Ant Facts & Types - Ways To Get Rid Of Them
Ant Facts & Types - Ways to Get Rid of Them
There are countless numbers of ant species. For better or worse, they have adapted to living among humans and taking what they can to survive. Sometimes, their colonies become too large and have to be dealt with accordingly. When not living outdoors, ants love to nest in dry or decaying wood but will settle for Styrofoam or fiberglass insulation.
The Argentine Ant is common to rural and urban areas alike. They are identifiable by their tiny size (1/16" long) and brown color. They are the most common ant species in California and they will bite! They are true survivors and will live in and feed on garbage, dead animals or even toothpaste. Due to their unsavory habits, they often come in contact with disease and can be quite dangerous. They will eat just about anything we do and they thrive in dark, moist kitchen and bathroom areas.
The Carpenter Ant is named for his fine skill in tearing wood and crafting a nice nest for the next generation. They cause the most damage in mountainous and forested regions along the central and northern coastlines of California. They are generally larger than other ants and can range from red to black. They cannot sting, but will use their powerful jaws to bite. Keep an eye out for these ants by looking for their winged scouts and discarded wood particles (sometimes called "frass"). It is vital to determine the location of these nests because they can cause untold damage. Examine any frass for clues as to where they have been practicing their craft. Keep in mind that these ants prefer to feed on the honey dew of certain varieties of aphids and can quickly overwhelm and destroy these plants.
The Field Ant is relatively large at a quarter of an inch. They enjoy the sunny outdoors, but they will eat a cooling pie from a windowsill. These ants are the ones that we have all seen in sidewalk cracks.
The Fire Ant is among the most insidious of all insect species. They have a potent bite that burns like salsa in the eyes! They are generally 1/8" long and can be identified by their light red bodies and brown bodies. They build their nests outside in small mounds or inside in anything from wood to drywall. They will eat anything. They have an unhealthy fascination will electricity and their ignorance of proper safety procedures leads them to cause expensive damage to electrical equipment. We use this shocking tendency to draw ants into an isolation chamber by using a solar panel to generate a small, but fascinating current in the Solar Ant Charmer. Also, boric acid is toxic to ants, but it doesn't work immediately.
The Odorous House Ant is a stinky little pest. They are reportedly identifiable by a distinct odor that is released when they are crushed. This odor supposedly resembles that of rotten coconuts, so if you want to be sure, allow some coconuts to rot and compare the smells. These ants have a preference for sweets and live in the same places as most other ants.
The Pavement Ant is partial to living in and around cement. They are less than 1/8th" in length and range from brown to black. These ants will eat almost anything and are thus a good target for baits.
The Pharaoh Ant is a tiny (less than 1/16") critter and is rumored to have come here all the way from Egypt. They have a wasp-like look to them and a surly attitude that reminds us that they were annoying the ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago. They prefer the indoors and warm areas. These ants are particularly tricky to control because any disturbance of the nest causes them to panic and execute an evacuation plan that would make OSHA proud. They will disperse and readily form a new colony in a new and undoubtedly more inconvenient spot. Pay specific attention to leaving the nest itself undisturbed. Baits work very well this ant, while contact pesticides are usually useless.
The Thief Ant is an unsavory character known for stealing the food supply and nests of other colonies. These sneaky guys are among the smallest ants found. When they manage to raid another nest, they will return the food to their ground and wooden dwellings. They are often found scavenging among dead animal carcasses and have even found themselves involved in the lifecycle of a tapeworm species. They are picky eaters and often won't eat a large enough portion to be poisoned with baits.
The Velvety Tree Ant has a soft, velvety abdomen and a red thorax. These stylish cousins are much larger at 3/8" long and prefer to nest in trees. These ants are reputed to share the rotten coconut smell of the Odorous House ant. They prefer sweets but have been known to eat dead animals and dead insects. Beware, these ants will inflict a painful bite.
