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Antisocial Insects

Natural Ways to Keep Crawling Critters Away

With picnics and barbecues on the calendar, summer is a time for indoor/outdoor entertaining with family, friends and neighbors. To keep invading ants away, hosts will want to use natural materials, many of which can be found in the kitchen, instead of chemical products that may be hazardous to humans, pets and wildlife.

Natural lines of defense. Applying ground cinnamon or mixing some of the spice with sugar, cloves and water into a thin paste and using a cotton swab to dab it in cracks and around doors and windowsills outside the house where ants might enter can be effective. The aroma is too strong for them, so they’ll either succumb or turn away. Another method recommended by the Mother Nature Network is to clean floors and countertops with a solution of one cup each of vinegar and water, with the option to enhance it with 15 drops of lemon oil.

Try a simple spray. An organic insecticide for application in grassy locations, applied to the legs and sides of the picnic table or chairs, can help reduce intrusion by ants and other pests. ChasingGreen.org suggests pouring one-and-a-half cups of water into a blender and adding two bulbs of garlic. Liquefy the ingredients to a smooth blend, strain out the remaining pieces of garlic, dilute the mixture with about a gallon of water and fill a spray bottle.

Organic pest control. Some manufacturers specialize in eco-friendly products, including the Extremely Green Gardening Company (ExtremelyGreen.com) that offers diatomaceous earth, Hasta La Vista Ant! and Bug Shooter insecticide. Other chemical-free bug traps can be found at many hardware stores.

Avoid temptation. Keep food container lids and boxes tightly closed indoors and keep food covered as much as possible outdoors.

Taking natural preventive steps now is timely because many ant species are highly active in early summer as they seek to increase the food stores for their colonies.

Global Briefs
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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