How To Kill Bed Bugs In Home

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.

How To Bring Back Butterflies: Make Vineyards Sustainable

An unintended but very welcome (and very pretty!) side effect of relying less heavily on pesticides.

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.

Homemade Sweet Potato Pie

Homemade Sweet Potato Pie is easier than you think! This classic Southern dessert recipe is perfect for the holidays!

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!

Natural Ways To Keep Mosquitoes Away

Female mosquitoes have a long proboscis that they use to pierce the skin and tap the bloodstream. Mosquitoes are dangerous pests that happen to act as disease vectors, creating a nuisance and a health hazard. Humans and animals alike are easy targets for the over 200 species of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are known to carry dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever, west nile virus, encephalitis and more. Mosquitoes lay eggs that float on standing water, hence the need for the immediate removal of still water. The larval mosquitoes tuck underneath the water surface to grow, using a snorkel like apparatus (known as the siphon) to breath. They will eventually hatch and reproduce themselves, drastically increasing the size of their population in a short period of time. They are drawn to signs of life including the presence of heat, motion, CO2, humidity and odor. The females must obtain blood as a means of acquiring the protein necessary for egg production and development. Flowering plants and other nectar sources serve as the mosquito's prime food source, so think twice about flower placement if your region is susceptible to mosquito invasion. Also, there are many mosquito repellent plants that you can grow in your garden to get rid of them. Some of them are Catmint, Rosemary, Basil, Lavender etc There are plenty of products available that will kill mosquitoes without harming people, pets or other wildlife. Some store bought products can be just as toxic to people and pets as they are to mosquitoes Mosquitoes can be hazardous to health, so there is no sense in removing with chemicals that can be as harmful. We recommend using multiple methods of pest control to protect yourself, your family and your environment.

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.

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 do you get rid of cockroaches?

Cockroaches are hearty pests, they have existed in different forms for millions of years and have become adept at the art of survival. They have continually adapted to most chemical treatments, leaving dangerous chemical residue that harms humans and pets. Cockroaches are anything but clean, they routinely dig through garbage and any other waste imaginable. Then they crawl all over countertops, foodstuffs and kitchenware. Roach droppings and bodies have been reported to act as asthmatic triggers that increase the intensity and frequency of asthma problems. Baits tend to work well with these species because they cannibalize the poisoned bodies of their fallen comrades. An often overlooked solution is to sprinkle infested areas with diatomaceous earth (DE). DE is often used in pool filters, it consists of fossilized marine remains that forms a fine talc-like powder. This substance is completely inert and will not pose any threat to people or animals. DE has an almost microscopic crystalline structure that will perforate and kill the soft bodied roaches. Roaches cannot adapt to this material because it physically harms the abdomen of the roach. As with other pests, it is important to make sure that window and door frames are sealed and all structural cracks are filled in. Make sure to eliminate damp areas, leaks and spills as well as food sources to limit their access to the necessary food and water. In order to use a more specific roach treatment, it is recommended that you place sticky traps in order to allow for more a positive identification of species.

Not only that, but carbon dioxide as well!

So apparently this is like a superfood and nontoxic bug killer. Reading the Amazon reviews was very compelling! #health #pesticides #diatomaceousearth #healthyliving #healthyhome