The Yellow Ant is about 1/8" long and emits a citronella odor when crushed. These ants love moisture and hate daylight, almost like vampire ants. They will seek out rotting wood and will ignore healthy wood altogether. These ants are particularly picky eaters, with a taste for other insects but not for sweets.
More Posts from Completehomemaker-blog and Others
This recipe makes two pies but you could also combine it into one deep dish pie instead. You can use premade crusts like I did or make your own, just don’t bake the crust first. I’ll make this again at Christmas with my own crust recipe…I don’t think I’ve shared that here on the blog either!
7 Homemade Organic Pesticide Recipes
Spider mites, aphids and other pests can cause considerable damage to flowers and food plants (that is fruits and vegetables). These creatures attack your garden in swarms, literally draining the life from your crops and often inviting disease in the process.
Many chemical pesticides can prove unsafe for the environment or may make crops unsafe for consumption, however.
Thankfully, there are many homemade, organic options for you to turn to in your “war” on pests.
Method 1: Using neem oil
1. Combine ½ ounce (15 milliliters) of neem oil with half a teaspoon (2 ½ milliliters) of mild soap. Many believe neem oil, which comes from a bitter tree leaf, to be one of the most effective natural pesticides in existence.
2. Mix the neem and soap into 2 quarts (2 liters) of warm water. Stir slowly, but thoroughly.
3. Pour the pesticide into a spray bottle. Use it immediately, dousing the entire plant and focusing on spots where you can clearly see pests or signs of pests.
Method 2: Using cooking oil
1. Select a mild liquid dish-washing soap. Avoid anti-bacterial, scented and other specialized soaps, since these may damage your plants.
2. Mix 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of your selected soap with 1 cup (250 milliliters) cooking oil in a small bowl. Use either canola or vegetable oil.
3. Combine 2 and ½ teaspoons (12 milliliters) of this oil mixture into 1 cup (250 milliliters) of water. Mix thoroughly.
4. Pour this new mixture into a large squirt bottle. Give the mixture another shake inside the bottle to combine it more thoroughly.
5. Test the mix by spraying it onto a small portion of your plant. This step allows you to make sure that the mix will not cause more harm than good. If the section of the plant you test the spray on wilts or changes color, try using a different soap for this pesticide (or another type of pesticide for that matter).
6. Spray the mixture anywhere you have encountered problems. If you tested your solution and it did not cause any harm to your plant, spray it around your entire plant, including the undersides of leaves. Focus on areas where pests lay their eggs, since an oil spray is designed to target eggs and immature bugs.
Method 3: Using soap
1. Opt for a mild liquid dish-washing soap. The milder your soap is, the less likely it is to have a harmful effect on your plants. Stay away from anti-bacterial, scented and other specialized soaps.
2. Mix a few teaspoons (10 to 15 milliliters) of your selected soap into 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of water. Combine the soap and water using your hands or a large spoon.
3. Pour the solution into a large squirt bottle. You may not be able to fit all of the solution into a bottle, but you should use the largest bottle you can find to make use of as much of the solution as possible.
4. Spray the entire plant. Cover the top and undersides of leaves, focusing on the areas that seem the most overcome. This spray works by paralyzing insects, that is making them unable to eat.
5. Continue to spray your plants every two to three days for the next 2 weeks. Since this pesticide is fairly diluted, continued application is the only way to ensure that the infestation eventually ends.
Method 4: Using tobacco
1. Mix 1 cup (250 milliliters) of tobacco into 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of water. Tobacco is useful in targeting caterpillars, aphids and worms, but it is not safe to use it on peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, or any member of the solanaceous plant family.
2. Sit the mixture out in the sun or in another warm location. Allow it to rest for 24 hours.
3. Check the color of the mixture. Ideally, the pesticide will look similar to the hue of a light tea. If it is too dark, dilute it with water. If it is too light to see, allow it to sit an additional few hours.
4. Add 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) of mild liquid dish soap to the solution. Mix thoroughly.
5. Pour the mixture into a large squirt bottle. Shake the solution inside the bottle once more to combine it further.
6. Spray the infested plants. Focus on areas that show the most damage, but also cover spots that still seem in good condition.
