05-7-06 Fleas and Mosquitoes
Fleas and mosquitoes will avoid pennyroyal. Rub the fresh leaves on your skin
(but not on your face) or package the dried leaves to put in a pet bed.

Tie a sheet of dryer sheets through a belt loop
when outdoors during mosquito season.

The most important measure you can take is to remove standing water
sources. Change birdbaths, wading pools and pet's water bowl twice a
week. Keep your eavestroughs clean and well-draining. Remove yard
items that collect water.

In a New England Journal of Medicine study, oil of eucalyptus at 30%
concentration prevented mosquito bites for 120.1 minutes, while Bite
Blocker with 2% soybean oil kept bites away for 96.4 minutes. (the
eucalyptus oil must have a minimum of 70% cineole content, the
active therapeutic ingredient.) Citronella, a common alternative to
DEET, performed poorly, warding off bugs for only 20 minutes.

If you're using the barbeque, throw a bit of sage or rosemary on the
coals to repel mosquitos.

An effective natural bug repellent can be made using garlic juice.
Mix one part garlic juice with 5 parts water in a small spray
bottle. Shake well before using. Spray lightly on exposed body parts
for an effective repellent lasting up to 5 - 6 hours. Strips of
cotton cloth can also be dipped in this mixture and hung in areas,
such as patios, as a localized deterrent.

Neem oil is a natural vegetable oil extracted from the Neem tree in
India. The leaves, seeds and seed oil of the Neem tree contain
sallanin, a compound which has effective mosquito repelling
properties. Neem oil is a natural product and is safe to use. Neem
oil is also an excellent skin moisturizer and highly regarded for
its wound healing properties. Look for new Neem Oil-based commercial
products on the market. The website, nutraceutic.com, is one source.

Planting marigolds around your yard works as a natural bug repellent
because the flowers give off a fragrance bugs and flying insects do
not like.

Campers often report that the very best mosquito repellent is Avon
Skin-So-Soft® bath oil mixed half and half with rubbing alcohol.
Another recommended insect repellent is Vick's Vaporub®.

Thai lemon grass
(Cymbopogon citratus) is a natural and effective mosquito repellent.
It contains the natural oil, citronella, which is safe and
effective; in fact, lemon grass citronella is considered more
effective than true citronella as an insect repellent.

You can buy Thai lemon grass at garden centers and supermarkets, and
it grows readily into a clump about 15" across and about 2ft tall.
To use as a mosquito repellent, break a stalk off from the clump,
peel off the outer leaves, until you find the scallion-like stem at
the base. Bend the stem between your fingers, loosening it, then rub
it vigorously between your palms - it will soon become a pulpy,
juicy mass. Rub this over all exposed skin, covering thoroughly at
least once. You can also make a tincture using alcohol, for spray
applications. Plantings around the patio will also help repel
mosquitoes.

05-01-06 Mosquito bite relief
Rub some onion juice on the bite. Smells,
but works!

05-01-06 Fleas
Citrus is a natural flea deterrent. Pour a cup of boiling water over
a sliced lemon. Include the lemon skin, scored to release more
citrus oil. Let this mixture soak overnight, and sponge on your dog
to kill fleas instantly.

Add brewer's yeast and garlic, or apple cider vinegar, to your pets'
food. However, it is not advisable to use raw garlic as a food
supplement for cats.

Cedar shampoo, cedar oil and cedar-filled sleeping mats are
commercially available. Cedar repels many insects including fleas.

Fleas in the carpet? The carpet should be thoroughly vacuumed
especially in low traffic areas, under furniture, etc. Put flea
powder in the vacuum cleaner bag to kill any fleas that you vacuum
up, and put the bag in an outdoor garbage bin.

Trap fleas in your home using a wide, shallow pan half-filled with
soapy water. Place it on the floor and shine a lamp over the water.
Fleas will jump to the heat of the lamp and land in the water. The
detergent breaks the surface tension, preventing the flea from
bouncing out.

05-01-06 Insect Repellent
Marigolds give off a scent that bugs and mosquitoes do not like.
Make a solution of mint oil and rubbing alcohol,
place in a spray bottle and spray yourself before any outings, the
mint acts as a natural deterrent for most insects.

05-01-06 Relieve itching
Use a cotton ball to dab mosquito and other bug
bites with white vinegar straight from the bottle.


05-01-06 Bee sting relief
combine a little baking soda and water to form a paste...dab on bite

05-1-06 Ants
Tansy was often planted around the foundation of old houses
because ants do not like to pass through it. Ants don't like catnip
either, and a sprinkling of it along an ant path will encourage them
to turn around and leave. But just try to keep catnip in the ant
path if you own a cat!

Keep a small spray bottle handy, and spray the ants with a bit of
soapy water. Set out cucumber peels or slices in the kitchen or at the ants'
point of entry. Many ants have a natural aversion to cucumber.
Bitter cucumbers work best.

Leave a few tea bags of mint tea near areas where the ants seem most
active. Dry, crushed mint leaves or cloves also work as ant
deterrents.

Trace the ant column back to their point of entry. Set any of the
following items at the entry area in a small line, which ants will
not cross: cayenne pepper, citrus oil (can be soaked into a piece of
string), lemon juice, cinnamon or coffee grounds.
Ants on the deck? Slip a few cut up cloves of garlic between the
cracks.

