The last two days we and our neighbors have been inundated by these annoying guys. We have never seen them before and we’ve been here for years. What are they? We live in New Smyrna Beach, Florida on a manmade lake.
Thanks! D and B
Please if you have any info regarding the specification of this type of insect, drop your comment below. Thanks!
Thousands outside my house …. about 1/4 inch in size. I live in Palm Beach Gardens Florida ….. please help me
Can you I’d this bug? It is about 1.5 inches long. Found outside on patio in Weston fl.
Hello
I was wondering if you could identify this bug that my sister has in her Florida condominium.
We have found these mainly in the kitchen but also have seen them occasionally in the living room and bathroom.
They do have wings and are very tiny. They do not bite. They can be squished and killed with Dawn dish soap. We have not really figured out what they are attracted to. It’s random as far as food. Seafood and sugar seem to be big attractors.
If you could help me out or post this to your site with an answer I would appreciate it.
Thank you Vicki
Hello, can you identify this white tick looking bug?
It is on my lawn and a few young trees. Located in south Florida ft Lauderdale area.
[…]it looks like they are eating the leaves…. at least something is eat the leaves but this white bug is the only thing that is visible on the tree’s leaves. thank you in advance. anthony
Do you know which bug this is? Perhaps they’ve been eating your garden plants too? Help Anthony out and drop a comment below. Thanks!
Either as a last resort or as part of an integral pest management plan, ultrasonic pest repellers can save you a lot of nuisance and additional pest control costs.
Whether you have an ant problem, roaches terrorizing your home, or mice trotting down your kitchen floor, ultrasound may help you ward off these little buggers.
Especially if you’ve tried everything such as traps, powders, Hot Shot mixes, Dupont gels, and baits and whatnot.
It must be noted that they’re not an end-all cure but these little gizmos do offer some advantages (provided that they work, more about that in a bit).
Instead of messing with poisons or other chemical compounds and time-consuming traps that require maintenance you may be considering an easy plug-and-play repeller.
They offer a safe way of getting rid of pests when compared to sticky traps, gels and liquid baits, rat pastes, and other chemicals that are potentially hazardous when children and pets are present.
But let me guess, you were wondering, do they actually work?
Critical customers will want to do their due diligence and find out if ultrasonic pest control devices actually work before making a purchase.
Admitted, the premise of a ‘supersonic’ gadget being able to rid pests sounds shady. Yet, when properly used, you can definitely use them to your advantage.
Another essential question that rises; how should you use them?
Also; which one is best for your specific situation? Do you need to get a dedicated rodent repellent or does an all-purpose device suffice?
These devices send out short wavelength, high frequency sound waves into the ultrasonic range that are unbearable to rats, roaches, ants and other pests.
Ultrasonic repellers cause distress in these creatures as they target the nervous system of pests . This may cause confusion and seizures among critters and even kill the pests.
The high-frequency sound they emit is in-audible to the human ear and safe to use around children. These gadgets operate on electricity either by batteries or by being plugged into a socket.
Ultrasonic means sound of more than 20,000 Hz.
They emit frequencies around 20,000 Hertz which we humans can’t hear whereas critters may be seriously disturbed by it.
For instance; grasshoppers hear ultrasonic sound ranging from 50,000Hz to 100,000Hz and moths can hear sound up to 240,000Hz.
These devices may work on a variety of pests including; mice, cockroaches, fleas, bats, flies, ants, spiders, rodents, squirrels, raccoons, and opossums.
The short answer. Yes they do live up to their claims but it requires proper application and depends on which type of pest you want to repel.
However, don’t expect a magic bullet. Studies indicate that some of these products show results with certain pests.
Yet, study results are mixed. Keep in mind that none of these gadgets shows 100% effectiveness on any pest.
Because every type of animal is different, their ability to hear ultrasonic sound varies. And thus their tolerance fluctuates meaning that it depends on which frequency you are utilizing on which type of creature.
Various animals, such as rodents, bats, insects, moths, and dogs can hear well into the ultrasonic range. Some can detect higher frequencies than others.
Researchers concluded the following.
