Category Archives: Environment

Keep Away Summer Bugs With These Tips

The summer is a fantastic season to get out of your home and spend some time in nature. Unfortunately, stepping outdoors can also bring about a number of frustrations during the hotter months of the year. Bugs, for example, run rampant when the temperature starts to go up. Nuisances like mosquitoes are everywhere, sneakily biting and leaving behind irritated bumps wherever they strike. If you’re looking for ways to keep summertime insects away from you and your home, here are some helpful tips to consider!

Use Natural Repellents

In the current day and age, it is important to be an informed consumer when it comes to specific products. Plenty of products aimed at keeping away pests are laden with chemicals that can be harmful to you, your family, and the environment around you. This is why it can be smart to research all natural tick and mosquito control and discover safer alternatives to traditional repellents. These options often include natural agents like peppermint to keep mosquitoes, ticks, and other bugs at bay.

Light a Candle or Two

Lighting the right candle can work wonders when you are trying to enjoy a bit of time outdoors with family and friends. Candles made with essential oils like citronella and lemongrass have been shown to help keep certain insects from getting too close. While the candles can help, you still will need to use repellents to ensure the mosquitoes don’t find their way to your skin.

Clear Away Old Water

Mosquitoes breed in standing water. After it rains, if water has pooled or collected around your home, it can easily become a spawning ground for the next generation of pests. To avoid this, do a perimeter check of your home and clear away any stagnant water you find.

An enjoyable summer event can easily take a bad turn due to the presence of insects. Find a solution that works for you and keep your skin free of bites this season.

How To Keep Your Lake Beautiful

Owning lake property can offer both fun on the water and relaxing, peaceful views. The beauty of having a property near a lake versus owning a pool is less maintenance, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to take care of your lake. A properly maintained lake is a haven for wildlife with its rich ecosystem, so there are several things you can do to keep your area healthy.

Ongoing Maintenance

Many people are surprised to know that lake aeration is essential. Without the oxygen it provides, water can quickly become overcrowded with unsightly algae and strong odors. A green lake will ruin your views and water activity fun. A competent company will be able to specially design an aeration plan that fits the size and depth of your water.

Tackling Problems

If you are lucky enough to live on a lake fit for swimming, you know that weeds can quickly get out of control. At certain levels, they can even get caught in boat or other watercraft motors, causing expensive maintenance. Lakes with a large number of weeds and algae are also more bountiful breeding grounds for mosquitoes. At a minimum, they can make swimming difficult and potentially unsafe. The best way to handle a weed problem is to contact the professionals. Look for a company that has a good rating with the Better Business Bureau. They should be able to use a weed management solution that won’t harm wanted wildlife, while limiting the weeds that are able to grow in the future.

Homes by the water are naturally more serene environments. A green or smelly lake takes away from that experience, so it’s best to find a company to perform ongoing maintenance or aeration to control excessive weeds and algae. With a little effort upfront, you’ll be enjoying your beautiful lake view for years to come.

Why You Should Respect the Space of Wild Animals

Wild animals are inherent elements within nature. Truth be told, humans are as much animals as elephants, apes, and zebras, but more civilized and intelligent in some ways. With that said, all animals should be respected. But some humans get caught up in being at the top of the food chain, making them cocky and uncaring of wild animal matters. Unfortunately, this kind of disconnected, backwards thinking leads to species extinctions and habitat losses. So, to save the world with all of the animals in it, here are several reasons why you should respect the space of wild animals.

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They Were There First

Most animal lineages go back for eons, with evolution leading the way in their development. The same can be said of humans, of course, but the wild animals that remained wild animals were here long before modern humans. So, if you want to base your respect on superiority of a position or premises, animals were there first. You should respect them because this was their home before it was yours. It’s highly unlikely that a wild pack of lemurs would ever wander into your home and set up shop. So, why should you do that to them by building a home in their natural habitat?

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Wild Animals are Stronger, Faster, and More Instinctive

While humans have evolved in what is considered civilization, thousands of species of wild animals have become stronger, faster, and more instinctive. They follow their natures, letting their true selves lead the way in their decisions and thought processes. Wild animals should be respected because they are nature incarnate. They embody everything that humans aren’t, in all of their civilized wisdom.

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You Could Be Destroying an Entire Ecosystem

When you disrespect animals with littering or slaughtering them or their habitats, you could be destroying an entire ecosystem. It’s the equivalent of pouring molten lead into an ant hill just to see the cool effects. You are, in reality, destroying a smooth-run, well-oiled ecosystem in the name of your own entertainment and fun. It’s wrong. Live and let live. It’s gotten to the point where animal protection officials and preserves have to take out animal life insurance to ensure the continuation of a species after an endangered animal dies.

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Despite views to the contrary, humans are not the kings of the world. They are merely inhabitants—the same as any other animal. Respect of wild animals should be a given. And an appreciation for nature should be a passed down trait. Teach your kids that wild animals deserve to live and thrive as much as you do, because compassion will go a long way towards a good life.