05-1-06 Flies
When Italian cooks discovered that houseflies don't like basil, they
placed a sprig of it over a bowl of tomatoes as they worked.
(Fortunately, the basil and tomato flavors do like each other!)
Clover flowers and sweet bay are also useful in keeping away flies,
so a bouquet of green and purple basil, sweet bay and red clover not
only looks and smells good in the kitchen, but keeps away the flies
as well.

Use mint as a fly repellent. Small sachets of crushed mint can be
placed around the home to discourage flies.
Bay leaves, cloves and eucalyptus wrapped in small cheesecloth
squares can be hung by open windows or doors.

Place a small, open container of sweet basil and clover near pet
food or any open food in the house.

A few drops of eucalyptus oil on a scrap of absorbant cloth will
deter flies. Leave in areas where flies are a problem.

You can make your own flypaper with this simple recipe: Mix 1/4 cup
syrup, 1 tbsp. granulated sugar and 1 tbsp. brown sugar in a small
bowl. Cut strips of brown kraft paper and soak in this mixture. Let
dry overnight. To hang, poke a small hole at the top of each strip
and hang with string or thread.

A plastic bag filled with water is an effective fly deterrent

05-1-06 Moths
Cedar chips in a cheesecloth square, or cedar oil in an absorbant
cloth will repel moths. The cedar should be 'aromatic cedar', also
referred to as juniper in some areas.
Homemade moth-repelling sachets can also be made with lavender,
rosemary, vetiver and rose petals.
Dried lemon peels are also a natural moth deterrent - simply toss
into clothes chest, or tie in cheesecloth and hang in the closet.

05-1-06 Mice
Mint repels mice; long stems of it placed along the eaves in the
attic will encourage mice to seek a winter home at your neighbor's
house instead of yours. Anise, on the other hand, attracts mice, so
a little anise oil or a few anise seeds mixed with peanut butter is
far more effective than cheese as bait for a mousetrap. Velerian is
also good bait for mice, as well as for rats.

05-1-06 Cockroaches
It is a little known fact that roaches like high places. If you put
boric acid on TOP of your kitchen cabinets (not inside), if space
allows between ceiling and cabinets, the roaches will take the boric
acid to their nests, killing all of them. Boric acid is toxic by
mouth - keep away from children and pets.
Catnip is a natural repellent to cockroaches. The active ingredient
is nepetalactone, which is non-toxic to humans and pets. Small
sachets of catnip can be left in areas of cockroach activity. Catnip
can also be simmered in a small amount of water to make a "catnip
tea" which can be used as a spray to apply around baseboards and
behind counters. This natural repellent should only be used in homes
without cats!

Keep a spray bottle of soapy water on hand. Spraying roaches
directly with soapy water will kill them.

In an empty one pound coffee can, place 1 or 2 pieces of bread which
have been soaked thoroughly with beer. Place in areas known to have
roach infestations.

Leave bay leaves, cucumber slices or garlic in the affected area as
deterrents.

The fruit of the Osage orange tree, the hedgeapple, is a natural
roach repellent. Leave one hedgeapple per room for effective
deterrence up to two months. You can learn more about hedgeapples
for pest control at hedgeapple.com.

Non-toxic roach traps are commercially available. Inspect regularly.

05-1-06 Earwigs
Diatomaceous earth is a safe and effective way to control earwigs in
the home. One application in key spots (bathroom, baseboards, window
frames) can be a long-term repellent.
To trap earwigs, spray a newspaper lightly with water, roll it up
loosely and secure with a string or rubber band. Place on the ground
near earwig activity. The next morning pick up and discard the paper
in a sealed container.
Another method to trap earwigs is to take a shallow, straight-sided
container and fill it half full with vegetable oil. Clean the trap
daily; the oil can be re-used.

05-1-06 Silverfish
Silverfish prefer damp, warm conditions such as those found around
kitchen and bathroom plumbing. Start by vacuuming the area to remove
food particles and insect eggs. Silverfish can be easily trapped in
small glass containers. Wrap the outside with tape so they can climb
up and fall in. They will be trapped inside because they cannot
climb smooth surfaces. Drown them in soapy water. The best
preventive control is to remedy the damp conditions.

04-27-06 Weevils
Bay leaves will keep weevils out of stored flour, cornmeal, and
other grains. A whole bay leaf laid on the top will not flavor the
food at all, but will protect a whole container full.

04-27-06 Fungus
The fungus that infects dried beans and grains can be prevented by placing a
small, cheesecloth "sachet" filled with broken cinnamon stick, black
peppercorns, coarsely ground black mustard seed, and green garlic
into each gallon can or jar.

04-27-06 Dogs and Cats
Although dogs and cats aren't properly classified as pests, they are
not welcome in garbage cans; very quickly discourage them by giving
the can covers a good sprinkling of cayenne pepper

03-27-06 Prevent Cavities

A 25 percent solution of unsweetened cranberry juice may reduced the ability of
Streptococcus to bind to teeth by 67 to 85 percent and prohibited the production of plaque.

03-26-06 Secrets to stop Salmonella (and E. Coli) in its trackS

For uncooked fruits and veggies Try this all-natural one-two disinfecting punch,
Squirt your produce with a three percent hydrogen peroxide solution,
followed by a mild vinegar spray.
This also works for sanitizing cutting boards and other surfaces that have touched
raw meat and poultry—no bleach required!