“Ultrasound and Arthropod Pest Control” (2001), an extensive Kansas State University study,[1] confirmed that ultrasonic sound devices do have both a repellent effect as well as reduces mating and reproduction of insects. However, the results were mixed, and ultrasonic sound had little or no effect on some pests.
To set realistic expectations. Studies show that ultrasonic pest control devices can cause a pest decrease, not a complete eradication of rodent and insect infestations.
And to be aware of diminishing returns. Pests may become accustomed to the specific wavelength of your ultrasonic device, thus, results could just be temporary.
Mice get used to the ultrasonic waves, you will have to kill them or get rid of them humanely.
Read the money-back small print. To ensure a so called ‘ 100% satisfaction rate ‘ many manufacturers offer a money back guarantee. If this is important to you, make sure to check the terms. Some brands offer a 30 days money-back guarantee which often is too short as devices may only start to work after a few weeks. Some brands have a 90 days refund policy which seems more realistic.
Besides picking the right type of repeller there’s also proper placement and knowing how to properly use these devices.
Size: an ultrasonic repeller should be appropriate to the size of the room it will be used. Getting those spiders in your bathroom to move on will require a smaller device then if you need to shoo squirrels from the attic.
Action radius: Make sure to take the action radius into account. A specific device may for instance repel pests within an action radius of 200 m².
This may suffice for keeping squirrels out of the garage but will not keep Fido from next door out from pooping in your strawberry beds.
For most models goes: use one in each room you want to keep pest free.
“Ultrasonic waves are aimed at a direct spot to (potentially) repel pests from that spot.”
Obstructions: the sound does not travel through walls so if you need more than one room to
Choose proper locations. Ultrasonic pest control devices emit weak and short range sound waves which are easily blocked by walls, furniture, and corners.
Don’t rely solely on these gadgets.
Use traps too. Continue (or start if you haven’t already) using traps. Whether you need to get rid of insects or rodents (or both) ultrasonic pest repellents work best in conjunction with trapping. Ultrasonic sound waves make the pests to scamper, driving them into the traps.
If you’re trying to tackle a mice problem, the last thing you’ll want is to scare your cat away with your new ultrasonic pest repeller.
After all, Kitty does a terrific job in keeping the mice population down. Rest assured, ultrasonic sound is not audible to cats and dogs.
Do keep in mind that your beloved Gremlin the gerbil and Cottonball the hamster or other pet rodents may not be amused with your new device.
It’s commonly thought that birds can hear these high-pitch ultrasonic sound too but this is a myth. So your repelling device won’t work on scaring those pigeons away.
Ultrasonic pest repellers come in different categories such as bug repellers, rodent repellers but also dog repellents, cat repellents (to keep the neighbor’s cat from shitting in your shrubbery). When it comes to bug and rodent repellers there’s basically plug-in repellers and corded units. The latter being more costly and often more powerful.
Even though this device has an average 3,5 star rating on Amazon it’s always wise to take a close look at the negative reviews.
Opinions on the efficacy of Victor’s PestChaser vary widely. User experiences range from ‘does not help’ such as the comments on this YouTube video to ‘works wonderful’ and ‘ finally helped me get rid of pests’.
The bad reviews are likely to be largely caused by customers not having followed the instructions in the manual. As it explains, it’s crucial to first get rid of the mice in case you already have a mice problem (i.e by using traps or poison). This device works merely as a preventative measure.
Also important to know, some people claim they can hear the sound which they often find annoying.
This makes this particular device potentially better suited for a basement than the living room. For areas in the home where people actually live Victor’s NightLight would be better suited.
Although advertised as an effective ultrasonic repelling device for all kinds of pests this device shows to work better for cockroaches and other insects such as flies and mosquitoes.
When used properly and/or in combination with additional pest control measures this device seems to work well for many users. No more spraying chemical and potential hazardous Baygon and Delamethrin. Functions as a night light too.
“The main thing it seems to do is make it easier to kill cockroaches. Not sure if it actually repels them. Also seems to deter spiders. Doesn’t keep ants at bay at all.”