Method 5: Using oranges
1. Peel an orange. If you do not have a fresh orange, use 1.5 teaspoons (7.4 milliliters) of dried citrus peels or ½ ounce (15 milliliters) of orange oil. Citrus is especially helpful in targeting soft-bodied bugs, including slugs, aphids, fungus gnats and mealy bugs. When sprayed directly onto the pests, this pesticide also works against ants and roaches.
2. Place the peels into a glass container and pour 2 cups (500 milliliters) of boiling water over the peels. Allow the solution to sit in a warm spot around the clock (24 hours).
3. Add a few drops of castile soap. Peppermint-scented castile soap may prove especially effective. Mix the solution thoroughly to combine.
Method 6: Using chrysanthemums
1. Combine ½ cup (113 grams) of dried chrysanthemums with 4 cups (1 liter) of water. Chrysanthemums contain a chemical component called pyrethrum, which is capable of paralyzing many garden insects.
2. Boil the mixture for 20 minutes. Boiling the mixture releases the pyrethrum into the water.
3. Pour the solution through a strainer. Remove the dried flowers and save the infused water.
4. Pour the pesticide into a spray bottle and treat plants. Focus on the most damaged areas before moving onto less damaged areas. Cover the entire plant, including the undersides of leaves.
5. Store the solution up to 2 months. After that period, it may no longer be effective.
Method 7: Using hot vegetables
1. Combine ½ cup (113 grams) of hot peppers with ½ cup (113 grams) of garlic cloves or onions. You may also use both onions and garlic. All the vegetables should be chopped prior to their use.
2. Blend the vegetables together in an electric blender. A thick, chunky paste should form after the blending.
3. Add the vegetable paste to 2 cups (500 milliliters) of warm water. Thoroughly mix the ingredients together.
4. Pour the solution into a plastic or glass container and allow it to sit for 24 hours. If possible, keep it in a sunny location. If not, at least keep the mixture in a warm spot.
5. Strain the mixture. Pour the solution through a strainer, removing the vegetables and collecting the vegetable-infused water into another container. This water is your pesticide.
6. Pour your pesticide into a squirt bottle. Make sure that the spray bottle has first been thoroughly cleaned with warm water and disinfected with soap to rid it of any potential contaminants.
7. Spray your plants with the pesticide. Treat the infected plants every four to five days. After three or four treatments, the pests should scatter. If the area is thoroughly covered, this pesticide should keep bugs away for the rest of the season.
A tip: You can create a more potent pesticide by combining different organic pesticide solutions. For instance, neem oil can be added to a chrysanthemum spray.
Warning: Many pesticides, especially tobacco and soap-based sprays, can cause damage to certain plants. Test your pesticide on a small portion of a plant before wetting the entire thing. This way, you can see whether or not a certain pesticide is likely to cause more harm than good.
How to Grow Upside Down Tomatoes
• To grow upside down tomatoes, you would need to use a container.Space for a garden outdoors is not required when growing tomatoes using this method.You wouldn’t need a huge space wherein your growing tomatoes will receive their required daily dose of six to eight hours of sunlight.The plants can easily be relocated to help them get sun exposure because they are in containers.
• Growing tomatoes upside down will require no more staking. As tomatoes grow heavier, they look for an erect object to lean on.However, because they are upside down, they will naturally grow straight due to gravity.
• Weeding is not necessary with growing upside down tomatoes.Because they are cultivated in containers, there are many other benefits that you could achieve. Weeding, dealing with pests, and requiring good soil are no longer big problems you have to worry about.
• Pests find it difficult to climb up to tomatoes grown upside down.Upside down tomatoes should be sufficiently spaces to avoid the spread of disease.
6 tips to prevent common rose diseases
Just like people, roses are susceptible to rose diseases and various other health problems. Many of the problems that come with having roses are relatively easy to take care of, but it is always better to stop them all together rather than having to cure them later. Here are some of the ways that you can prevent rose diseases from reaching your roses.
