Saturday Tweets: Ginger Bug, Vegetable Soup Base and a Zero Cost House

...ple) January 30, 2016 DIY Chimney Sweeping https://t.co/LcF3J3PJk6 via @wordpressdotcom — Root Simple (@rootsimple) January 30, 2016 DIY termite treatment-anyone know if this works? https://t.co/wD1ZAfI9ZI #pests #termites — Root Simple (@rootsimple) January 30, 2016 Zero cost house built in one week: https://t.co/Tht3aPGh2Z #earthbuilding #pallets — Root Simple (@rootsimple) January 30, 2016...

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The Green Cone

...mpost piles due to the fact that they smell bad while decomposing, attract pests, and could possibly transmit Salmonella and E. coli bacteria if used on food crops. The green cone is, however, not a composter and the end result should not be used as garden compost due to the fact that home compost piles usually can’t generate enough heat to kill the bad bacteria in meat and animal waste. For the reasons you shouldn’t put meat products in compost p...

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How to Store Bulk Goods

...ut for pantry moths. UC Davis has a nice fact sheet on dealing with pantry pests. Lastly, share resources and techniques with your neighbors. Knowing the folks on our block, thanks to our neighbor Jennie’s monthly happy hour parties, has been helpful. We check in via Zoom once a week, trade food and backyard fruit and run errands for folks in deep quarantine. We need not equate emergency preparedness with the sort of destructive individualism part...

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Beware of Bee Removal Scams

...exterminator will leave all the honey in the wall. The honey will attract pests and, possibly, drip through your wall or ceiling. Bees left in place will not let their honey drip or get robbed by mice. Unfortunately, there seem to be a lot of fraudulent bee removal companies out there who promise “humane” removal but who actually just use chemical fumigants to force the bees to abscond. Colonies forced out this way are nearly certain to die. Havi...

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Root Knot Nematodes, Meliodogyne spp.

...dworms. There are many different kinds of nematodes and not all are garden pests. However, the root knot nematode is a very annoying pest indeed. Above ground, plants are stunted. Below ground, the little guys are sucking on the plant’s roots and robbing it of nutrients. This weakens the overall root system, starves the plant and allows entry points for fungus and disease. Bad stuff. I have had plants that mysteriously won’t grow. No amount of fer...

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