Controlling pest by natural means

From: Dunggate Sent: 18/07/2006 15:34
In view of the hot weather we are having and the bites and stings I thought a good idea to post this also as we are on the subject of alternative medicines etc.
Good Morning Folks,

I hope the past week was good for everybody. It was recently brought
to my attention that what may seem to be common knowledge to most of
us, may not be for all of us. In choosing a topic I have to be
careful to include topics of interest to everybody. Hence this post on
controlling pest by natural means.

Why would you want to go through the trouble when the supermarket has
such a wonderful array of pesticides? My guess is for pretty much the
same reason that you might want to try alternatives to the fantasic
array of over-the-counter remedies and drugs. Many "may" be toxic.
(We don't want to make the mistake of excluding the word "may" - The
FDA can carry guns and seize property you know)

Pesticides kill everything, killing both the pests along with their
natural predators. So once the insect predators are eliminated, pest
populations grow unchecked and you need even more pesticides, a
never-ending circle. While many of us are concerned about the use of
pesticides on our food, according to the SPCP, "suburban lawns and
gardens receive far heavier pesticide applications per acre than most
agricultural areas". Did I hear you say WOW? Most consumers don't
realize how potentially harmful they can be. (We don't want to make
the mistake of excluding the word "potentially")

Kids play outside considerably more than most adults and are at a
greater risk of serious health issues like asthma, childhood leukemia,
lymphoma etc. Lawn chemicals can harm pets too. And we are not even
talking about the use of INDOOR pesticides yet. Besides, pesticides
are very easily tracked indoors. A recent EPA study found 23
pesticides in dust and air inside homes.

But enough of that pre-info. What can we do about it? Beautiful
lawns, gardens and parks can be maintained without using pesticides.

Safer Pest Control Project (SPCP) offers alternatives to pesticides
and maintains lists of lawn care professionals who can provide
non-toxic lawn care. Look them up on the net. I think it is
www.spcp.org or .com.

LEARN ABOUT ESSNTIAL OILS:
There are many, many plant oils that bugs just cannot stand. They are
in the plant to protect it from bugs!! They can be purchased at almost
any health food store.

Dilute 1 ounce of ESSENTIAL OIL OF PENNYROYAL in 16 ounces vegetable
oil to effectively repel mosquitoes. Keep a vial of this dilution with
you when headed for a picnic, swing in the hammock or anywhere
mosquitoes hang out. Oil of pennyroyal has protected campers in the
swampiest of areas; directly apply the dilution to exposed areas of
skin. (You may have difficulty locating oil of pennyroyal.

CAUTION: Pennyroyal shouldn't be used around pets, especially pregnant
pets.

Black flies ruining a relaxing day in the park? Check out the
surrounding area for aromatic evergreen trees, break off a branch,
mash it with a rock and apply to arms and legs. The released essential
oils will repel those bothersome bugs. The ESSENTIAL OIL OF LAVENDER,
which can be applied directly on the skin, can also repel black flies.

Donâ€t be the local attraction for stinging insects. Bees, wasps, and
yellow jackets are attracted by sweet smells and bright colors. If you
donâ€t want them to think you are a delectable flower to explore, avoid
wearing perfumes and scented hair and body care products, as well as
brightly colored clothing. Neutral colors such as tan and white are
least likely to attract unwelcome visitors. Cover sugary food and
drinks at picnic sites.

It's a Jungle Out There
That takes care of the indoors, but what about the great outdoors?
There, gardens and humans alike are fair game, and our pest problems
are often worse. When bugs start biting, try these strategies to save
both crops and skin:

ESSENTIAL OIL FLEA COLLAR:
While chemical flea collars seem tempting to use, read the ingredients
carefully and check the chemicals for safety at Scorecard, the
Environmental Defense Fundâ€s database of chemicals. According to the
Cancer Prevention Coalition (CPC), ingredients on some flea collars
are carcinogens, neurotoxins, or both.

An effective and natural collar can be made using repellent essential
oils. According to many testimonials, these collars really do work.

Choose an absorbent collar for your pet, such as the widely available
heavy-duty woven nylon collars. The collar will absorb essential oils,
an no additional collar is needed. Essential oils that repel fleas and
ticks include citronella, rosemary, and rose geranium. Buy only 100
percent pure essential oils, and using an eyedropper, put just one or
two drops on the collar. Repeat each week. Some animals are very
sensitive to the strong smell of essential oils, so start with just
one drop and increase to two if they seem to tolerate the smell. If
ticks are the biggest problem, use rose geranium; for fleas choose
citronella if for a dog, but not for cats.