The easiest way to prevent rose diseases from inhabiting your roses is to buy roses that are low maintenance like shrubs and landscape roses.
Planting your roses properly in areas that have a lot of sun(at least 6 hours in the morning), air circulation and good compost for faster draining can prevent many problems later.
Keeping different types of flowers and plants in with your roses will help to provide your roses with a better and more balanced ecosystem to live in.
Epsom salt is found to be effective for roses. It will provide the enrichment to your soil, which in turn will cause your rose bush to thrive and naturally be healthy.
Fertilizing your plants in the proper manner. Roses need their food too!
Watering your roses correctly and in the morning is a good way to keep fungal diseases from hitting your roses.
A two inch layer of mulch at the base of your roses is a good way to keep soil born diseases at bay.
How to Get The Best Results From Your Compost Bin
If you want to produce the best compost you just need to follow a few tips and your garden will thank you.
Constructing A Compost Bin
Our compost bin is plastic and kind of looks like an upside down garbage can but you can construct your own compost bin with a few stakes and chicken wire. I would suggest you make it about 3 feet square for the best air circulation. That seems to be just the right size for everything to work right.
Filling Your Compost Bin (What To Put In Your Compost Bin)
What’s the best or most balanced mixture for your compost bin, for getting the best results in the shortest time frame.
Green Yard And Kitchen Waste
The green waste is usually high in nitrogen. It’s the green waste that activates the heat process in your compost. Some heat generating yard waste is better at heating, like fresh young weeds that haven’t gone to seed yet. Be sure you keep those grass trimmings as they work well too. We also use our kitchen waste, fruit, vegetable, coffee grounds. We don’t drink much tea but you can use the tea leaves as well, even the bag.
Brown Usable Waste
The brown waste is usually high in carbon. Brown waste includes leaves that fall in autumn, all those dead flowers, plants and weeds. You can also use those cardboard tubes from Christmas wrapping paper, foil wrap, etc. If you use straw to cover flower beds or strawberries you can recycle that through your compost bin when you’re done with it.
What Other Things Can Go In The Compost Bin
We have grocery bags that are made from recycled cloth but every once in a while we will shop somewhere they give us paper bags, if they don’t have a lot of colour or ink we put them straight in the compost bin, well I rip them up to make the pieces break down faster. We also use our egg shell in the compost bin but I also use them to keep slugs out of my garden. Don’t forget the paper towels you use they can go in as well.
Air Circulation For Breathing Room
Your compost bin works best when it has a good flow of air and will NOT stink like some compost bins do, those without a good air supply as it take more bacteria when the air flow is not enough.
Each time you turn your compost pile it will get a new supply of air and will loosen the compost for better air circulation.
Just A Little Water
We keep our compost bin slightly damp but not too wet. Kind of like a sponge you just squeezed the water from, it’s just damp.
Our compost bin has a lid on it that helps to keep a lot of the moisture from the green waste from evaporating so we don’t need to use water much at all, but we keep a close watch on it in the hot dry weather.
We started our composting without adding any extra soil to help jump start the process but I have heard that it’s beneficial at the start so feel free to add some top soil between the layers of compost. A small amount of garden soil between each layer will introduce the bacteria needed to start the compost cycle. The soil that was still attached to plants we pulled and added to the compost bin was enough for us to have great results.
Top 100 Homemaking Blogs Every Homemaker Must Follow
Homemaking Blogs Top 100 List
Want to make cleaning and organizing your home easier? Or just wish managing your home could be fun? Reading homemaking blogs can be your one-stop-shop for reliable information and quality resources about homemaking. So we bring to you the Best 100 Homemaking blogs which will help you to learn organizing, scheduling, cooking, fixing, budgeting, menu-planning and to manage your home without losing your mind! Here is the list : https://blog.feedspot.com/homemaking_blogs/
Not only that, but carbon dioxide as well!
