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Posts tagged “insects & pests”

Here Comes the Rain Again: Termites & Leaks!

As much as we welcomed the first fall rainfall here in Los Angeles, we knew it was also going to possibly bring a whole lot of hurt along with it: flash floods, mud slides, roof leaks and a mess of dr...

The Best Ways To Rid The Apartment of Ants

It must be the late summer heat here in sunny LA that's made the city's ant population decide to make a railway line right through our apartment. Doesn't seem to be an issue that we're on the third f...

Dealing with a Serious Infestation

Cough, cough! I'm currently recovering from accidentally inhaling a tiny bit of fumigation spray while trying to seal off the door to my front office. You see, the last couple of days the small front ...

Finding Furniture On The Street: And Making Sure It's There When You Come Back To Get It

I've found a few pieces of furniture on the street and dragged them home. A big fear when you acquire furniture this way is hoping that, along with a great mid-century find, you're not also bringing ...

Getting Rid of Pocket Gophers

Yesterday, we briefly mentioned that we had a mole problem in our front yard (but an AT reader said we're probably dealing with pocket gophers). After a little research and a quick pic taken of the s...

How To: Prevent Spider Bites
Even When You're Knee Deep In Boxes In An Old Garage

We've been organizing a client's garage for the past week and it's been a rough few days. Sawdust from house construction and sun that just won't quit--we're beat. Not to mention the black widow we ...

A Natural Ant Repellent
Melbourne

Over the weekend, we were sitting outside with a cup of tea and enjoying the good weather. Then we noticed a black stream of ants traveling towards our house. There is only one thing that makes our sp...

Pacific Coast Termite: No Tents

When we first moved to Los Angeles and saw homes wrapped in bright tents of blue or orange, red or yellow, we assumed that it was decoration for some type of party. Later, we heard horror stories of ...

Giving the Pigeons an Eviction Notice

Earlier this year we had a pigeon nesting infestation inside where the roofline met the front of our apartment building. Like many people, we didn't have the heart to evict them once we heard the chir...

Reader Solution: Natural Flea Remedy for Pet and Home

Nothing is worse than settling into the sofa for some serious magazine reading and realizing that you've got fleas jumping all over you. Thanks to onthequailtrail for leaving advice passed down from ...

Good Question: Does This Really Keep the Flies Out?
Los Angeles

OK, we admit we've blogged a lot about flies lately, and we're not done yet. They're still buzzing around, and our pitcher plant hasn't arrived yet so...What's the deal, do these water bags actually ...

The Mechanical Fly Catcher

We couldn't resist sharing this with you. Described as "an electronic fly-swatting device based on the idea of the Venus fly trap. The Fly Catcher is not just a talking point, it actually catches fli...

Efficient Fly Swatters

August and September are notorious for packing the most heat in the Los Angeles area. And with extra heat comes the unwelcome appearance of house flies. Luckily, we have a friend that shared with u...

Natural Mosquito Repellent

Alright so we've figured out natural ways to kill off flies. And we have one option for keeping insects at bay. But the other day we were reading (for the first time) Rachel Ray's Everyday and were ...

Natural Fly Killer: Carnivorous Plant

We've got a bad case of flies this summer. Maybe the breeze has died down, maybe there's a pile of rotting garbage close by that we can't see, but they're everywhere. We went on the hunt for a natur...

Look: Natural Insect Control!
Austin

Mosquitoes and other flying insects can easily ruin time spent in your garden or backyard on hot, summer nights. In lieu of dousing yourself or your yard with chemicals, here’s an all-natural and s...

Riddex Plus Pest Controller

Bugs outside? Okay. Bugs inside? Not okay (we'll make an exception for spiders seeing as they eat the other bugs and we still harbour a Charlotte's Web-induced soft spot for them). But as squeamis...

Ladybug, Ladybug come to My Home: The Cute Pesticide

Last week, Gregory blogged attracting bees and butterflies into the garden with his beautiful and fragrant plantings. But, as nature intended, along with the good bugs come the bad ones, the circle o...

How To: Build A DIY Humane Mouse Trap

It appears that my recent house guest was an elderly member of a rodent community underneath our building. Our friend and neighbor found another rodent brought in by her cat in her adjoining unit, and...

The Unexpected House Guest: A Mouse in the House

Normally, most folks try their best to rid themselves of rodents from their home. But yesterday I ended up inviting a diminutive friend into our place as an unexpected house guest, rescuing an ailing ...

Trader Joe’s Lavender Dryer Bags

We’ve been meaning to blog these for a while but we wanted to try them out for ourselves first and see if they worked and our Trader Joe’s (apparently the most popular TJ’s in LA) has been out o...

Tarmoset's Leather and Birch Fly Swatter

Only one thing can ruin a glorious sunny day outside in the garden: flies. Even by the beach, the breeze can't blow them all inland. So we present to you what is probably our favorite fly swatter. ...

Gnat Gonna Live With It: Getting Rid of Indoor Gnats

Ugghh, in the last few weeks, we've had a steady and noticeable increase of small flying annoyances that coincided with our trips to the farmer's market and also the warmer weather. That means small g...

LA Good Questions: How To Get Rid of Snails?

ATTACK OF THE KILLER SNAILS! The weather has been great these past few days in sunny So Cal, so this morning we thought we'd have some coffee on our patio- only to discover the horror......

How To: Make a 2 Liter Soda Bottle Wasp Trap

Uh oh, looks like a small nest of wasps have taken roost near our place. The warmer weather and reappearance of sweet snacks attract wasps and we've been the victim of their painful harassment before....

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