Aspectec’s ultrasonic, ionic, and electromagnetic Home Sentinel comes with a money-back guarantee, has a ‘ pet-safe’ setting so it doesn’t scare off your dog or cat, and proofs to work well on keeping mice and other pests out. You do have to place one in each room that is infested. Possible more than one in case of large rooms.
Don’t expect too much of the blue light as it’s pretty drab. User reviews are mixed as the Eco Defense pest repeller seems to work for some whereas others are sure it doesn’t do a thing. Overall the most positive reviews mention the Eco Defense being able to ward off spiders and flying insects. Mice and rats seem to care less about this gadget.
Yes, ultrasonic repellers are safe around pets and humans. For this reason, and because of minimal intrusiveness, affordability and longevity, pest repeller devices that use high-frequency sounds are gaining popularity.
“Could you please identify this for me I believe they are stinging my kids the bites itch and hurt them. Thank u”
So, you have an ant problem and you want to make it go away in a humane, natural way?
Kudos to you for not wanting to use harsh chemicals that hurt or kill them. By doing using so you will be protecting the environment, your kids, pets, and your own consciousness.
Whether you are a Buddhist, animal lover, PETA enthusiast, or just in favor of natural solutions, getting rid of ants in the house naturally without poisons is possible.
An effective, environmentally safe approach consists of the following steps.
The first way to get rid of ants without killing them is to simply use preventative methods.
Seeing ants in your kitchen should mean seeing a big red flag. Here’s why.
There are three types of jobs in an ant colony, the queen, soldiers, and scouts.
Most ant species employ scouts roaming for food sources. When stumbled upon food they recruit other colony members to join the invasion.
As long as there’s food to be found there will be ants, and more of them for that matter too.
It can be helpful to determine with which type of ants you are dealing. Basically there are 3 types:
Read this Mother Nature Network post to find out which ant species is in your home.
Ants are attracted to tasty, sticky, sweet, and sticky things objects. This generally means that the first place you will notice an ant problem is in the kitchen.
The easiest way to ensure cleanliness and preventing ants would be to clean or put away all dirty dishes before you go to sleep.
Also make sure all food items on the counters (sugar container, condiments, etc.) are wiped down and aren’t leaving any residue behind, and to wipe up spills immediately so they can’t leave any scents for the ants to pick up.
Pro tip: cleaning surfaces with vinegar is not only an eco-friendly, money-saving and effective option, it also repels ants.
But what should you do if you already have ants or those preventative methods didn’t work?
Ants leave a scented trail so other ants can find their way to food. You can throw them off by washing away these invisible trails with soapy water.
Ants give off a scent wherever they go. This is why you find that large groups of ants gather in certain areas. Besides water and soap you are able to hide this scent with a borax and water mix and certain essential oils.
Ant trails get stronger as more ants follow the path. This continues until the food is gone after which the trail dissipates.
All-natural ways to cover ant trails
Find out where the ants manage to get in (you’re the scout now). Once you’ve found the access point(s) i.e.
Identify entrance locations (antrances). Do some searching around your home for any areas that may be cracked near the floor and use a sealer, such as caulk, glue, putties or plaster to close off the area.
Seal off every entrance hole you can find with putty, plaster, glue, silicone caulk, or by renewing boards or updating construction.
The last way you can get rid of ants without killing them is to collect the ones found in your home and dispose of them outdoors.
To do this, it would be best to locate the area with ants, put a plate or something similar on the ground near them and garnish the plate with something the ants can’t resist such as, sugar water or honey.
Once the ants have gathered on the plate, take it outside and dispose of it. Follow-up with the two methods above to assure that no more ants can infest your home after removing them this way.
A way to collect small numbers of ants is as follows:
By using natural repellents/ deterrents such as;
A very popular natural insect repellent commonly used to keep ants away is Majestic Pure Therapeutic Grade Peppermint Essential Oil.
Other commonly used natural ant barriers include:
If all of these remedies don’t suffice you can always resort to more invasive methods such as baits and traps.
Commonly, however, these all-natural ways to get rid of ants work wonders if applied regularly and methodically.
