Category Archives: Home, Car, Yard, and Pets

Ridding Your House Of Ants & Roaches

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Rid your home of pesky ants and roaches without the use of dangerous pesticides!
How do you keep pests out of your home and what do you do if they manage to find their way in?

There is sufficient evi­dence to support the fact that adults shouldn’t unnecessarily be exposed to pesticides any­more than children should. In 2004, Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) presented an analysis of pesti­cide related data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The results showed that many U.S. residents carry toxic pesticides in their bodies at levels above the govern­ment’s “acceptable” thresholds. Many of the pesticides found in the test subjects have been linked to serious short- and long-term health effects, including infertil­ity, birth defects, and childhood and adult cancers. Parkinson’s Disease has been linked to pesti­cide exposure.

Obviously, pesticides are much more dangerous than the industry admits to. Many people in the business will say they use “safe” pesticides. There is no such thing as a safe pesticide and it is actually against the law to say so.

How do you combat pests?

Never use routine spraying of pesticides in your home. If ants find their way into your home or are making a nuisance of them­selves in your yard, there are several non-toxic options you can use to control them.

If you know where the ants are coming in from, you can repel them with such products as food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE), baking soda, talcum powder, medicated body powder, damp coffee grounds, salt, cayenne, garlic powder, Comet Cleaner or Tide laundry soap. Place any of these materials in corners, un­der baseboards or in any cracks and crevices where you see ants emerging.

These products are mostly powders and won’t work around the perimeter of your home as they will be blown away or washed away. Diatomaceous earth is available at feed stores.

If you can find the ants’ en­trance on the outside, you can block it with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, any toothpaste or duct tape. You can also squeeze lem­on juice into the opening and leave the lemon peel there.

You can spray the ants them­selves with a mixture of 40 per­cent water, 40 percent alcohol and 20 percent dish soap (these proportions don’t have to be ex­act).

You can also spray them with Fantastic or WD40. You can spray around your foundation with a mixture of 2 ounce table salt and one ounce, white pep­per in one pint water.

If you have ants making mounds in your yard you can flood the nests with club soda, a dilution of orange juice, Lemon Joy and peppermint or with white vinegar or food-grade DE.

If you use the DE, mix four tablespoons per gallon of water. You can also use one gallon of orange juice diluted with two gallons of water and a dash of soap. If you prefer, you can also spread dry instant grits on the mound. The ants will eat it and not be able to digest it and die.

Once ants are in the house, you can usually eradicate them with a non-toxic bait. However, whether it is non-toxic or not, I always recommend placing baits where children and/or pets cannot get to them.

When you use baits, the ants will take it back to the colony and kill the queen. If you are
seeing dead ants around the bait they aren’t taking it back and the problem won’t be solved. You may want to change baits if this is a problem.

You can mix apple sauce, Kara syrup, Crisco shortening, sugar water, canned cat food (fish fla­vored), creamy peanut butter, honey or jelly with boric acid or borax. Mix about 2 percent boric acid or borax into the bait. You can also use food-grade DE at a rate of 5 percent, or a packet of Equal, which contains aspartame (which you probably shouldn’t be putting in your coffee).

If cockroaches become a nui­sance, here are some tips:

Combine half cup powdered sugar and quarter cup shorten­ing or bacon drippings. Add half cup onions, half cup flour and eight oz. baking soda. Add enough water to make a dough-like consistency. Make balls of bait and put them wher­ever you see roaches.

Also you can mix one clove gar­lic, one onion, one tablespoon of cayenne pepper and 1 quart wa­ter. Steep for one hour, strain, add a tablespoon of liquid soap and spray it around the house for ant and/or roach control.

You can mix one cup borax and fourth cup black pepper and fourth cup shredded bay leaves and place them in areas to repel roaches. Keep all of these baits away from kids and pets.

Spraying the baseboards in a house or commercial building was never intended to kill bugs. It was intended to kill time in the customer’s house or business in order to instill “perceived value” It’s never necessary. If your ex­terminator wants to spray base­boards, find another one who only uses pesticides around the outside of your home.

Pets Questions & Answers

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Dogs are one thing. But come on, can you really train a cat?
True, it’s a lot easier to train a dog. But you can walk cats on a harness out­doors and you can teach them to do basic things, like sit or come, using food rewards. You just have to be more patient.

Okay,  let’s  start  with scratching up the furni­ture. How do you get your cat to cut it out?
Scratching is a natural behavior for cats—they do it to remove the dead outer layer of their claws, to mark territory with the scent glands in their paws and just to get exercise. Since you can’t stop the behavior you need to give your cat some­thing that’s okay to scratch. Cats like the feel of rough, irregular surfaces, which is why most scratch­ing posts are carpeted. Put one right beside the piece of furniture your cat has been using and encourage it to scratch that instead.

What about a cat that suddenly stops using the litter box?
First, check with your vet to see if there’s an underlying medical condi­tion such as a urinary tract infection. Then it’s time to play detective. Is the litter box near its food or water? They don’t like that. Is the litter clean? Has the arrival of a new baby or animal in the household upset the cat? Sometimes cats don’t like a particular brand of litter, so if you decided to change it recently, switch back.

So many cats insist on drinking out of faucets. What’s up with that?
Cats love running water, probably because it’s cool and fresh. You can buy a water fountain that’s made specifically for cats. It’s basically a plug-in water bowl with a reser­voir. The device recirculates water, so it’s always running. Put the fountain next to the faucet the cat has been drinking from and gradually move it from there to wherever you want it.

