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Prevent Tick Borne Diseases While Outdoors

April 25, 2023 by Melinda Myers Leave a Comment

tick in yard with girl

Here are some easy tips to prevent tick-borne diseases while enjoying your favorite outdoor activities. You’ve grabbed your water bottle, sunscreen, and hat for a hike in the park or some gardening. But add a bit of tick protection when you head out the door for an adventure, to garden, or play. It’s healthy to enjoy the fresh air in the great outdoors. But ensure your safety by enlisting a variety of strategies to limit your risk of exposure to ticks. Doing so will help prevent tick-borne diseases including Lyme disease rash and tick bite rash. Here are just a few of the ways to increase your safety and enjoyment. Prevent Tick-Borne Diseases To help prevent tick borne diseases, wear light colored clothing to more easily spot a tick before it moves onto your skin. Wear long pants and tuck them into your socks and tuck your shirt into your pants. Ticks often gain access through pant legs or shirttails. Then they crawl up to look for a place to settle in and feed. Here’s … [Read more...] about Prevent Tick Borne Diseases While Outdoors

How to Get Rid of Ticks

June 24, 2022 by Randy Schultz 12 Comments

how to get rid of ticks like this blacklegged tick

The question is how to get rid of ticks. But you could call it a tick-ing time bomb. In backyards, forests and fields across America, the population of disease-carrying ticks is increasing. Homeowners and homesteaders alike are wondering how to get rid of ticks on their properties. If that wasn't bad enough, a new species of tick not normally found in the Western Hemisphere has now invaded the United States. As a result, many health and insect control experts are predicting this summer to be another bad season for ticks and their disease-carrying bites. How to Get Rid of Ticks: Lyme Disease Ticks are best known for transmitting Lyme Disease, which can cause a rash, fatigue, fever, chills, and headaches. Lyme Disease can also cause aches in muscles and joints. If left untreated, Lyme Disease can cause arthritis, severe joint pain and swelling. So it's no wonder that summer outdoor activities make us think about how to get rid of ticks and control tick populations. Every … [Read more...] about How to Get Rid of Ticks

Use Insecticidal Soap to Control Insects

May 12, 2022 by Kim Toscano 2 Comments

a woman sprays insecticidal soap on plant to control insects

Here’s everything you need to know about how to use insecticidal soap to control insects. This is an effective and organic method for controlling aphids and other soft-bodied insects. Understanding and using insecticidal soaps properly will help you manage pests organically, both indoors and out. As you know, not all pesticides are alike. Some chemicals are more toxic, killing a broad range of species, while others are less toxic and more targeted. Insecticidal soaps are among the more targeted pesticides. They have limited impact on beneficial insects, birds, reptiles, fish, and other wildlife (including humans). By understanding and using insecticidal soaps effectively, you can combat common plant pests while protecting beneficial organisms. Why Use Insecticidal Soap? Break down the name and you see that insecticidal soap is literally a soap that kills insects. Insecticidal soaps offer a safe, effective, less-toxic alternative to harsh chemicals for managing garden and … [Read more...] about Use Insecticidal Soap to Control Insects

Kill Fungus Gnats Naturally with BTI

January 24, 2019 by HG&H Staff 36 Comments

woman kills fungus gnats naturally houseplants with BTI and horticultural oil insect spray

Looking for a way to kill fungus gnats naturally? Sooner or later you will have to deal with fungus gnats infesting your houseplants. Fungus gnats are the tiny flying pests that can swarm like an annoying black cloud whenever an infested houseplant or outdoor potted plant is moved. Fungus gnats (Bradysia species) are small, mosquito-like insects that commonly infest the soil or growing medium of potted plants. When outdoor plants are brought indoors for the colder months, fungus gnats in the potting mix are brought indoors. That's when they can quickly infest the soil of other houseplants. Fungus gnats thrive in moist potting soil, where they lay their eggs. After the eggs hatch, fungus gnat larvae live in the top two to three inches of the potting soil. Fungus gnat larvae can cause plant damage by eating plant roots. After about two or three weeks, the fungus gnat larvae pupate in the potting soil. Then they become the tiny black adult gnats that fly erratically when a potted … [Read more...] about Kill Fungus Gnats Naturally with BTI

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