Let’s Stop Poisoning Nature!
Get Rid of Pests, Bugs, and Poison Ivy the Easy Way!
If you are currently using chemicals for your lawn and garden, consider switching to a natural-based pesticide, so that you don’t accidentally poison your children, pets, wild animals, (includes rabbits, Jackrabbits, if you love the Easter Bunny) ducks, and other species of birds.
Chemical pesticides for sure can kill red ants and bugs in your garden, but they also can disintegrate into finer particles (micro) and can be breathed in by humans, children, pets, unaware. Who knows what enters our airways and bloodstream? Which pesticides cause cancer or other lung issues? No one knows. No one cares.
All people care about today, are instant results. I don’t need to ask how many of you are aware of the guy who used weedkiller and got cancer of the skin? Over $10 Billion won, says Google. So let us be conscious/aware of what we put in our gardens and soils.
Do we want our children, pets, and neighbors breathing in that stuff? Use gloves when handling chemicals. Do not use excessive chemicals, as much as you can. Dilute it if you have to. When the rain falls, these chemicals get washed into our drainage and sewers, affecting fish in the rivers and the sea. And in turn, these are the fish and seafood that we may one day eat.
Use Technology to get rid of Spiders, Cockroaches, Mice, Rats, and Ants:
If you are looking for a quick fix to get rid of Spiders, Cockroaches, Mice, Rats, and Ants, I understand. Technology can help you get rid of these pesky pests.
Sonic pest repellents are for those who don’t want to try essential oils. You can plug these 4 pack units near 2 doorways, one in your garage, and one in your attic. You’d be surprised to find that mice, possums, raccoons, can crawl up to your attic as well. Once there, they scurry around, causing noise, Opossums can rip up insulation, wires, and air-conditioning ducts. They can cause you many sleepless nights and worry.
This high-frequency sound repellent will repel spiders, ants, cockroaches, mice, and rats. Bell and Howell is a good company which makes good home products. The link to the product is: https://amzn.to/3rFHFcm
I am sure the other animals I mentioned will also not like the high-frequency of the sonic repellent. If you plug one up in the attic, it would just do the job.
When it comes to using chemicals on our lawns, people don’t think too much of it. This is not to scare anyone. It’s just to bring awareness so that we don’t accidentally harm our children, pets, and neighbors. Imagine this: You may on weekends play ball in the yard, a yard that was treated with pesticide the previous week. The ball rolls on the lawn, you or your child picks it up, throws it to each other, has fun. It could get on your fingers, enter the pores of your skin. Or the child could go in and pick up some food and eat with unwashed hands. It could enter the child’s body that way.
In spite of what the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) says, “The International Agency for Research on Cancer categorizes glyphosate as a probable carcinogen for humans. In 2017, the EPA determined that glyphosate isn’t likely to cause cancer in the size of dose a person would be likely to get. It can also cause Liver and kidney damage. Glyphosate may affect your kidney and liver. As of Apr 16, 2019.” Glyphosate is used in herbicides, weed killers is toxic, harmful for humans, pets, and wildlife. Once a family member gets cancer, it is too late. There is no one to blame but the person who approved the use of chemicals on their lawn without having any idea of what damage it does to your bodies, and nature, overall. Would you want that for your family?
Use Essential Oils to Deter Pests, Bugs, and Ants:
Use essential oils instead for your gardens (in a bottle with water spray). Bugs and ants don’t like their smell caused by natural chemical compounds.
Roaches: Eucalyptus, Tea Tree.
Ants: Spearmint, Peppermint, Lemon.
Flies: Rosemary, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Basil.
Mosquitoes: Peppermint, Citronella, Lemongrass, Tea Tree.
Spiders: Spearmint, Peppermint.
Add only a few drops in corners in the under cabinets and corners of cabinets. The potency of these oils will confuse ants, rats, mice, spiders, and cockroaches.
Get Rid of Red Ants:
Here’s how ants function. “Ants use pheromones in a number of different ways, such as releasing ‘danger’ pheromones upon death to alert nearby ants, or to create chemical trails from their nest to promising food sources. Ants rely heavily on pheromones to communicate.” So if you spray essential oils on their nest or regular food trail pathway, this will disrupt their sense of smell. Repeat this treatment till they leave your yard. The potent natural chemical compounds of these oils will wreak havoc on their systems.
