Home & Garden...

You know how it starts. You walking into your bathroom or kitchen, and you see one. Then you see another. And then you realize you’ve been invaded by a swarm of marauding intruders intent on taking down life as you know it. No, I’m not talking about telemarketers or, in my case, local kids at your door promoting Xenu. I’m talking about ants! So what do you do when you realize you’re sharing your space with enough ants to torment every citizen in China? Well, if you’re like me, you run for the Raid, spray it all over your apartment, and spend the rest of the day breathing in enough toxins to kill the ants and your most useful brain cells. (And this coming from a girl who grew up surrounded by New Jersey corn fields. This means I was regularly sprayed by crop dusters who didn’t bother to turn off the pesticides while riding over our house. Seriously, it’s shocking I don’t glow at night.) And so, all this has left me thinking “There has got to be a better way.”

Well, according to our friend Google, there is! Instead of hiring an exterminator, consider hiring someone to use a cyronite system. Cyronite kills insects by freezing, using a carbon dioxide snow sprayed from the specially designed and patented nozzle. Also, make the extra effort to keep indoor bugs away by making sure trash is tightly enclosed and put away. Sure, this won’t help you with ants looking for water, but it might help with other pests. And don’t forget, if you live anywhere outside of greater Los Angeles, you’re probably going to have a need for some kind of bug repellent. Avon’s Skin So Soft is about as good as it gets.

As for your garden, think about using native plants used to local conditions that will thrive without a ton of water or pesticides. This could also help with the propagation of invasive exotic species. Other entrepreneurial bloggers suggest composting your nutrient-filled vegetable food waste and mixing it into existing soil.

So the next time you’re invaded by bugs, put the Raid away and think about these green alternatives.

(And as a footnote - props to Riverwired reader Kelly for passing on her own ant management tip. Kelly says to sprinkle vinegar or baby powder on ant infested areas -- apparently, ants will not cross a line of baby powder. She surrounded her dog's water bowl and it remained ant free. Dogs and glowing friends across America thank you, Kelly Sullivan!)