HowToDoThings.com Pest, Weed & Disease Control

How To Get Rid of Wasps

thedave — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:05:21 -0500

Ahhh...At last, you've finally completed your pre-barbecue tasks for the upcoming holiday. You bought enough meat to feed a small country. The buns are fresh and the propane tank is full. The cooler is loaded with juice and soda for the little ones, and it's got enough beer in it to make your brother-in-law overstay his welcome.

Everything's running smoothly, except that wasp nest in the corner of your yard. We don't want the kids to get stung by a wasp while playing, and we certainly don't need that drunk brother-in-law swallowing one from inside his beer. Heck, his face is red enough. So let's get these party-crashing wasps out of here. It's really easy, and will only take a few minutes. Here's how:

How To Kill Wasps

Mikey — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:46:08 -0500

Wasps are not insects you mess with even if you do not have an allergy. If you have a nest close to your home and family, you should get rid of the wasps and their nest as soon as possible. Follow these few simple steps to safely kill any wasps swarming your residence.

Materials:
Natural pesticide spray designed for wasps
Spray bottle

How To Compost Without Attracting Rats

Fluffymuppet — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:27:27 -0500

How To Keep Cats Off Your Garden

Fluffymuppet — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:20:24 -0600

Whether you love cats or hate them, it's certainly true that they can make pests of themselves in the garden. From rolling over seedlings and digging up newly planted areas, to leaving their 'calling cards' where you don't want them, they can do a lot of damage. They may also kill wildlife and carry fleas. Here are some ways to discourage cats from making a nuisance of themselves in your garden.

How To Use Grease or Glue Bands for Pest Control

Fluffymuppet — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:26:08 -0500

In autumn and winter, female winter moths climb into fruit trees, ready to lay eggs and cause problems in spring. In summer, ants 'farm' aphids in fruit trees. Both of these pest problems can be solved without resorting to chemicals, by applying grease/ glue bands to fruit trees. These bands prevent crawling insects from climbing trees.

How To Control Slugs Without Chemicals

Fluffymuppet — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:45:54 -0500

Many people worry about using potentially toxic chemicals in their garden and want to move towards gardening organically. One of their key concerns is how to control pests and diseases - and slugs are one of the main pests for gardeners everywhere. There are many ways to control slug populations without resorting to pesticides.

Aim for balance. An organic gardener aims for a balanced ecosystem. Pests aren't destroyed at the first sign of plant damage - small populations are allowed to become a food source for their natural predators. If the ecosystem is working properly, the predators should soon get the pest population under control and damage will be limited.
Build habitats. Make your garden wildlife friendly, by allowing small areas to get weedy or by leaving a log pile to decompose. When a suitable habitat is available, beneficial animals will soon move in and help you with all your pest problems.

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How To Get Rid of Cockroaches

Brian263 — Wed, 02 May 2007 14:20:00 -0500

Sometimes a description just can't ever capture the sheer horror of a particular event. For example, if I were to describe what it's like to step on a cockroach barefoot on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night - the unexpected crunch as the smooth exoskeleton shatters against your soft skin, the tiny little legs perhaps barely perceptible, antennae quivering, bits of the body stuck to the roach goo on your heel - anyone with a cockroach problem could tell me that it pales in comparison to the real event.

How To Get Rid of a Beehive

Staff468 — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 19:17:00 -0500

Who doesn't enjoy watching honeybees traipsing from flower to flower as they conduct their vital duties? It reaffirms our faith in the order and elegance of our natural world. Who doesn't enjoy it, you ask? To those of us who have intense allergies to a bee sting, the scene may not seem so idyllic.

Sadly, honeybees fall victim to parasites and other insects as they go about their business, so we should avoid killing them if at all possible. And wasps like yellow jackets can give people the impression that all bees are similarly vicious (in truth, yellow jackets aren't "bees" at all). We must be judicious whenever we figure out how best to get rid of a beehive.

How To Get Rid of Canadian Geese

Staff468 — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:38:00 -0500

A short time ago, my relative faced a moral and legal crisis. In an attempt to scare Canadian geese (technically known as Canada geese) away with the sound of a BB gun shot, or maybe just sting one of the many geese who had been depositing pounds of feces on his property each day, this relative inadvertently shot a Canadian goose in the head, killing it instantly on his suburban property. It was a moral crisis because he had never intended to kill any animal, and a legal crisis since killing a Canadian goose violates the North American Migratory Bird Treaty. To any eyewitness, it would have appeared that he deliberately assassinated the bird.

How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs

Susie254 — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 11:13:00 -0600

"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." This common goodnight verse may be truer than you think. Bed bugs are worldwide travelers, notorious for latching on to luggage items and stowing away to a new destination. When you consider all of the travelers and the hotels and motels all over the world, it is easy to understand why bed bugs seem to be making a comeback.