The Cicadas Are Coming!

As many of you may be aware, this year is another in the 15 year cycle when thousands of cicadas will descend upon the DC area. Our friends at The Family Handyman have some tips to make the season more bearable.

Beat the Nuisances with The Family Handyman’s Simple, DIY Tips for a Peaceful Spring

Don’t let spring nuisances like pests, weeds and the East Coast cicada swarm keep you from enjoying the beautiful weather this season. There’s plenty of simple ways to keep them at bay and The Family Handyman is here to show you how.

Take note, many of these are problems every homeowner will have to deal with sooner or later. Tackle the problem as soon as you can and make the most of this spring, without the pests:

Modern Day Plague of Cicadas: Though they’ve been given the name Brood II, it’s important to remember the insects are actually harmless. They will not hurt you or other animals and do not sting or bite. The worst they can do is damage a few shrubs or saplings, and the end result can actually be good for your plants – similar to pruning. The infestation will be more of an inconvenience as the cicadas blanket certain parts of the region and make a lot of noise due to their mating calls. East coast residents might find ear plugs a valuable, helpful asset during this time. Snow shovels can be used to remove them from your property if you are in an infested area. Remember, they won’t be around for long so it’s important to stay calm!

Getting Rid of Wasps: The magic bullet for getting rid of wasps (yellow jackets) and bees is to destroy their nests. Easier said than done, it’s best to get this in the spring before the nest gets too big. The trick to finding the nest is to observe their movements closely to spot where they zoom into the wall of your house. Once you locate the nest, spray it with an insecticide that’s formulated for killing bees and wasps, which can be picked up at a hardware store or nursery. The best time to spray is at night when the bees are less active and inside the nest. Wear protective clothing, including face protection, to guard against potential stings.

Shooing Away Woodpeckers: These birds can attack wooden shingles on a house for no apparent reason, which can lead to a hole in your roof or siding.  Avoid going for the pellet gun, (it’s illegal to hurt them!), but your best option is actually to harass the birds into leaving. Fasten sheet metal over the areas the birds are pecking and hang mirrors and Mylar tape nearby. Shiny lights and reflections sometimes scare woodpeckers away, as do owl decoys. If this doesn’t work, try to shoo them away with a broom. If you’re persistent, the birds will eventually move on.

Protect Now from Flies: Cluster flies breed outside during the early spring then find their way indoors around windows, soffits doors and siding. They are attracted to light and warmth and gravitate to second-floor windows, which are usually the warmest spots in the house.  It’s best to protect your home now – stop cluster flies before they come indoors. Caulk cracks around the foundation, siding, exterior trim and other potential entry points. Replace weather stripping as necessary to seal around doors and windows. If that doesn’t work, spray an insecticide formulated for flies around the outside of your doors and windows, soffits, eaves and cracks in the siding.

Eliminate Weeds from your Grass: Eliminate weeds with The Family Handyman’s six strategies, they include: mowing to the ideal cutting height, identifying the weeds before planning the attacks, controlling broadleaf weeds with the least amount of herbicide possible, killing perennial grass weeds one by one, controlling crab grass with a “crab grass preventer” in the spring, and remembering not to fight weeds where grass won’t grow. Click for a full description on each of these preventative measures.

Ants on the March: Before you start whacking away at invading ants, figure out where they’re coming from. Look for a trail, or a pattern in their appearance. The best way to control them in the house is to kill them in their nest. If you find the nest outdoors, apply an ant insecticide directly to it. If it’s inside a wall, drill a 1/8-in. hole and squirt an insecticide or boric acid dust into the cavity. If you can’t find the nest, use ant bait. The containers look like tiny flying saucers with holes in the sides. They do work, but you may not think so at first; it can take weeks to kill them all. Check what your ants are eating. Some brands of bait work for sweet-feeding ants; others (like ant traps) attract protein feeders. If one type of bait doesn’t work, try the other, or put out both at the same time.

Rid Your Home of Raccoons: Raccoons will eat almost anything and are always on the lookout for a good nesting site, so our houses, with all their nooks and crannies and overflowing garbage cans and backyard vegetable gardens, are very appealing. Light, water, noise and chemical repellents may work in the short term, but raccoons eventually learn to ignore them. The best way to discourage these pests is to make your house, garden and trash cans inaccessible. Cut back overhanging tree branches and brush so raccoons can’t get onto the roof. Add chimney caps, or replace them if they’re damaged. Cover fish ponds with netting. Don’t leave pet food outside. Click for more ways to keep raccoons out of your yard.

Trap Moles: There are a few ways to trap those pesky moles but the most effective, time-tested method is to set up a spring-loaded prong or choker-loop trap that is activated when the mole pushes against it. To do this, flatten an area of the tunnel slightly bigger than the base of the trap and set the trap over it. Follow the manufacturer’s directions to arm the trap, then cover it with a 5-gallon bucket to keep kids and pets away. Remove it and the mole after it’s been triggered, or try a different tunnel if it hasn’t been triggered after several days. Remember to locate the active tunnels first. Step on the tunnels you see in one or two spots to collapse them, then check those spots the next day. If the tunnel has been dug out again, it’s an active one, and a good spot to set a trap.

Source: The Family Handyman.

Asian Fortune is an English language newspaper for Asian American professionals in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Visit fb.com/asianfortune to stay up to date with our news and what’s going on in the Asian American community.