Year: 2019

At this time of year, I listen closely to the weekly weather reports and start to time my final phases of winter prep to keep ahead of the first possible dusting of snow and the onset of frigid weather.  Anyone who has been there knows how tough it can be to wrestle with a 50ft semi frozen garden hose…I’d prefer an anaconda!  However, that’s exactly what the plan now calls for.  I’m spending the time walking my property storing the forgotten remnants of outdoor furniture and tarping it all for a long winter hibernation.  Keep your eye out for low hanging and broken branches.  It is best to have them taken down now rather than allowing them to fall on your roof.  Here is what I recommend, put all garden decorations inside, clean and empty the planter boxes and don’t forget to reorganize your garage so that you can easily pull your vehicle inside before the next storm hits.  Here are some other things that can be easily overlooked but worth a second thought.  Check out that BBQ and make sure that a chipmunk or squirrel has made a cushy winter home inside and then make sure that you throw a cover over it and push it aside under an eave so that you won’t leave it over exposed to ice and snow.  While you’re outside, lean a ladder up against the house and check out the gutters that you can easily reach to make sure that they are clear of leaves and debris.  Remember that clogged gutters will eventually lead ice dams and water backup.  After cleaning out those gutters head out to the street and make sure your storm drains aren’t totally clogged to avoid puddling that could cause slipping and sliding.  Also, make sure that you have an initial stock of ice melt to keep your paths and driveway clean and safe.   Stoke a fire in the fireplace and sit back and watch it snow!

Q: What is the worst sound you can think of? A: The whining high pitched sound of a mosquito…especially when the lights are out and your head is on the pillow. Q: Who sucks your blood more greedily than Dracula A: The ticks that grow as fat as a grape gorging themselves and spreading Lyme disease. Q: How can you reduce or eliminate mosquitoes and ticks from your yard and garden A: Garlic Fogging

There are professional companies in business today that will come to your home and spray your property to eliminate mosquitoes and ticks for a hefty price. It was long ago that I passed a truck fogging a home and I caught the unmistakable scent of garlic. Well, it gave me an idea. Why not create an inexpensive home garlic fogging system that the homeowner can use to fog and treat their property? Why should the homeowners have to pay big bucks on a regular basis to some franchise to fog bushes and beds to prevent these annoying and dangerous pests.

If you remember from a previous garlic “rant”, garlic is a member of the onion genus Allium.  It is a close relative to the onion, shallot, leek and chive but does so much more than repel Dracula.  Garlic produces a natural sulfur which repels a virtual “who’s who” of insect and animal pests.  Liquid garlic is tough on ticks by suffocating them and killing their eggs.  It also suffocates the mosquito larvae that develop in standing water.  Likewise, aphids, beetles and a host of other creepy crawly things.  Spray or fog liquid garlic liberally over standing water, thick undergrowth, lawn areas, flower beds and directly on plants and vegetables. 

But there is a miraculous beauty to garlic liquid because it is systemically absorbed by plants but doesn’t affect the taste of the fruit or vegetables.  It has been proven to repel birds away from ripening fruit in a harmless non-toxic way. 

Going a step further, most snake repellents use garlic as an ingredient because snakes don’t like the sulfonic acid that garlic produces.  Use a little rock salt around the perimeter ( tough on the snakes belly)along with some garlic spray and you’ve created a great snake barrier.

Maybe you’re dealing with something a little larger such as deer.  According to the University of California integrated pest management program, deer hate the fragrance of garlic and really hate the taste too.  If you’re struggling to save those hostas again this year, look no further for an all natural way to repel those browsing pests that can tear through your garden in an afternoon!

It seems that most all animals with a more sensitive sense of smell than us mere humans can’t stand the strong odor of garlic.  Garlic spraying or fogging is one way of deterring cats from your garden and mice from your house.   Moles, voles, rats and bats…no one likes garlic.  And that’s the reason we love garlic.  It’s the safe, non-lethal way to deal with most all flying, crawling and difficult pests.

Terminix is using garlic down on the gulf coast to reduce the population of mosquitos by 90%. You don’t have to be a professional to get the same professional results that Just Scentsational Garlic Scentry can provide!