CAUTION: Cats are sensitive to citrus, so avoid citronella. Make sure
not to get the essential oil in the petâ€s eyes or directly on their skin.

TIP:
Give dogs up to 2 cloves of garlic a day. Disguise the cloves in food
they canâ€t refuse. The odor the pet emits after eating garlic repels
fleas and ticks. (Garlic is not safe for cats.)

MORE:

Strange but true - ants will not cross a chalk line. Actually, they
will not walk in any kind of powder because it gets stuck to their
feet. This is true of most crawling insects. Baby powder is a great
solution! Placing bay leaves and/or cucumber peelings in the bottom of
your drawers and cabinets all help repel ants and roaches.

Ants can also be defeated with borax powder, or ground cloves.

Borax Acid is a powder that dries bugs out. (including roaches)

Moths can be discouraged with cedar wood blocks are chips. Better
yet, cedar wood furniture.

All types of flying insects are repelled by the smell of basil. If you
keep a few healthy, well-watered basil plant in your house your
problem maybe solved. If not a plant, how about a cheesecloth bag with
fresh-dried basil?

A garbage can can produce a thousand flies a week if it is not sealed
properly. Flies detest oil of lavender. If you soak a cotton ball in
the oil and put it in the garbage can at the beginning of your week,
the flies should stay away. Oil of clove and mint sprigs are also good
fly repellents.

Mice, Squirrels and Gophers just hate the scent of peppermint. Place
some oil of peppermint on a cotton ball and place it where the animals
seem to go (or right into a gopher hole!) and they won't be around
long. Squirrels--chipmunks, marmots, prairie dogs, and woodchucks are
all in the squirrel family.

Castor Oil
Repel squirrels by mixing 1/2 cup castor oil and two gallons water and
using the solution to water your vegetable garden. The castor oil
enriches the soil while simultaneously repulsing rodents.

Vegetable Shortening or Vaseline
Keep squirrels away from a bird feeder by greasing the pole to the
birdhouse with Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening. The squirrels will try
to climb up the pole but will slide right back down, providing you
with hours of free entertainment.

Epsom Salt
To repel raccoons, sprinkle a few tablespoons of Epsom Salt around
your garden and garbage cans. Raccoons dislike the taste of salt.
Repeat after rain. Epsom Salt is good for your plants and will not
harm rodents.

Black Pepper and Red pepper
To keep squirrels and raccoons away from flowerbeds and vegetable
gardens, sprinkle Black Pepper in your garden. These animals have a
keen sense of smell and are repelled by the scent of pepper. After it
rains, be sure to re-pepper the garden. Keep squirrels out of your
bird feeder by sprinkling the birdseed with Ground Red Pepper. The
birds cannot taste the pepper, but squirrels can--and want nothing to
do with it.

Peppermint Oil, Cotton Balls, and Panty Hose
Saturate a few cotton balls with peppermint oil, place inside the foot
of a pair of clean, used panty hose, and hang from a fence post, tree
branch, or bush. The smell of mint repels squirrels and raccoons.

Slinky
To prevent squirrels from climbing up the pole to a bird feeder,
secure a Slinky to the bottom of the feeder and let it hang down the
pole. The bouncing springs will frighten away animal intruders.

==============================

LEGAL NOTE: You can't legally catch mice in Cleveland, OH without a
hunting license. I wouldn't advocate breaking the law, so take your
own chances. :-)

As you can probably tell, the list for natural alternatives to
pesticides go on and on and on.
Look some up for yourself. In other words....

Why take my word for it? Use a good search engine like www.google.com
or mamma.com or dogpile.com and do your own research.

Until next time remember, most illness (upwards of 80% according to
experts) can be attributed to FOUR important factors that canweaken
your immune system and your ability to fight off disease:

1. Anxiety, depression, anger, guilt and other STRESS factors.
LEARN TO FORGIVE AND LET GO.

2. Improper and/or inadequate NUTRITION habits.LEARN TO AVOID
PROCESSED AND/OR REFINED FOODS.

3. A sedentary lifestyle that does not include enough EXERCISE.
FIND SOME KIND OF PHYSICALLY ENGAGING ACTIVITY. MORNING OR EVENING
WALKS WORK WONDERS!

4. Not enough rest and quality SLEEP time.GO TO BED. "EARLY TO BED AND
EARLY TO RISE; MAKES A MAN HEALTHY, WEALTHY AND WISE".

LEGAL DISCLAIMER - Required by the FDA.

The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and
Drug Administration and
these statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent
any disease.