Guidelines For Your Indoor Flowers And Plants
Water, Food and Sunlight. Basic Guidelines For Growing Indoor Flowers and Plants.
Just about all plants or flowers can adapt and grow indoor very well. All they really need is more or less to have the same elements as outdoor plants and flowers demand. These conditions are simple. Air flow must be present and adequate, an area where the sun can shine on them, optimum supply of h2o, and good flower or plant food (fertilizer).
Obey these simple rules included below, that would for sure make your indoor plants and flowers develop healthier and add beauty to your indoor living space.
Basic Sun Light Guideline for your Indoor Plants or Flowers:
The fact is that your NORMAL indoor plants or flowers will always be growing towards the sunlight naturally, no matter how many times you repositioned them. This is normal as the sun is the main source of their nutrition. Your plants or flowering plants will require a minimum of 2 hrs of sun rays per day. Try moving them near a window if you know that they are not getting the minimum sunlight required. If you do not have a place where you can have sufficient sunlight, and cannot move the plants, then maybe purchasing a couple of indoor gardening lights. Do NOT implement this with ordinary lights. You can purchase indoor growing lights anywhere today, and they will provide enough of the “ultraviolet light” to nourish the plants and flowers.
Appropriate Watering Guideline for Indoor Plants or Flowers:
You should supply an adequate and regular water intake for your plants. But be certain that you DO NOT OVER WATER the plants or flowers. A big number of plants or flowers die because of, #1: not enough water or, #2: to much water. This will cause them to die most likely more often than they do from any other reasons. If you have to go away for a while, have someone come over and water your plants and flowers instead of watering a lot before and after.
Here’s a easy tip that you can try to find out if your plants and flowers need more or less water. Try poking the ground with a poking device. If the stick penetrates the ground with ease, then the soil is at the right dampness, if not just give them more water.
Appropriate Fertilizing (feeding) Guideline for Indoor Plants or Flowers:
Fertilizers are also really important when it comes time to feed your plants or flowers. The guideline here is to add a scoop or so of indoor plant fertilizer, once every 2 weeks (or as directed on the directions), to your plant or flower containers. A good natural way to feed instead of spending money on fertilizer is to save your “used tea remains” as they are also a very good supply of nutrition for your plants and flowers.
How To Kill Bed Bugs in Home
Bed Bugs are biting little insects that thrive in poor sanitary or dilapidated living conditions. The adults are oval-shaped, about 1/5" in length and have a red hue. The younger members of this species tend to be smaller and have a lighter, more yellow color. These insects can reproduce quickly, the females release eggs in batches of up to fifty for a total of up to 500 eggs! These eggs are deposited on uneven textured surfaces with a sticky glue-like substance that allows them to incubate for ten days. They thrive in temperatures between 72oF and 80oF, they love burrowing deep inside mattresses and all types of furniture. Bed bugs are remarkably disciplined, they can survive without a source of food for almost four months at a time.
Like ticks, these bugs love blood and can consume six times their own weight. This huge appetite seems only fitting for an insect that can diet for that long. Fortunately, these insects are not generally disease carriers. The bite sites tend to become inflamed due to a reaction to their saliva. These unsanitary creatures will leave a scent and some feces behind them. These spots and smells will provide a clue to both the state of infestation and their location.
As with other bug management solution, prevention is again the best measure of defense. Make sure all mattresses, linens and bedding are kept clean and free of dust and debris. It would also be wise to seal up cracks in walls, window frames, door frames and anywhere else. Since these guys can't fly and must crawl, so you can impede their movement by coating furniture legs with petroleum jelly products.
If an infection has occurred, it is vital to stem its spread as soon as possible. Try using Diatomaceous Earth (DE), a natural pest control product that is made entirely of the skeletal remains of ocean plankton.
How To Bring Back Butterflies: Make Vineyards Sustainable
An unintended but very welcome (and very pretty!) side effect of relying less heavily on pesticides.
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