Sure, they’re sometimes beautiful. They’re always strange. A life form that lives on death and decay. It’s about as alien as you can get. These micro organisms are found everywhere…even on us! Mold is a type of fungus that are found in a wide array of colors. Remember, not all fungi are awful. Mushrooms are fungi and where would we ever be without a single celled fungi called yeast. No beer and no bread, that’s where. Fungi thrive on moisture and reproduce by emitting spores that travel through the air. Sometimes, they even grow on your feet and cause “athletes foot”. Disgusted yet? You bet. So what’s the real difference between all these alien creatures that we’re exposed to each and every day?

Mold is a fungus that has multiple nuclei that penetrate below the surface of things. Mildew is a flat growth that remains on the surface where we can easily see it and remove it. Algae is a naturally occurring moss like plant that spreads by air borne spores too. Algae grow…like mold and all other fungus…in humid climates and in a wide range of temperatures. Nothing is safe from algae growth. They cling to your roof shingles, grow on your downspouts and take away from the beauty and value of your home.

Okay, so the rain is bound to stop and a whole new crop of mold, mildew, algae and fungus will be sprouting up all around us. How can we ever keep these pesky aliens in check? I hear the blare of the trumpets and the drum roll. It’s time to remove these unsightly growths and cover the areas where they like to grow with our 1 Shot mold, mildew, algae and fungus inhibitor. This miraculous coating actually contains EPA approved inhibiting chemicals that are sealed to a clean dry substrate and whenever the humidity rises the web of protection opens and allows these inhibiting chemicals to come into contact with the spores and prevent them from taking hold and growing into a “beard” of terror! You’ve got the problem and we’ve got the cure. Come visit us at https://www.bareground.com/product-category/oneshot/cleaners/

Since our involvement with fox urine as a humane way of deterring small pests, we’ve learned a lot about the fox. But, we’re continually amazed by the many things we didn’t know. Although much of this information is pulled directly from the internet, we thought that we should share it with our audience because it is quite remarkable. Take a look below at some of the attributes of the amazing fox:

Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica and thrive in cities, towns, and rural settings. But despite being all around us, they’re a bit of a mystery. Here’s more about this elusive animal.

1. FOXES ARE SOLITARY  Foxes are part of the Canidae family, which means they’re related to wolves, jackals, and dogs. They’re medium-sized, between 7 and 15 pounds, with pointy faces, lithe frames, and bushy tails. But unlike their relatives, foxes are not pack animals. When raising their young, they live in small families—called a “leash of foxes” or a “skulk of foxes”—in underground burrows. Otherwise, they hunt and sleep alone.

2. THEY HAVE A LOT IN COMMON WITH CATS.  Like the cat, the fox is most active after the sun goes down. In fact, it has vertically oriented pupils that allow it to see in dim light. It even hunts in a similar manner to a cat, by stalking and pouncing on its prey. And that’s just the beginning of the similarities. Like the cat, the fox has sensitive whiskers and spines on its tongue. It walks on its toes, which accounts for its elegant, cat-like tread. And foxes are the only member of the dog family that can climb trees—gray foxes have claws that allow them to climb and descend vertical trees quickly. Some foxes even sleep in trees—just like cats.

3. THE RED FOX IS THE MOST COMMON FOX.  Geographically, the red fox has the widest range of the more than 280 animals in the order Carnivora. While its natural habitat is a mixed landscape of scrub and woodland, its flexible diet allows it to adapt to many environments. As a result, its range is the entire Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic Circle to North Africa to Central America to the Asiatic steppes. It’s also in Australia, where it’s considered an invasive species.

4. FOXES USE THE EARTH’S MAGNETIC FIELD.  Like a guided missile, the fox harnesses the earth’s magnetic field to hunt. Other animals, like birds, sharks, and turtles, have this “magnetic sense,” but the fox is the first one we’ve discovered that uses it to catch prey. According to New Scientist, the fox can see the earth’s magnetic field as a “ring of shadow” on its eyes that darkens as it heads towards magnetic north. When the shadow and the sound the prey is making line up, it’s time to pounce.

5. THEY ARE GOOD PARENTS.  Foxes reproduce once a year. Litters range from one to 11 pups (the average is six), which are born blind and don’t open their eyes until nine days after birth. During that time, they stay with the vixen (female) in the den while the dog (male) brings them food. They live with their parents until they’re seven months old. Vixens have been known to go to great lengths to protect their pups—once, in England, a fox pup was caught in a wire trap for two weeks but survived because its mother brought it food every day.

