10
How to Bug-Proof Your Dwelling
The weather is getting warmer and it's time to throw open the windows and doors to
the
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enchanting spring air, but, if you're a
bugaphobe, terror may lurk beneath
the baseboards. Spring is the time
when the creepy crawlers come out of the woodwork and there is nothing more disturbing than staring down in the shower only to discover a multi-legged creature all too willing to share the cucumber-and-green-tea shower gel. In order to
exclude these visitors in the most environmentally sound
way possible, experts agree the secret is caulking, caulking,
caulking! Seal up those
cracks in the floor,
under the cabinets and pay special attention to
the areas surrounding doors and windows.
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For the most earth-friendly caulk,
avoid using anything latex or silicone-based. Good weather-stripping and tight door sweeps have the
added
bonus of improving the effectiveness of your heating
and air conditioning. If you live in a house, also make sure that you keep hubs of
bug civilization like wood piles far from the
foundation of your home.
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Do it yourself:
If your local bugs have evolved such sophisticated counter-attack tactics as to make simple lock-downs like caulking and weather-stripping
seem as ineffective as an
Atlantan turning the dead-bolt to keep
out Sherman, maybe it's time
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to get out the big guns. First, know
your enemy. Visit
to help identify your pests and select the right weapons to defeat them. Next, the most earth-friendly pesticides are generally pyrethrin-based. Pyrethrins are made from daisy-like flowers from Africa and Australia that are lethal to bugs, but can be safely used inside the homes of humans.