Folkore asserts that you can prevent ants from entering your home by giving them what they want outside the home.
By providing them with syrup or perhaps more natural foods away from the house you can take away their urge to invade your house.
At least, that’s the premise. Whether this controlled feeding method is an old wives’ tale or not remains to be seen.
You may run the risk of giving the ant colony population a boost creating even more hungry soldiers ready to maraude your kitchen. Personally, I would not try this at home (or near the home for that matter).
Common sense may cause one to think that more food simply means more ants.
Natural remedies for getting rid of ants are becoming more and more popular and there are a number of things you can do in order to prevent ants in your home.
By now, you should have a great understanding of the different ways you can get rid of ants without killing them.
The best way to secure an ant-free home is to use a combination of the above mentioned methods together in order to live without ants. So you can live in harmony with nature. Each species on its own turf.
How did you try to get rid of ants without using harsh chemicals? Did you manage or are you still struggling? Ask questions, give tips, share your findings by dropping a comment below.
We’ve conquered polio and smallpox. We’ve put a man on the moon and explored the depths of the oceans. We’ve mapped the known universe and the human genome. Yet we still haven’t found a way to get rid of head lice.
In fact, head lice are actually getting tougher (they’re becoming increasingly resistant to common treatments) and thus less susceptible to treatment.
Experts put the prevalence of louse infestation down to three factors:
Head lice mutate quickly because of their fast reproductive cycles (a female can lay an egg every 4 hours).
And if a single resistant louse survives after treatment they will go on to found an entire generation of hard-to-kill offspring.
Although we’ve moved on from the days when any child found to have lice was shaved by the school nurse or sprayed with DDT, many schools have “no-nit” policies which ban children from attending until they are clear.
The ‘no nit policy’ is a pretty extreme reaction to a problem which the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says is entirely harmless. (source: PubMed.)
Unlike body lice or fleas, head lice do not carry disease, and they aren’t a sign of a dirty home; the worst risk is irritating your scalp by scratching too hard.
For that reason, the AAP says that harsh treatments should only be a last resort. Let’s look at some of the most common treatments for head lice, and evaluate their effectiveness.
This is the backbone of any lice treatment regimen. The big advantage of wet combing is that lice can never develop resistance to it.
Coating the hair with something greasy (like hair oil or conditioner) will make combing easier, but the idea that it also stops the lice from gripping on to the hair is an old wives’ tale.
If you have the patience, wet combing alone will get rid of lice, although it needs to be repeated every couple of days to catch lice which have hatched from missed eggs.
Head louse eggs take 7-10 days to hatch, but of course not all the eggs in your hair will have been laid at the same time.
By combing every couple of days, you’ll pick up every new “batch” of lice when they hatch.
Metal combs are much more effective than plastic. Metal combs have tines so close together that hair can pass through but lice eggs get tugged out; plastic combs pull out live lice but usually can’t get the tiny eggs. They are also more durable than plastic combs, especially in case of thick hair.
Some metal combs, such as the nit free Terminator lice comb and the Lice Lifters Nit Removal Comb sport micro-grooved teeth.
Because of the micro spirals around the teeth these combs are able to effectively grip eggs and lice, thus pulling them from the hair.
If you’re getting tired of wet combing, electronic louse combs provide such a an alternative.
Used on dry hair, lice zapping combs such as the Robi comb or Lice Guard generate a mild electronic current through their metal tines, so that any louse they pick up gets electrocuted.
While they aren’t any more effective than regular louse combs, the buzzing and zapping can make them fun for children who hate wet combing.
These devices employ a rounded, stainless steel-toothed comb in combination with suction power to gently lift eggs and lice from the hair and scalp.
Basically, the V-comb combs and simultaneously vacuums nits and lice out.
Most over-the-counter (OTC) remedies are neurotoxins, which poison the lice in the same way that pesticides kill insects.
There are a few alcohol-based ones coming onto the market, which work by melting the exoskeleton of the lice.
Do you need to worry about putting such strong chemicals on your skin?
In fact, the bigger risk is that many OTC treatments don’t work, meaning you might have to try three or four different neurotoxins before you find one which clears the infestation.