6. THE SMALLEST FOX WEIGHS UNDER 3 POUNDS.  Roughly the size of a kitten, the fennec fox has elongated ears and a creamy coat. It lives in the Sahara Desert, where it sleeps during the day to protect it from the searing heat. Its ears not only allow it to hear prey, they also radiate body heat, which keeps the fox cool. Its paws are covered with fur so that the fox can walk on hot sand, like it’s wearing snowshoes.

7. FOXES ARE PLAYFUL.  Foxes are known to be friendly and curious. They play among themselves, as well as with other animals, like cats and dogs do. They love balls, which they will steal from backyards and golf courses.  Although foxes are wild animals, their relationship with humans goes way back. In 2011, researchers opened a grave in a 16,500-year-old cemetery in Jordan to find the remains of a man and his pet fox. This was 4000 years before the first-known human and domestic dog were buried together.

8. YOU CAN BUY A PET FOX. In the 1960s, a Soviet geneticist named Dmitry Belyaev bred thousands of foxes before achieving a domesticated fox. Unlike a tame fox, which has learned to tolerate humans, a domesticated fox is docile toward people from birth. Today, you can buy a pet fox for $9000, according to Fast Company. They’re reportedly curious and sweet-tempered, though they are inclined to dig in the garden.

9. ARCTIC FOXES DON’T SHIVER UNTIL -70° CELSIUS.  The arctic fox, which lives in the northernmost areas of the hemisphere, can handle cold better than most animals on earth. It doesn’t even get cold until –70°C (-94°F). Its white coat alsocamouflages it against predators. As the seasons change, its coat changes too, turning brown or gray so the fox can blend in with the rocks and dirt of the tundra.

10. FOX HUNTING CONTINUES TO BE CONTROVERSIAL.  Perhaps because of the fox’s ability to decimate a chicken coop, in the 16th century, fox hunting became a popular activity in Britain. In the 19th century, the upper classes turned fox hunting into a formalized sport where a pack of hounds and men on horseback chase a fox until it is killed. Today, whether to ban fox hunting continues to be a controversial subject in the UK. Currently, fox hunting with dogs is not allowed.

11. THEY APPEAR THROUGHOUT FOLKLORE.  Examples include the nine-tail fox from various Asian cultures; the Reynard tales from medieval Europe; the sly trickster fox from Native American lore; and Aesop’s “The Fox and the Crow.” The Finnish believed a fox made the Northern Lights by running in the snow so that its tail swept sparks into the sky. From this, we get the phrase “fox fires” (though “Firefox,” like the Mozilla internet browser, refers to the red panda).

12. BAT-EARED FOXES LISTEN FOR INSECTS.  The bat-eared fox is aptly named, not just because of its 5-inch ears, but because of what it uses those ears for—like the bat, it listens for insects. On a typical night, it walks along the African savannah, listening until it hears the scuttle of prey. Although the bat-eared fox eats a variety of insects and lizards, most of its diet is made up of termites. In fact, the bat-eared fox often makes its home in termite mounds, which it usually cleans out of inhabitants before moving in.

13. DARWIN DISCOVERED A FOX SPECIES  During his voyage on the Beagle, Charles Darwin collected a fox that today is unimaginatively called Darwin’s Fox. This small gray fox is critically endangered and lives in just two spots in the world: One population is on Island of Chiloé in Chile, and the second is in a Chilean national park. The fox’s greatest threats are unleashed domestic dogs that carry diseases like rabies.

14. WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY? A LOT, ACTUALLY.  Foxes make 40 different sounds.  The most startling though might be its scream.

Yikes, I saw a coyote…

This is one heck of a pervasive critter that stalks our neighborhoods and endangers both humans and our pets and livestock. You can protect yourself and your property from them by using Just Scentsational’s Wolf Urine as a deterrent. It’s the non lethal way to send them the message…there’s someone larger than you and you’re not always the top dog in this neighborhood. 

Odor has been a great deterrent but there are other ways to protect yourself.  Consider putting up a fence around your perimeter to deter them but keep in mind that they can easily leap a 6ft high fence.  What else can you do proactively?  Monitor your garbage and other possible food sources for coyotes such as rodents, squirrels, rabbits and your own pets!  Keep them inside when coyotes are present.  Walking your dog late at night?  Make sure you take a flashlight with you and some sort of noise maker just in case they get too close.

Is it time for you to put up motion sensitive lighting around your houses?  That’s also a great way to frighten them off.  Most of these PIR lights are available as solar powered lights so you can even mount them anywhere without having to hard wire them. 

Regardless of whether you decide to use one or all of these useful tips…stay safe this season as coyotes are on the move all around us.