Comments on: Wildlife at Home http://greencouple.com/2008/07/31/wildlife-at-home/ Learning to live green and live together Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:01:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Maggie http://greencouple.com/2008/07/31/wildlife-at-home/#comment-1888 Maggie Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:52:41 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=301#comment-1888 Ticks are gross but I've pretty much accepted them as a way of life. They're really bad here in April and early May but then the numbers seem to drop a lot. I would definitely treat pets for ticks but I didn't know you even could treat your entire yard. Still, Lyme's disease is pretty scary. I had friends who had guineas and didn't recommend them. Apparently they are quite noisy and because they like to roost in the same spot, their droppings accumulate a lot. My friends said the guineas also destroyed part of their garden, which they're not supposed to do but I guess these guineas figured out that if you pull up a tiny seedling, there's usually still a yummy seed on the end to eat. But perhaps you would have better luck. I'll let you know how life with skunks goes. Something has dug a little den under our deck and we're not sure if it's the skunk or yet another critter. But it keeps life interesting! Ticks are gross but I’ve pretty much accepted them as a way of life. They’re really bad here in April and early May but then the numbers seem to drop a lot. I would definitely treat pets for ticks but I didn’t know you even could treat your entire yard. Still, Lyme’s disease is pretty scary.

I had friends who had guineas and didn’t recommend them. Apparently they are quite noisy and because they like to roost in the same spot, their droppings accumulate a lot. My friends said the guineas also destroyed part of their garden, which they’re not supposed to do but I guess these guineas figured out that if you pull up a tiny seedling, there’s usually still a yummy seed on the end to eat. But perhaps you would have better luck.

I’ll let you know how life with skunks goes. Something has dug a little den under our deck and we’re not sure if it’s the skunk or yet another critter. But it keeps life interesting!

]]> By: Bugs and Brooms http://greencouple.com/2008/07/31/wildlife-at-home/#comment-1887 Bugs and Brooms Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:12:22 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=301#comment-1887 That is too funny! No - no skunks here (at least not yet)! But I sympathize with the environmentalist dilemma. We had a horrible tick infestation this spring and early summer! I tried all of the non-chemical approaches that I could (except for getting a guinea hen which I did look for but couldn't find one for sale). After I had 2 ticks attached to my head and DD had 3 attached to hers, plus constantly finding them on my laundry that I brought in from off of the line, and on all of our pets... I threw in the green towel and called in the 'bad' people! It wasn't an immediate fix but things GREATLY improved. But the guilt of using chemicals in our yard was pretty overwhelming. I worried about our birds and other wildlife plus our own health! I finally let it go and decided that balance is the key - I don't want the damaging affects of chemicals but I also don't want my daughter to contract a horrible disease. Tough choices but at least our concern for the environment makes us think long and hard before we act. Hope your little friend sticks around but doesn't stink up the place! That is too funny! No - no skunks here (at least not yet)! But I sympathize with the environmentalist dilemma. We had a horrible tick infestation this spring and early summer! I tried all of the non-chemical approaches that I could (except for getting a guinea hen which I did look for but couldn’t find one for sale). After I had 2 ticks attached to my head and DD had 3 attached to hers, plus constantly finding them on my laundry that I brought in from off of the line, and on all of our pets… I threw in the green towel and called in the ‘bad’ people! It wasn’t an immediate fix but things GREATLY improved. But the guilt of using chemicals in our yard was pretty overwhelming. I worried about our birds and other wildlife plus our own health! I finally let it go and decided that balance is the key - I don’t want the damaging affects of chemicals but I also don’t want my daughter to contract a horrible disease. Tough choices but at least our concern for the environment makes us think long and hard before we act.

Hope your little friend sticks around but doesn’t stink up the place!

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