Efficacy more important than toxicity?
In some areas, lice have grown entirely resistant to a certain type of treatment, and many physicians prescribe a different treatment every few months in order to prevent local louse populations from developing resistance.
Pyrethrin and Permethrin are the two most common active ingredients in OTC louse treatments.
Although both were highly effective when they were introduced in the 1970s, decades of use have allowed lice to build up resistance to the point that one medical review described the substances as “not sufficiently effective to justify their use”. Various public health organizations advice against using these agents.
Isopropyl myristate is alcohol-based and works by destroying the louse’s exoskeleton. In theory, this physical effect it’s impossible for lice to develop resistance.
There are easy-to-use commercial treatments such as Full Marks solution, available, but you can also buy bottles of isopropyl myristate online since the chemical is widely used in cosmetics.
Is a popular head lice product that does not contain toxic chemical or harsh pesticides. It helps you get rid of lice yet does not kill lice eggs so it needs to be combined with a lot of combing.
Follow the instructions closely and this 4% dimethicone (dimeticone) solution offers a toxin-free way to get rid of head lice. LiceMD is sold in the UK as Hedlin)
Don’t be fooled. Its active ingredients may sound very technical but this product basically contains table salt. Yet both reviews as well as research show it works and is safe.
Licefreee spray with natrum muriaticum and sodium chloride is an all-natural, highly popular alternative to harsh products.
If you’re on a budget you may want to try the table salt from your kitchen cabinet first. Read on to learn more.
OTC remedies with natural ingredients vary widely. Some have been proven to be as effective as prescription medication; others are basically useless.
Since there are hundreds of different treatments available, the best way to evaluate their usefulness is by looking at the ingredients list and seeing whether it uses some of the effective natural ingredients discussed below.
Head lice are tough little suckers and it takes a lot to kill them. For that reason, natural treatments are often just as harsh as the stuff you get from the drug store.
For instance, gram for gram, tea tree oil is significantly more toxic to humans than the prescription-only insecticide malathion.
A common home remedy is to apply suffocating agents like olive oil, hair gel, melted butter, or conditioner, in the belief that they will stop the lice breathing.
You will need to apply liberally and leave it on for at least 12 hours, since head lice can live for a long time without air.
There are suffocation-based lotions which are applied to the hair then dried on with a hairdryer. The cream goes on in a thick layer then contracts when it dries, which ‘shrink-wraps’ the lice so they are crushed.
Treatments like these are effective at killing live lice but do not affect the eggs, so remission is inevitable unless you do something else to get rid of the eggs.
If you leave it on for long enough, any oil will eventually kill head lice by suffocation. But coconut oil is toxic to head lice after just a short application.
In laboratory tests, hair was saturated in coconut oil then washed clean after 20 minutes; 80% of lice were dead within 4 hours.
Another study found it was as effective as the insecticide DEET in killing head lice.
Some people swear by using pungent treatments like garlic, chili, or sesame oil, claiming that the strong smell will suffocate the lice.
Lice ‘breathe’ by absorbing oxygen through their skin; there’s no way you can choke them to death with bad smells.
Head lice are sensitive to acid, since the hard shell of their eggs softens when it comes into contact with anything acidic.
Acetic acid (5% concentration) and formic acid (8% concentration) have both been proven to help dislodge eggs, but they don’t have much effect on live lice.
Acetic acid is just the chemical term for vinegar, which has long been used as a home remedy for head lice.
Experiments suggest that vinegar will be most effective if you use it to soak the hair after treatment and then comb through while your hair is still wet with vinegar.
That way, the acetic acid will help to loosen the egg sacs so the comb can dislodge them.
Mayonnaise is a popular home remedy despite having never been tested in a lab. Like any oil-based substance, it will eventually suffocate the lice if you leave it in the hair for long enough.
Since it also contains vinegar, it’s likely to work a bit better than other suffocation-based treatments like petroleum jelly or hair conditioner.
If nothing else, the mayonnaise will make your hair beautifully soft and perhaps curly.
