Natural Pest Control

Here are a few ideas for keeping unpleasant insects away:

Bird vs. bug:
Besides being beautiful to look at and listen to, birds will keep insects at bay, so why not put up a birdhouse, birdbath, or bird feeder?

Many birds (such as chickadees, house wrens, gray catbirds, bluebirds, warblers, orioles, some sparrows, and more) control bugs like mosquitoes and wasps by turning them into snacks.

Birds won’t eat enough solve your problem completely, but having a bird-friendly yard will surely create a dent in your airborne pest numbers.

Bat them off:
A lot of people are spooked by bats. So are mosquitoes, and for good reason. Bats are nature’s mosquito chowing machines. Some bats can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes per hour.

Installing a bat house will attract bats to your property and keep the mosquito population down. Put it somewhere nearby—it doesn’t have to be right next to your house. Bats come out after sunset and naturally try to avoid humans while hunting bugs.

Not all bats live in caves, and they love having a cool, dark place to “hang” out. Learn all about bat houses and how you can get one from Bat Conservation International.

Praying for prey:
Praying mantises are hungry, carnivorous creatures that will rapidly and ravenously eat ticks, mosquitoes, flies, beetles, and other insect pests.

You can purchase praying mantis pods that birth up to 300 for about $3-$9.00 per pod from online sources or garden shops. Just 3 pods planted in your yard will protect up to 5,000 sq feet.

This bug-on-bug defense might just be the answer to your prayers.

Water solutions:
If you are lucky enough to have a pond or marsh on your property, consider planting cattails or bulrushes to attract dragonflies, which also eat mosquitoes (and are usually killed by the same chemicals used to attack mosquitoes).

Certain fish, including one called the mosquitofish (no brainer), love to munch on mosquitoes.

Introduce these and guppies to your pond and let them feast on up to 168 mosquito larvae every eight hours.

There’s something beautiful about all this. Biological pest control is a holistic way of fighting insects through an understanding of the innate interactions of the many organisms that inhabit our yards and gardens.

Insect control is complex and no one method is sure to be effective, but these all-natural and educational techniques are certainly worth a shot. By taking full advantage of the natural processes in our local ecosystems, we can create much more comfortable summer surroundings that will let spend as many hours outside as possible.

Making Popcorn

My husband bought me this popcorn popper for Christmas last year and I just love it.

I also found the best Organic popcorn kernels.

It takes no time at all. I use about 3 Tbs of vegetable oil and then toss a few kernels in and when they pop I dump 1/3 cup of the kernels in. Start turning the handle as soon as you hear the rest start popping and within a few minutes you have fresh organic popcorn. Top it off with sea salt. The best treat!!

Non-Toxic Cleaning

I stumbled upon this while reading through one of my other blogs. I think it is great.

When I was pregnant I was lucky to be working at a bookstore, my breaks were spent devouring books of every subject with particular attention to pregnancy, parenting, healthy living and eating. I was carrying a miracle child and I intended to do the very best I could for her. I have always been very sensitive to chemicals and perfumes, how I discovered tending a household with natural cleaners I cannot recall but we’ve never turned back. Over the last eight years my love of the Earth and the environment has increased and with it a need to not poison it, after becoming a mother I became more aware of my actions and how they affected everything around me. I began holding myself accountable for my role as a child of the Earth. I started with some of the cleaners of my youth, spending so much time with my grandmother had it’s advantages, I began with the basics-vinegar, baking soda and borax. Now people often are wooed by the convenience that store bought toxic cleaners promise, no need to scrub, just spray and go. I find I get an ample workout from scrubbing, it’s a good way to work out stress and frustrations and why bother going to the gym when you can work those arms and stretch those muscles at home?

I’ll begin with the triad of the cleaners and follow up with other favorites that play a supporting role….

Vinegar is the most wonderful liquid on Earth, it disinfects, cleans, cuts grease and deodorizes. I use it for health and house, (apple cider and white respectively). It’s non-toxic and while the smell isn’t the greatest it does go away, vinegar is the mainstay of my cleaning supplies. My favorite tip? I add a cup of white vinegar to the final rinse of the laundry cycle, it removes soap residue and keeps line dried clothing soft. A natural fabric softener!

Borax is my second most used cleaner, for scrubbing the sinks, showers and tubs it is brilliant at keeping mold and mildew at bay and it leaves a clean fresh scent after rinsing. Scrub out the tub, rinse with vinegar and the borax will actually help slow mold and mildew growth. I also use this dissolved in water to wash out my refrigerator.