Alternatively, you can also try a mixture of powdered sugar with baking soda with old cookie crumble bits, and put it around their mound. Baking soda dries out their bodies and kills them naturally. Red Ants burrow deep tunnels, branching many ways, so multiple applications over a few weeks will be necessary.
Get Rid of Snails With Beer:
Set out snail traps — A common snail trap is a flat lid pan. Simply fill a shallow pan with beer and leave it out overnight. The snails will have their final beer party.
How to Stop Pesky, Annoying Squirrels:
Personally, I think squirrels are adorable. But there are plenty of people who think squirrels are pesky and conniving. It’s hard to convince them otherwise.
For squirrels trying to wreck your garden, or ornamental plants try black pepper powder or chili powder 1 teaspoon with vinegar 2–3 tablespoons mixed in — 1/4 gallon of water. Spray that on your succulents and let’s see how they behave. Hopefully, that solution will keep them away for 2 weeks.
Get Rid of Weeds:
The best way to get rid of weeds is to turn the soil at least once a month and get the weeds out by the roots. Doing this for about 3 to 4 months will ensure fewer weeds in your garden.
However for the busy or lazy gardener, “From thistle to horsetail, you can use malt, distilled, white vinegar, and even apple cider, pour at the base of the roots, to stop the spread of weeds in your garden.”
Get Rid of Poison Ivy, Poison Oak:
Poison Ivy and Oak is best dealt with in the winter. Without leaves, it is easier to uproot this plant. Otherwise, use shears to prune them, then bag the leaves and dispose of them. Do not burn the leaves. The burning leaves will release Urushiol, “an irritating, oily sap found in all parts of poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac plants, including the leaves, stems, and roots. It’s there even after the plant has died.” This can get into your airways, lungs, and eyes and cause endless irritation. Don’t ever risk your health and life by burning the leaves of poisonous plants. You will be releasing poisonous chemicals into the air, harming yourself, and others around you.
Instead, wear gloves and pluck it out by the root. Dig around the root to make sure no roots are left behind, otherwise, the Poison Ivy can pop-up again.
Doing Our Part to Balance a Delicate Eco-system:
Most small-sized wild animals, birds, including snails, are beneficial to the eco-system. That’s why I reiterate not to poison our planet, the nature that is around us. I see some of you raising eyebrows or rolling your eyes in disbelief, or quipping “not fire ants,” (Lol) or “wasps.” So try to get them out of your garden the non-toxic way. I always see the American Robins (sisters of 9 birds) eating slugs right after the lawn is mowed. It’s fun to watch nature.
Our planet is being poisoned daily at an alarming rate. This is what prompted me to write this article.
The following infographic may not be that clear. When it rains, pesticides wash into our drain ways, sewers, and enter streams, rivers, and oceans, polluting our fish and other species of wildlife (ducks, alligators, turtles, and other marine species). This is called “rainwater run-off” which sounds absolutely harmless, except we are poisoning our planet with many thousands of gallons of pesticides and herbicides when you take into account the millions of homes that are using it. This information may seem overwhelming, but pesticides are also known to cause birth defects in unborn babies and can affect pregnant women. So it’s something to really think about and have a talk with our families on how much chemicals are being used daily. Educate your kids on the importance of washing hands before eating, touching eyes, biting nails, etc. The lessons we impart to them at an early young age will stick with them for life.
Will you make a decision to do your part to reduce the use of chemicals in your lawn, in and around your home?
Check www.swissmist.com if you would like to try out essential oils. Read the articles on that site to learn more on how essential oils can be put to use in and around our homes. We have to, we need to reduce our sole dependency on chemicals for our children’s sake, for our family members’ sakes. At least, we ought to try.
The crux of the matter is, stop using chemicals, or if you must, dilute it, and gradually reduce the use of chemicals. I liken it to a meat-eater becoming vegetarian. You can do it gradually or go cold turkey. Either way works.
Hope this post was informative and helped some of you. Thank you for reading.
#chemicals #chemicalpesticides #naturalpesticides #saveourplanet #stoppoisoningourplanet