There’s also some evidence that washing with acidic shampoo (with a pH of 4.5 to 5.5) before wet combing can make it easier to dislodge eggs, since it softens their outer shell.
You can find lists of acidic shampoos online, which can be handy as most manufacturers don’t publicize the pH values of their shampoo unless you contact them directly.
Some treatments work by dessicating the lice, rather than poisoning them. The beauty of these treatments is that there’s no way for a louse to develop resistance to being dehydrated.
One effective natural treatment is based on sodium chloride (table salt) at a 1% concentration. Leave the salt spray in your hair overnight, and the lice will be shrivelled and dead when you shampoo it out in the morning.
If you’re lucky enough to live by the beach, then swimming in sea water without rinsing your hair afterwards is likely to have a similar effect.
An old-fashioned treatment is to daub the roots of your hair with methylated spirits or another neat alcohol.
Alcohol is a powerful dehydrating agent; the lice and eggs will shrivel like raisins. Your scalp will also feel dry and tight afterwards, but your skin will quickly recover and the lice won’t.
Saponin is a soap-like substance which can be extracted plants like yucca. It’s often used in natural detergent brands, and some natural lice treatments are based on yucca extract.
According to studies, saponin kills lice by turning the protoplasm inside them (the equivalent of blood in a human) into a solid rather than a liquid.
Essential oils are often recommended as a natural treatment for head lice. Some of them work; others will just make your hair smell lovely without dislodging the lice.
The key is the chemical nerolidol, a natural insecticide with a citrus smell. Lavender, ginger, jasmine, and tea tree plants all produce nerolidol as a way to repel pests, and the chemical survives after the plants are processed into oils.
Both lavender oil and tea tree oil have been proven highly effective against head lice, with a solution of tea tree oil at 8% concentration killing every single louse in a lab test.
Not every oil has been tested, but it’s likely that other substances with a high concentration of nerolidol will have similar effects.
Remember that essential oils, although natural, still contain powerful chemicals and can irritate the skin just as much as harsh pesticides. Tea tree oil is poisonous if ingested and must be used with care.
is what we used to do before louse combs were cheap and widely available. Some people still pick out lice with their fingers because it’s what was done for them as children.
Aside from the time and trouble it takes, it’s ineffective because you will only be able to pick out large adult lice, not eggs or nymphs (recently hatched lice.)
Shaving your hair off is what would traditionally happen if you were found to have head lice at school or in prison. It’s the most extreme measure you can take but it definitely works.
While it’s not exactly recommended by doctors, anecdotal reports suggest that dying or bleaching your hair will kill a louse infestation immediately.
The chemicals in dye are powerful enough to strip the color from your hair, so it makes sense that they would poison lice and eggs.
Surprisingly, you might already be using a powerful anti-louse treatment every time you wash your hair: your hairdryer.
Blowdrying can kill a massive 98% of eggs, but you need to use the right technique for it to be effective:
Since live lice can run away from the blast, this technique is most effective when it’s used in conjunction with another treatment – remembering that some chemical treatments are flammable and you should keep away from sources of heat after using them.
There are also specially-designed blowdrying tools such as the AirAllé professional lice device which claim to kill a high proportion of live lice as well as eggs.
In some areas, it’s possible to hire a professional de-louser to come to your home. They use the same treatments that anyone could use, but they save time and trouble.
These services can be a godsend if you’re a busy parent, because it saves you having to spend a tedious evening combing through your childrens’ hair.
mThe downside, of course, is the cost.
Also, keep in mind that certain de-lousing companies will pressure you to pay extra for unnecessary “sterilizing” treatments, like steam-cleaning furniture or treating family pets.
These can only be issued by a doctor and are recommended only when OTC treatments have repeatedly failed.
Malathion is an insecticide to which lice show little resistance. It kills permethrin resistant human head lice ten times faster than Nix or permethrin and should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast-feeding. (source: PubMed.)
Spinosad topical suspension is a newer prescription treatment for head lice, and since it was introduced in 2011 there have been no reported cases of resistance.
Ivermectin can be used as a single-use lotion or taken orally. Research shows the oral treatment is highly effective and is the most common “last resort” treatment in the USA.
