Pest Control: Field Mice and Natural Approaches to Eliminating Them

As it starts to get colder here in the northeast part of the country we have to be particularly careful about protecting our homes from field mice. In this article we look at some low and no cost solutions that may work to eliminate field mice from your home.

These little creatures get cold just like we do, and in the fall, start looking for a warm place to spend the winter. They really love old houses, as the wood frames and many cracks and other openings offer very little resistance to their entry.Field mice are resourceful, small, and very fast. They are surprisingly intelligent. And they prefer to ponder a solution to a problem, such as how to get into your house, if they are afforded enough time to do so.

They are loosely related to rats but are much smaller; about 4 inches long with a hairless tail which is as long as the body. Their fur is usually gray, white, black, or brown. They are named field mice because their natural habitat is found in the grass of the rolling fields.They have much smaller teeth than rats and they have extremely sharp claws. As mentioned, they can move very fast and people often report that they first realized that they had a field mice infestation when they happened to see a blur out of the corner of their eye.

The common field mouse prefers a moderate climate and the fall season signals to them that it is time to find inside accommodations. They are often motivated to burrow inside your home by the smell of food.They are notorious scavengers and will live in the walls of your home, coming out only to eat. They have many natural enemies, including: wolves, bears, cats, dogs, snakes, and owls. Their nocturnal nature helps to keep them safe as a good number of their enemies sleep while the field mouse is awake.

So now, how do we get rid of these unwanted visitors? Below are a number of home remedies to get rid of field mice. We will first approach the problem looking at non-poisonous solutions:

Steel Wool - Field mice are very small. They can insinuate themselves into the smallest crack or crevice. An opening as small as 2 inches wide is large enough for a field mouse to enter. Use steel wool to stuff into any holes, cracks or crevices that you see outside your home, in your basement, walls or in your attic. A particularly favorite haunt of these small creatures is under the kitchen sink, so be sure to put steel wool into any openings under there.

Soda Pop - Amazingly, these little guys love soda pop. Put a saucer of the sweet stuff where they are likely to get at it. The mice will drink the soda and die. Apparently, it is the carbonization that does them in.

Mashed Potatoes (instant variety) - Place instant mashed potatoes near where you suspect the mice are hiding. They will eat the potatoes which will swell up in their tiny stomachs before they can be digested, thereby killing the mice. Unfortunately, they will probably die in the walls which may produce a smell.

Plaster of Paris with Chocolate - Mix dry chocolate powder with dry plaster of Paris. Place it where the mice live. The mice will eat the chocolate plaster and then go out in search of water. The plaster will kill them but, unlike the situation with the mashed potatoes, there is a good chance that they will die outside of your house while searching for water.

These low-cost solutions may prove to be all that you need to rid your home of field mice. If these treatments do not work, you may need something stronger. Look for part 2 of this article for stronger solutions to your field mice problem.

Visit our site to learn more about insect control and find out more about natural pesticide.

Organic All Natural Foods and Foods High in Pesticide Content

Although you want to buy organic and all natural foods, watch for foods that have high pesticide content and avoid these. It's never easy trying to balance your daily life with healthy meals. Besides, eating healthy is hard work. First, it takes time to shop for the right kinds of food. Some "all natural foods" may be high in pesticide content usually organic foods are not. So our list below will show you foods that are high and low in dangerous chemicals. Second, good, healthy foods take a bit of your time to prepare. You have to find them, and these foods usually do not come in a precooked condition. Usually, "instant" and "quick" do not go hand-in-hand with all natural healthy foods. Then third, buying organic foods can be rather expensive. With our current economic conditions and your shirking weekly check, you think you can't afford to eat healthy. However, the opposite is true. You can't afford not to eat healthy. When you eat healthy, you may not eat nearly as much as you would otherwise. Therefore, you save money because you don't buy as much.

Let's look at when you need to buy organic and how to buy organic cheaper. There is one simple solution to save money on organic produce. You can learn the fruits and vegetables that test the highest in pesticide levels. Whichever fruits and vegetables have the highest pesticide levels would be the produce that you would want to purchase with the organic label. The rest of the produce is fairly safe to purchase without the organic label. Following this simple rule saves money plus you still get the benefit of healthy produce.

Look at the following list of fruits and vegetables that rank high in pesticide use. Following is a list of produce with the highest pesticide levels. Always buy these organic. These are also known as The Dirty Dozen:

Apples Celery

Cherries Grapes (esp. imported)

Lettuce Nectarines

Peaches Pears

Potatoes Spinach

Strawberries Sweet Bell Peppers

Next you can see a list of produce that have the lowest pesticide levels; therefore, you can buy these without the organic labels, but you need to wash them:

Asparagus Avocados

Bananas Broccoli

Cabbage Eggplant

Kiwi Mangoes

Onions Pineapples

Sweet Corn (frozen) Sweet Peas (frozen)

No matter whether you buy organic or otherwise, produce must always be washed before you use it. It has been handled by a large number of people. And organic produce is subject to drift from crops that are sprayed nearby.

Use the above chart to choose when to buy organic, all natural foods to avoid high pesticide content. By doing this, you can avoid some of the high costs of buying products that have little to no chemicals used on them.

Why Buy Organic Clothing?

