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Ideas and inspiration for your place in the country

Pest Control

Barns are beautiful

Since they can destroy crops and spread disease, controlling the rodent population is an important task for any rural homeowner. Fortunately, there are many ways you can deal with this problem



Identifying dangerous spiders

Although most spiders are not a danger to people, there are a few you won't want to cross paths with. Learn how to identify brown recluse and black widow spiders, and how to avoid being bitten by them.


brown recluse

Exposing garden insects

If bugs can hunker down and stay warm in your garden, they'll live through the season. So if you bring insects up to the surface by tilling, their chance of surviving until spring is slim to none.


Grasshopper

What's bugging your lawn?

Your lawn area looked great last spring. It looked pretty good going into summer. Then all of a sudden, in August or early September, spots started appearing. If this sounds like what you observed on your lawn, chances are you had grub damage.


Patch with sod

Grub control

Grubs aren't hard to find. Dig just under the grass layer and take a peak at the soil. A few grubs are normal, but if you find more than 10 to 12 grubs per square foot, you may have to take action.


Patch with sod

Effective mole control

Though moles may control some insect outbreaks, their activity can cause considerable damage to lawns. The following tips, provided by the Ohio State University Extension, will help effectively control them.


Controlling wildlife

Easy mole control

We had moles digging tunnels our yard one year, and were ready to start trapping when they disappeared. Moles are weird that way. They're pretty weird-looking too.


Controlling wildlife

Controlling wildlife

If you want to enjoy wildlife on your property but don t want to lose your lovely lawn, pond, and trees to varmints, here are some tips for you.


Controlling wildlife

The SkeeterVac

There's an outdoor exterminator called the SkeeterVac that creates a combination of cues that trick the insects into thinking the trap is someone to bite.


l_mosquito

Choosing a bug repellant

Kendra VanSpyk works with insect repellants and says there are several active ingredients to choose from. For the most harsh conditions, DEET is the chemical of choice.


swarm of mosquitoes

Household ant control

Pest expert Stuart Clark says ants don't care to live in your house, but they stop in anyway, looking for two things: liquid and food to take back to the ant queen and her brood.


Argentine ant

Controlling flies

It's a challenge to keep flies in the barnyard from driving everyone crazy. Insecticides and repellants are beneficial, but if you have a fly problem, it's because there's a breeding source for them somewhere.


Stable fly

Preventing Lyme disease

Ticks are expanding across the country. This results in an increase in Lyme disease, a bacterial infection transmitted by deer ticks.


tick

Controlling gypsy moths

Gypsy moth caterpillars munch on hundreds of tree species, but oaks are their favorite. If stressed enough, the trees will die.


gypsy moth caterpillar

Controlling skunks

Iowa State Extension Wildlife Specialist Jim Pease says if skunks are lurking around your place, it's because you have something they want.


skunk

Controlling snapping turtles

If you think you have an over-population of snapping turtles, you can bait them on a hook, or set a trap. Just watch your fingers!


snapping turtle

Snake ID and control

Listen to today's program to learn which snakes are harmless, which are poisonous, and how to safely get rid of them.



Controlling squirrels

Tree squirrels provide entertainment and enjoyment for many rural homeowners, but they can become a nuisance. Here are some practical tips for controlling damage squirrels can inflict on your property.


Squirrel

Controlling squirrels in the house

Your house is just another funny looking tree to squirrels, and living in the country means sometimes you'll find them getting up close and personal.


Squirrel

Controlling the powderpost beetle

Usually when your house is being eaten the first thing that comes to mind is termites. However, a small group of insects called powderpost beetles may be the culprit.


Powderpost beetle damage

Understanding box elder bugs

The small black and orange bugs that love to hang around your house in the fall may look like Halloween decorations, but they can easily become a major nuisance.


boxelder bug

Keep an eye out for the emerald ash borer

The emerald ash borer, also known as Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is a shiny green beetle that is thought to have first entered the United States on cargo ships and airplanes carrying imported Asian goods. Although the adult emerald ash borer isn't harmful, the larva can eventually kill your beautiful trees by chewing up their circulatory system.


emerald ash borer

Control pesky mosquitoes now

Mosquitoes can interfere with outdoor activities on your acreage and wreak havoc on your livestock. Take control of mosquitoes with these tips from the University of California.



Here s how to stop mosquitoes on your acreage before they become a real problem.



The summer months can be a problem time for Lyme disease. Learn how to keep your pets and your family safe.



Use a combination of methods to keep flies from taking over your property.



 
 
 


 

 
 
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