Benzyl alcohol lotion works in a similar way to isopropyl myristate, but is available on prescription only since it has more potential side-effects.
Finally, lindane is a topical treatment which has been banned in the EU as a dangerous carcinogen. It is still occasionally prescribed in the USA, where the Food and Drug Adminstration resisted calls for a ban.
Now you’ve got rid of the infestation, how do you keep clear?
Firstly, it’s important to keep wet-combing your hair for a couple of weeks, even after you think the infestation has gone away.
Often, people think they have been re-infected, when actually they just missed a couple of eggs which have now hatched into a renewed problem.
It’s common advice to sterilize everything that could have touched your head – brushes, pillowcases, towels, hats… Though it might make you feel better to wash everything in hot water, there’s no medical reason to do so. (in case of body lice there is.)
A less tedious solution is offered by lice treatment sprays for clothes, bedding, hats and other belongings. A well-reviewed product is Eco Defense Lice Protection.
However, whether such treatments are a necessity remains to be seen.
It’s theoretically possible for a louse to walk onto a scarf and then climb back onto your head later, but the risk is incredibly low: lice need to eat so regularly that they will die after 24 hours away from a human head.
Eggs are securely anchored to the hair shaft and there’s no way that they can fall out.
Hair tied back, no hugging, space out belongings which may have touched the head (e.g. hats and scarves on racks at school).
Some schools have “no-nits” policies and won’t allow either children or staff to come in if they have an infestation: this makes a lot of trouble for parents without preventing the spread of lice.
Lice can only be transferred by direct hair-to-hair contact. (There’s also a tiny risk of lice being transferred by sharing things like hats or towels, but it’s pretty unlikely.)
For that reason, the best way to prevent re-infection is just to keep your head away from others’. Stay away from hugging, close personal contact, and crowded subway rides.
One more thing..
Empty egg cases may remain glued to the hair for up to 6 months after successful treatment . Because of this, some people see the sticky egg cases from a long-ago infestation and think the head lice have come back.
Prevention and treatment of head lice in children. PubMed.gov.
Yucca-based lice treatment. Zapping Head Lice – Chicago Tribune.
Historical photo of delousing with DDT. Pinterest.
Living in Florida has its pluses; like much lower cost of living compared to a state like California, where I grew up, and Florida does not levy huge taxes on its citizens like California does, either. Two primary reasons why I eventually settled here.
One of the things I quickly learned while moving here are the effects of an abandoned neighborly swimming pool. Or to paraphrase; a pool of pests.
This brings the frogs (feed on mosquitoes), which brings the water-moccasins (venomous snakes, which feed on the frogs). The frogs croak loudly whenever they are disturbed, at any hour of the day.
The pool actually came with the house—it had been installed by a previous owner in the early 1990s. I don’t know why people build swimming pools here when there is a world-class beach a few miles to our south, but they do. But I digress..
It was an algae, mosquito, and frog-filled mess when we got it, and required refurbishment. Pools need constant attention and maintenance—it seems like more hours are spent fretting over the pool (my wife’s department) than are spent swimming in it. 🙂
We live in a quiet neighborhood in Pensacola, Florida. There are about 54 houses in our neighborhood, and about six have in-ground swimming pools. Our house is one of those; only the pool was built by a previous owner of our property.
We did not buy the property because of the pool, but it was an added selling point (even though it required major refurbishment).
Oh, it does not take but a few weeks of neglect to turn a swimming pool into a green mess.
I have seen it with neighbors’ pools after they move away. Once the chlorine dissipates, the algae grows, and then the mosquitoes come and breed.
The pool was in really bad shape when we acquired the property. It had not been maintained for many months and was filled with rain-water that was green with dense algae.
The stagnant water provided excellent breeding habitat for mosquitoes, whose larvae had a good food source in the algae growing in the water.
With no chlorine or circulation in the water the mosquito larvae thrived in the pool. Once mosquitoes became established in the stagnant pool water, the frogs came.
The small frogs had a ready food source in the mosquitoes buzzing around the pool, and the stagnant water also provided a habitat for the frogs to breed in.
