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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (May 30, 2018)
A10 Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, May 30, 2018 HOME & GARDEN Dealing with nuisance insects diethyl toluamide (DEET) are effective against ticks. Around the home, tick pop- ulations can be reduced by using residual insecticides. By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle T he key to dealing with nuisance insect pests is to block their ac- cess and remove their food source. In general, that means cleaning up around the home and sealing cracks and holes in the exterior of the home. One solution is use of a home barrier spray. “You apply it every spring around windows and doors and even roof eaves,” said Billy Moon at Nydam’s Ace Hardware in John Day. “It will deal with stink bugs, those beetles that are com- mon around here.” The latest in insect con- trol is the Bug-A-Salt 2.0. Resembling a Supersoaker in design but loaded with common table salt instead of water, the Bug-A-Salt turns insect hunting into a sport with a shotgun effect. Ants Ants enter homes through window and door frames or pipe and wiring chases. Homeowners should trim out- door plantings away from the structure and keep landscap- ing materials such as compost or bark mulch away from sid- ing. Pesticide baits provide a good way to deal with ants already in the structure. Baits may require sev- eral weeks to be effective. Over-the-counter pesticide sprays may cause ants to scatter throughout a home, and carpenter ants may not respond well to baits, so a licensed pest control pro- fessional may be needed. Flies Eagle photos/Richard Hanners Billy Moon at Nydam’s Ace Hardware in John Day holds the latest in pest control, the Bug-A-Salt 2.0 gun, which shoots common table salt at nuisance insects. On the shelf are dozens of other sprays and powders for dealing with nuisance insects. Wasps, yellowjackets and hornets Wasps, yellowjackets and hornets can enter a structure through cracks and holes in the siding. Oth- erwise, their nests will be visible attached to exterior siding, typically high up un- der an eave. Wasps, yellowjackets and hornets are less active in the evening and early morning, when the air is cool and they usually return to their nests. That’s the best time for homeowners to or common fuels, such as bleach, gasoline or diesel, as these products are more toxic than most labeled pes- ticides. Ticks Nydam’s Ace Hardware in John Day offers a wide variety of solutions to nuisance insects, from long-range wasp sprays and hornet traps to foam spray for nests. hit the nests with a pesticide formulated for wasp nests contained in a high-pressure can that can spray for 20 feet or more. Homeowners are ad- vised not to treat nests with any household chemicals The most valuable and respected source of local news, Time for advertising and information for communities. some our home www.eomediagroup.com improvements? Tick habitat near homes can be reduced by keep- ing grass and weeds well trimmed. To estimate tick populations, drag a white cloth through vegetation and count the ticks that readily appear attached to the cloth. Ticks that live off deer mice carry Lyme disease. Adult Rocky Mountain wood ticks live off larger mammals, including sheep and deer. Ticks attached to humans or pets should be removed quickly. Repellents containing Flies and mosquitoes will enter homes through open unscreened windows or doors — or holes in screens. Food sources and breeding areas can be re- duced by keeping garbage cans sealed, removing ani- mal refuse and eliminating outdoor objects that can hold small pools of wa- ter, such as tires, pails and tarps. Where fly populations are high, properly locat- ed fly traps can be ef- fective both indoors and outdoors. An outward-blowing fan placed near an open window or door can lessen the num- ber of flies entering at that location. Silverfish Silverfish are wingless insects less than half an inch long with two long antennae and three long filaments at the tail and are commonly seen in homes with wood- shake roofs. They prefer warmer lo- cations, such as attics, but are associated with damp conditions found in base- ments and bathrooms. Reducing humidity can help eliminate silverfish. Household insecticides are effective if an infestation is not manageable by other means. For more informa- tion on dealing with nui- sance insects, visit https:// pnwhandbooks.org/insect/ structural-health/nui- sance-household. Dumpsters available L e t u s h e l p y o u m a k e y o u r d r e a m h o m e e a s i l y b e c o m e a r e a l i t y ! A p p l y f o r a l o w r a t e h o m e i m p r o v e m e n t l o a n t o d a y . 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