How do I keep my cat off the kitchen counter tops? Give it something more interesting to do. Put a climbing tree right in the kitchen and buy new cat toys. Also, cut clutter. The more stuff on the coun­ter, the more appealing it is to a cat.

Pet Care In The Winter

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As we prepare for the joys.of the holiday season, we must remember to protect our pets from the rigors of winter weather. The veterinarians at Animal Humane offer the following tips to safeguard your pet’s health and happiness during the cold winter months:

• Keep young, elderly and small pets indoors. Small animals cannot tolerate the cold as well as larger pets with greater body mass. Just like humans, the very young and the very old are weaker, feebler and always, at greater risk to succumbing to pneumonia or even freezing to death.

• Be aware of the many ways that automobifes can be deadly to pets in the winter. Cats frequently seek out the warmth of automobile engines for example and can be injured or killed by the fan when a motor is started. As a precaution, develop the habit of banging on the hood of you’r car before engaging the engine.

• Never leave your pet unattended in a car. Not only is it illegal, but animals can freeze to death quickly in the small, cold space.

•  Make sure your radiator is not leaking antifreeze, which smells and tastes sweet but is deadly to animals. Have your vehicle professionally serviced on a regular basis. Also, consider switching to pet-friendly propylene glycol products rather than those containing ethyleneglycol.

• Provide your pet sufficient food. Animals have greater caloric and nutritional requirements during cold weather, especially if they spend time outdoors.

• Fill your pet’s bowl with plenty of fresh water, which is even more impprtant than food to an outdoor pet in winter. And make certain the water source is not frozen.

• Don’t permit holiday guests to offer your pets food, bones or alcohol. At the very least, this can cause severe gastric upset. At worst, brittle cooked bones can rupture the intestinal tract, spicy foods can produce hemorrhagic gastroenteritis; and alcohol can induce intoxication, coma or death.

•  Keep poinsettias, holly, mistletoe, Star of Bethlehem and holiday bouquets safely out of Fido’s and Miss Kitty’s reach. If your pet ingests a potentially harmful substance, call the American Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty Animal Poison Control Center at 888.426-4435 and seek veterinary care immediately.

• Keep your pet warm and dry. An animal’s coat is natural insulation. Resist the temptation to thin it or shave it. Invest in a warm coat or sweater for outdoor activity if your pet is small or has short hair.

• Provide a dry, insulated shelter where your pet can escape drafts and the elements, preferably off the ground.

•  Have your pets microchipped and tagged with your address and phone number. If they do become lost, they can be quickly and safely returned to you.

The Mexican Pantry

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Ancho chile: When fresh poblano chiles are dried, they’re called anchos. Mildly spicy, like their fresh counterparts, anchos give a rich sweetness to marinades or a simmering pot of chili.

Cilantro; This familiar Mexican herb is used only when fresh; it loses all flavor when dried. It provides an explosive sprinkle over lots of street foods, mostly as a component of salsa and guacamole. Store it wrapped in barely damp paper towels in a plastic bag, in the warmest part of the refrigerator.

Guajillo chile: These smooth-skinned, brick- or cranberry-red dried chiles are a little spicier than anchos, and not nearly as sweet. They’re often ground into a powder that gives a tangy jolt to fresh fruits and vegetables; teamed with anchos, they lend multilayered flavor to stews and soups.

Jicama; This root vegetable is the color of a potato, and not much bigger. Sliced or julienned, it adds a slightly sweet, juicy crunch to chicken salads or coleslaw. You can also peel it, slice it, and eat it as a snack, as Mexicans do.

Masa harina: Corn tortillas are made from dried grain (field) corn cooked with mineral lime, then ground into a paste called masa. Several decades ago, a method to dehydrate and powder the perishable masa was discovered; the result became known as masa harina, or masa flour.

Poblano chile: This mildly spicy, dark-green fresh chile resembles a small bell pepper, but with a pointed end, tougher skin, and more compact flesh. The flavor is also similar to that of a bell pepper, only more concentrated and complex.

Queso anejo: This hard, aged cheese, made from cow’s milk, adds a salty kick to whatever it touches. Dishes that always get a dusting of grated queso anejo, such as enchiladas, grilled corn on the cob, and street snacks made from corn masa, would be naked without it—like pasta without Romano or Parmesan.

Serrano chile: These bullet-shaped, hot green chiles are about 2×2 inches long and 1 1-2 inch wide. They have a punchy flavor that is heaven to green-chile lovers—much less sweet than a jalapeno.

6 Things You Can Freeze

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1. EGGS Lightly beaten eggs, beaten yolks, or whites can be frozen, but not an egg in its shell. Store in lidded ice cube trays. (One egg fills two cubes.)
2. COOKED RICE Spread cooled rice on a lined baking sheet Rub with a small amount of vegetable oil so grains separate. Freeze, then transfer to a freezer bag.
3. GINGER ROOT Wrap peeled ginger in plastic, then put in freezer bag. Ginger grates well while still frozen.
4. CHEESE Cut hard (Parmesan, pecorino) and semi-hard cheeses (cheddar, Swiss) into ix4-inch blocks, wrap in plastic, then put in a freezer bag. Grate hard cheeses while frozen; thaw others in the refrigerator.
5. BUTTER or MARGARINE Store in a freezer bag, in its original packaging, for up to six months. Thaw in the refrigerator. Dont freeze whipped butter.
6. NUTS Store in airtight container or freezer bag for up to six weeks. Use right from the freezer for recipes—no need to thaw.