooms underground usually lack foot traffic during the week; therefore, insects easily can establish homes without detection. Silverfish, springtails, and centipedes prefer damp locations. Start walking around. Look near the doorway, windows, corners of walls, on the bathroom floors, and near water spigots. You might find a trail of insects! THE SOLUTION:

• Fix any leaky faucets, drains, or pipes.

• Ensure your waterrun appliances are working correctly.

• Start running a dehumidifier.

CLEAN-UP OUTSIDE Buckets of standing water are breeding areas for mosquitoes, and weeds harbor insect pests. Keep branches and other plant debris away from the foundation of your home. Consider setting up firewood and compost bins at a distance!

NATURAL SOLUTIONS Fortunately, there are household items, plants, and essential oils that can rid your home of unwanted guests!

• ANTS: Make a solution of Borax with sugar, honey, or syrup. The bait will return to the nest and poison the colony.

• FLIES: In a jar, add an inch’s worth of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. Secure the plastic wrap with a rubber band, and poke holes in the top. This method also works well for gnats.

• INDIAN MEAL MOTHS: Add a deterrent to your cupboards and pantries, and around your trash cans and bays.

• SILVERFISH: Sprinkle cedar chips in damp areas. Make sure to collect them and add fresh, if needed!

• SPIDERS: Rub a citrus peel or essential oil along baseboards and bookshelves.

Keep researching other methods to deter pests in every season. With each effort, you’ll soon live in a home without uninvited company!

Fall

Planting

BY LISA S.T. DOS

Standing. Thinking. Assessing. A gardener’s new beginnings require methodical plans. With its mild weather, rainfall, and lack of pests, October is one of the best months to take advantage of the growing season. But, first, you’ll need to tackle aiding the soil!

Increasing the Organic Matter Transitioning the garden to a new season requires ensuring your plants thrive in a healthy environment. The “no-till method” is a system of layering organic components, like compost and animal fertilizers, over the soil each spring and fall. The nutrient-heavy base, approximately two inches deep, improves the texture and the overall health of seeds and young plants. With this method, tools are not necessary; instead, press lightly into the soil’s surface, place seeds or plants, and cover.

DO’S:

• Organic mulches can include formerly living materials such as paper, shredded bark, grass clippings, and straw. Weed-free hay or straw will discourage weeds, while adding organic matter and moisture retention to your soil.

• Compost is an essential additive to your garden. As a base, mix it with your soil.

If you do not have compost, you can toss banana peels and coffee grounds into your garden. Digging a trench and covering the compost with soil is an option; however, the area will need time, direct sunlight, and occasional water to decompose fully.

• When wood ash is cold, add to your garden; it serves as a natural lime additive.

DON’TS

• Be careful what classifies as topsoil. You may bring diseases, harmful insects, and chemical residues into your garden, which will result in an uphill battle against them.

• Mulch is a quality amendment; however, it may take up to two years to decompose. (Without a soil test to determine your current pH level and nutrients, it is best NOT to add fertilizers.)

What to Plant? Root vegetables come in various colors and fill your beds with vibrant colors, such as purple, red, white, green, yellow, and pink. Consider developing mounds to create walkways; insulate your crops from cold temperatures; and allowing for water drainage. Add a layer of mulch to the base of each plant for extra protection!

SEEDS IDEAL FOR ZONE 7:

• GARLIC: For a hearty crop, plant individual cloves at an eightinch depth, and consider adding a slow-release fertilizer. (Leave the paper covering intact.) Harvest in 17 to 25 weeks.

• ONIONS: Save space by planting carrots and onions together, between two and four inches apart. Add onions to the garden between September and March. Harvest in 25 to 34 weeks, and dry before storing.

• RADISH: Sow seeds directly about ½ inch deep, one inch apart, and in rows 12 inches apart. As a fast-growing plant, radish can be harvested in three weeks with some varieties.

• SHALLOTS: Compatible with carrots, beets, and lettuce, shallots are an easy-to-grow bulb. Plant eight inches apart. Harvest between 12 and 15 weeks.

Planting Greens Crops of leafy greens can thrive past September. Given the advanced growth of established plants, arugula, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, mustard greens, and spinach will do well.

SEEDS IDEAL FOR ZONE 7:

• FAVA BEANS: An easy-to-grow broad bean. It’s vital to sow seeds four inches below the surface and roughly eight inches apart. (Harvest in 12 to 22 weeks.)

• CHIVES: With an onion flavoring, chives are a fantastic herb to have on hand. Compatible with beets and carrots, plant five inches apart and harvest at 17 weeks.

Considering a Cover Crop Weed control is a constant fight for gardeners. The solution is planting a cover crop, such as mustard, radish, and buckwheat, which improves the soil structure while removing excess nitrogen. In addition, alfalfa, clovers, and especially legumes work to convert the soil’s bacteria into nitrogen. Using cover crops prevents sun exposure to unwelcome seeds. In spring, the earth will be loose and light, perfect for planting!

Winter Preparation Before winter, add one of the best sources of organic matter, shredded leaves. While adding trace minerals such as calcium and magnesium, “nature’s gift” also provides a welcomed food source for earthworms and other microbes. Leaf mold retains up to five times its weight in water, making it an essential additive to any garden. Placed in gardens to overwinter, it will serve as an insulator and protect against winter winds and cold.