People buy organic clothes for a lot of different reasons. Some people buy organic clothing because it makes them feel better knowing that they are doing something maintain their health and the planets health. Others buy them because they possess more aesthetic appeal. The difference between natural fabric and unnatural fabric is the way it has been grown. Cotton that is grown with the use of pesticides is considered unhealthy and hazardous to the environment and human health in general.

When people use pesticides to grow their plants, they are harming more than many of us realize. The chemicals from pesticides can easily seep into the ground and get into our drinking water, which is why there are so many warnings about drinking tap water. Everyone should buy organic clothing because it helps to make a statement to sellers. Did you know that cotton is currently the most widely sprayed crop in the world? There is no other plant in existence that is as weighed down with pesticides as cotton.

The more people choose to purchase organic cotton fabrics, the more manufacturers will start to get the idea. Did you know that your skin can actually absorb the chemicals sprayed on fabric? Human skin is like a sponge, everything is absorbed into the bloodstream. In California, five out of the top nine different types of pesticides used are considered cancer-causing chemicals.

Another reason to buy organic is to minimize skin allergies. People who suffer from skin rash and other irritable symptoms are usually unable to pinpoint exactly what is causing their problem. Most people simply chalk it up to a mixture of things, when in actuality, unnatural cotton is the culprit.

What's even better about making the choice to buy organic cotton is that it doesn't cost anymore than traditional fabrics. It costs less to grow organic cotton because all that is needed are insects often referred to as "beneficial bugs" to serve as a natural pesticide. The ground does not become polluted with cancer-causing chemicals that get into everything we eat and drink.

Traditional cotton farming relies heavily on the use of insecticides, which currently accounts for 25% of world's consumption. Aerial spraying is also used, which is hazardous and known to drift out into local neighborhoods, onto the farmers themselves, and into the atmosphere. Surrounding crops are heavily affected by the chemicals used to grow cotton.

Adding to the benefits of buying organic clothing is the way it makes you feel. There is an element of stress relief associated with knowing that you are doing something healthy for yourself and the environment. When you buy organic clothes, it can also help to increase your awareness in relation to going green. All it takes is a few simple changes in your life to really awaken your natural instinct to protect the health of yourself, your environment, and your family.

Visit our site to learn more about insect control and find out more about natural pesticide.

Why You Should Be Using Natural Pesticides in Your Gardens

Many farmers and gardeners use chemicals to kill bugs that harm their crops. These pesticides are an environmental and health hazard. Often local governments spray pesticides to combat mosquitoes and other insect infestations, and these sprays can drift... who knows where.

Understandably, we all want to protect our crops and maximize production. It shouldn't be at the expense of your health, the health of those who consume produce, or the purity of our water supply. The good news is there are sustainable practices to keep slugs and bugs off your garden fruits and vegetables.

Improve Your Soil

This may sound odd as a pest control, but if you have built up a fertile, loose soil, your plants will grow much more healthy. Healthy plants can more easily resist the devastation of insects and disease. When you do see insect or pest damage, if the pests are visible, just pick them off and destroy them. If not, give these other measures a chance.

Make Your Own Natural Pesticides

You probably have in your kitchen or home some of the ingredients for natural pesticides. For example, garlic, onion, cayenne pepper and dish soap steeped together and sprayed on some plants will protect against slugs and many bugs. Combat caterpillars, aphids, and several types of worms with a mixture of water and tobacco. Look for more recipes for natural pesticides online.

Garden Pest Deterrents

Slugs and snails can destroy your plants and flowers faster than you can say "slimy". You can deter them from getting near your precious plants in a variety of ways. They will have difficulty crossing a barrier of sharp gravel ashes and soot or broken eggshells or copper wire. You can set up a vertical barrier around plants with clear rigid plastic inserted on edge around a group of plants. Protect a group of plants by setting beer traps - containers filled with beer and set in the ground, with rims just above the surface. The slugs will crawl in and drown. Get rid of excess mulch and decaying leaves, as these are natural hiding places for slugs and snails.

Encourage Carnivorous Bugs

Ladybugs are wonderful for your garden. They eat aphids, scales, and mites. Many garden supply shops will sell them, or you can order them online.

Use Companion Plants

Finally, many plants work quite well to repel bugs from your garden. Plant marigolds among your vegetables. They look pretty and colorful, and also will repel nematodes, Mexican bean beetles, squash bug, thrips, tomato hornworms, and whitefly. Geraniums repel cabbage worms and leaf hoppers and mint repels ants and aphids, and the cucumber beetle. Plant garlic next to or beneath your rose bushes, and say goodbye to aphids.

What do pesticides do?

Pesticides (and there are well over 9,000 different acceptable pesticides approved by the FDA) have a number of health implications:

* Pesticides can be carcinogenic

* Pesticides can cause infertility

* Pesticides can cause neurological complications

* Pesticides can cause birth defects

And a whole lot more. Scientists are only beginning to understand the level of contamination already existing, and how pesticides are affecting our health, the health of our children and our planet.

You can reduce or eliminate pesticide damage by buying organic whenever possible, and by using natural pesticides when you grow your own fruits and vegetables. No one likes a bug-infested garden; however, it takes just a few simple steps to deter or eliminate them.