The tadpoles would hatch and feed on the algae and detritus in the water, grow-up into adult frogs, and then feed on the mosquitoes and other flying insects that frequented the water.
The frogs were noisy. Even the slightest disturbance would incite them to croak very loudly in a cascading cacophony of sound—at any hour of the day.
With the frogs and mosquitoes established in the pool, an additional animal was drawn to this ecosystem—a snake. It was either a black-racer or a cottonmouth moccasin (a venomous snake found in the southeast U.S.), and it was feeding on the frogs.
We did not waste any time having the pool drained and refurbished when we bought the house—mosquitoes would swarm over any human standing near the stagnant pool, so we had to do something to correct the situation.
The first thing we did was oust the organisms that were thriving in the pool while it was defunct.
We started by tossing Mosquito Dunk rings into the pool water. You can purchase these rings at either Lowe’s or Home Depot or online at Amazon for mosquito control.
Mosquito Dunks release a bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (otherwise known as “BT”), which attacks mosquito larvae and kills them before they can become adult flies.
We threw Bacillus thuringiensis rings into the pool next door (before the new neighbors moved in-they are good about keeping it up now) to kill the mosquito larvae. This took away the food source for the frogs, so they moved on. I don’t know what happened to the snake that lived in the pool skimmer.
BT is a very effective natural insecticide for mosquito control, and once deployed, Mosquito Dunks are effective for up to 30 days. Mosquito Dunks can be used in any stagnant, standing water to control mosquitoes.
Once the mosquitoes were no longer prevalent in the water, the food source for the frogs was disrupted, and they decided to leave. I don’t know what happened to the snake, but I think it left once its food source was gone (the frogs).
A proven method to get rid of those (sometimes huge) water moccasins swimming in your pool as well as taking up residence in the garage, under the deck, and in the yard is spreading granular sulfur around the pool.
Another way to repel snakes is by using moth balls. However, contrary to granular sulfur which is odor free, mothballs, especially when in contact with rain smell like hell. Thus they may repel more than just amphibious creatures.
We hired a pool company to refurbish the pool, which entailed draining the fetid water from it, replacing the pool-liner, and checking out the pump and filtration assembly; replacing any parts that were worn out.
We also had a screen enclosure installed which is a more costly option than for instance a pool cover or a pool mosquito net yet it’s proven worth it.
The refurbishment was not cheap, but was way less expensive than installing a pool from scratch. Within a week of commencing refurbishment, the pool was like new again, with clear blue water like you see in glossy magazines.
We have since learned that pool owners have a very fine line to walk, as even minor neglect can cause your pool to turn green, and start reverting back to the frogs and mosquitoes.
You must keep your chemicals (chlorine, mainly) adjusted perfectly to keep algae from growing.
We also regularly use Kem-Tek Algaecide 60% Concentrate which is copper-free so there’s no risk on staining the pool.
You have to keep it vacuumed and brushed, as wind readily blows dirt, detritus, and leaves into the pool, which will start to accumulate at the bottom of the liner.
The sun causes much evaporation to occur, so you will need to add water every few days.
You also need to periodically back-flush the filter so the filter-sand stays clean. In all, many more hours seem to be spent maintaining the pool, rather than swimming in it.
If I had my druthers, I would do something more useful with the pool, like do catfish aquaculture in it or something…..
I once considered that it would be very cool to one day turn the pool into a catfish aquaculture operation—I had taken a course in aquaculture when I was studying in graduate school.
You would need a good filtration system, a way to aerate the water, and it would have to be free of all chemicals. I don’t know what kind of permits are required for this, or if it would even be allowed in a neighborhood. It is kind of a nifty thought, however.
Anyway, if you ever thought pool-ownership is cool, there is a lot of work and expense associated with pools.
I have oft wondered why people in Pensacola build pools, when a world-class beach lies on the Gulf of Mexico, just a few miles to our south.
We do not want to see the mosquitoes and frogs to return to our pool, so we gladly bear the expense and do whatever work is required to keep the pool in picture-perfect condition.
