Garden pests are one of the few things I find frustrating about gardening. Whether it's the snails taking over your lettuce or the aphids sucking on your roses — it's definitely annoying — but not a reason to fret and reach for harmful, toxic sprays. They might eliminate the pesky culprits, but they are harmful to you and the environment. Instead, try whipping up one of these simple recipes with ingredients you most likely have on hand. More

Growing up, when there were signs of a mouse in the house, my mom would sit in the kitchen, after everyone went to bed, waiting with a brown paper bag and peanut butter. Once the little guy made an appearance, she'd run around and try to scoop him up into said bag. Call her crazy, but it usually worked. Perhaps it might have been a little easier if she had one of these… More

Q: I'm really interested in this find on Craigslist but am afraid of purchasing soft used items for fear of bringing wee travelers home with me. On one home tour, I asked that question of the owners of a very cool floral sofa they purchased off of Craigslist. I did not get a reply from them, but many did comment. One reader indicated that you can have little critters even on 'hard' used purchases. More

This week my apartment has felt like anything but home. Since I first shared that it had bedbugs, my world has flipped and literally turned upside down. Still fighting the good fight, here's an update on our progress, the things that have worked and the things that have totally, totally sucked. More

Move to the big city, they said. You'll love Chicago, they said. Housing is affordable and there's always something to do, they said. All was well and good until that dreaded night when we first saw them. Bed bugs. Big ones, small ones — it was like an instant infestation. After a mildly embarrassing freak out, I'm here to take advice and give it back to our readers who might do battle with them some day. More

At first I thought the squirrels were pretty cute running through my backyard and leaping from branch to branch. They entertained my dog to no end, too. Then I saw them nibbling on my newly planted garden. And stealing bird food. And leaving a mess in the eaves. How annoying! Still, one solution never even occurred to me: eating them for dinner. More

About a month ago, I noticed the occasional moth aflutter in my walk-in closet. This annoyed me, and I would do my best to find it and kill it! One day, I discovered a favorite sweater attacked vociferously by a peer of said moth. I bought a pile of little cedar blocks and distributed them throughout my closet.

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Bed bugs are still plaguing New York and why would landlords or building managers advertise the fact that they have infestations? So many people move into infested buildings unaware of the problem. To counteract this, artist Hunter Fine created mini "Bed Bud Hotels" that he places outside of buildings with bed bug problems. More

Q: We got besieged by fruit flies right at the beginning of September when I had an overload of produce from my farm share. I put out vinegar traps and moved all the produce I couldn't immediately eat into the fridge. There was a temporary decrease in the fruit fly population, but now it seems they are using my houseplants in the living room as their home base...
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Q: A mouse just crawled over our houseguest's foot when she was sitting at the desk in the guest room. Coincidentally (?) I heard something that I'm now realizing had to have been mice in the walls in the kitchen yesterday. Obviously we have a problem. I'm so horrified. We rent but the landlord is very hands-off. She'll just want us to fix it and send her the bill. Who do I call or what do I do that won't be super toxic for us or the environment? Help!

Asked by Anna More