Baking Soda is another useful cleaning item. It deodorizes, makes a good scrubbing paste when mixed with some water. I make a carpet deodorizer using baking soda and pulverized herbs or spices. (my favorite is a rosemary, clove and lavender blend) To help unstop a drain (or to freshen a smelly drain) pour down some baking soda and follow up with a vinegar chaser. Let a stopped drain sit overnight and pour boiling water down the drain in the morning, more often than not the drain is cleared. Another use for baking soda is to pair it up with borax (a TB of each) into the dishwasher soap compartment. Add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle and you have beautifully cleaned dish ware (and a clean dishwasher to boot!).

As for other cleaners in my cabinets I use Bon Ami for those hard to scrub out stains, a little bit on the cooker range helps to get the cooked on food bits off. Murphy’s Oil Soap is wonderful for anything wood-based, if I am cleaning woodwork I add a few drops of citrus or lavender essential oil to the water. Lemons are another favorite though much of the time I’ll forgo fresh lemons and go to my bottle of Lemon essential oil. I have a collection of essential oils (”EOs”) for cleaning and general home health-The top five must haves include: lemon, orange, eucalyptus, tea tree and lavender. I also like to have thyme, grapefruit, rosemary and clove on hand as well. Many of these kill viruses, bacteria, you name it. Tea Tree is not recommended for use in or around pets eating or sleeping areas, however as it can be toxic to them. Here’s a few ideas of how I use each "EO":

Tea Tree: is used in a blend (along with lemon, grapefruit, lavender) for my kitchen and bath spray. I add a few drops to the water reservoirs in my humidifier and vaporisor (when in use).

Lavender: excellent moth repellent, I add a few drops to the final rinse of the wash. Lavender is also antiviral and antiseptic with a gentle, pleasing aroma.

Eucalyptus: Used in the wash (10-15 drops) to kill dust mites in bedding. I make a spray with 8 drops of the oil with water or vodka and spray down pillows and stuffed animals (which I then seal in bags for several hours) and spray carpeting to kill dust mites. I also add Eucalyptus to the bath, vaporisors or blend with a few drops of thyme and vodka to spray the air and surfaces whenever anyone gets sick. The kitchen and bath blend mentioned above works well for this too.

Rosemary, Clove-mixed with baking soda and sprinkled on carpeting to freshen. I also soak cotton balls with a few drops of either oil and tuck them in hidden spots to lightly scent the house.

Mints: Spearmint or Peppermint work beautifully to keep mice away. Spearmint also does double duty as a base in a relaxing bedtime spray for the wee ones. I blend a little lavender, sweet orange and spearmint (with water or vodka) to relax my daughter at bedtime.

There are so many other non-toxic alternatives for cleaners. With the increasing amount of birth defects, illnesses and such it is only logical to look to our environment and diets for answers. The world today, our homes, places of work and play are all toxically overloaded. Something has got to give and usually it’s our health or that of our children’s. Toxin-free cleaners are a good start to healthier living.

Copyright © 2006 Stephanie Lowell-Libby

Fall in Coming

Fall is definitely in the air. The weather has been so wonderful this past week here in south west Ohio. I must say that I do absolutely love this time of year. I almost want to start decorating for Halloween right now. Well my house has witches and brooms up all year, but at Halloween time there is so much more. We have started looking in the stores for ideas and items for Halloween. We usually host a large Halloween party every year at my Mom's house, but this year it will be at our house. I always hate to wish time away, but I can't wait. Following the Halloween party the witches and myself all gather for the Sabbat, Samhain. So excited for this is a time when we get to reunite with the ones that have passed on. It is always bitter sweet.

I was sitting outside today and all last week and started to notice that the leaves are starting to turn colors. The sun is also setting earlier. That means more hours of dark are coming and less hours of light. Now is when our ancestors would be making sure they had all the food and items they would need to make it through the winter. For there is only one more harvest left and it is only 8 weeks away. What I want to do for this winter, since we will now have the room, is try to gather as much fruits and vegetables as I can and either can or freeze them. I already have 6 jars of peaches. I will make peach and strawberry jam. Those will be nice on toast, biscuits or with pancakes, mmmm. Then we will buy all the flour and baking needs we will need for the winter and store them all away. That way we can try to be prepared for winter. I know that we do get ours from the store, but I am getting some from my local friends and family. We will also stock up on our meats and put them in our freezer. I am going to try to make a loaf of bread once a week and am going to try my hand at making butter again. It turned out great, but needed a little more salt I think.

The Full Moon is tomorrow. The witches and I will blog during our Full Moon Esbat. Till then.