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Why You Don’t Want Ants in Your Garden or Lawn

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Ants are generally a big nuisance. They get into your sugar bowl; they readily collect where there’s a spattering of juice; and they spoil your favorite desserts. Ants – you really don’t want them inside your home; but what about outdoors? Well, they’re outside, so leave them be, right? If you are an avid gardener, you know that ants are tiny machines of destruction. They can readily destroy your most prized plants and infest your lawn to the point that you can no longer have picnic outdoors or have your kids play in your backyard.

Ants Create Numerous Mounds

So, how can ants wreck your yard? To start with, allowing an ant colony to firmly establish itself in your yard or lawn is not a good idea because these insects can easily overrun your space in a matter of weeks. If you don’t pay attention to your ant problems, you could end up staying indoors all the time. You won’t like to go outside and enjoy your plants because as soon as you step onto your yard, you might accidentally tread on one of their mounds. That’s not a pretty picture, especially if you’ve just disturbed a large group of red fire ants. These kinds of ants won’t just crawl all over you; they’ll bite you – and a fire ant’s sting is painful and very itchy. So, instead of being able to enjoy your garden, you would think twice about venturing outdoors in case you step on one of their mounds. What if you have kids? You certainly wouldn’t want your children playing in a yard crawling with fire ants. In addition to this, mounds are unsightly and they affect plant growth and development.

Ants Sting

As mentioned, ants sting when disturbed. The injury is typically itchy, inflamed and painful. Sometimes, minute pustules or blisters form on the site of the bite. Although ant bites readily resolve in time, some people are hypersensitive. It is also exceedingly rare for fire ants to attack humans. They usually just sting when they are bothered. However, there have been exceptional instances when fire ants have harmed people. Babies, the elderly and incapacitated individuals could be target of ant attacks, particularly if there is an extensive infestation in a specific area.

Ants Could Kill Plants

Are your prized orchids swarming with black ants? Have you noticed that your zinnias are failing to bloom because the buds are teeming with ants? Are your dahlias no longer blooming? Many kinds of ants are attracted to the sweet nectar produced by flowers. Some people say that ants are harmless because they don’t eat flowers. Well, this may not be entirely true. Based on my experience, the black ants that swarmed all over my beautiful ground orchids also brought with them lots of aphids. Ants farm these creatures because they eat the honeydew produced by aphids. Aphids cover stems or leaves, and they deter plants from absorbing sunlight. Black mold also form on the parts that also get coated in honeydew, which further prevents sunlight absorption.

In addition to farming and protecting aphids, ants affect plants’ root systems too. These insects don’t eat roots, but they damage these when they burrow or create tunnels under the ground. Ants’ underground activities pull the soil away from the roots which means that these won’t be able to absorb water well.

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Claire Brent is a freelance blogger who often writes about pest management. She covers many issues, including termite and ant control, diseases caused by insects, green pest control methods, and other pest-related issues. She also provides material for Preventive Pest, a company that provides solutions to difficult pest problems.

Different Types of Concrete Flooring

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When many people think of concrete flooring, they picture ugly, grey, rough surfaces with little aesthetic appeal. It’s generally acknowledged that concrete is a durable and easy-to-maintain floor surface, but its unappealing appearance is enough to put many people off. However, there is a lot more to concrete than that, and there are actually a multitude of attractive styles and finishes available, which can add a touch of class to any interior. Here are just a few of the choices available:

Polished Concrete

The dull, grey, lifeless concrete many people imagine is not as common as it seems. In fact, it’s very easy to install polished concrete flooring, which is very easy on the eye. Polished concrete is made from natural materials, and its shiny, smooth surface ensures it’s low maintenance, easy to clean and very durable – which means it rarely needs replacing! As a bonus, it’s also repellent to dust, so there won’t be many dust bunnies lurking around, and it can even be non-slip!

Floor Sealers & Coatings

Floor sealers and coatings are an excellent way to add a little extra life to concrete flooring that has already been installed. It’s possible to colour code areas, which can be useful for huge buildings such as hospitals or the offices of corporations. The sealers not only protect the floor, prolonging its life and increasing its hardness –they’re also highly light reflective, adding a bright and airy atmosphere to any room.

Different types of sealers and coatings can be applied, each with their own unique selling points: some offer increased resistance to dust and dirt, others are highly resistant to chemicals, meaning flooring won’t become discoloured or fade easily. Almost all of them increase the hardness of a floor, further improving its resistance to heavy foot traffic too.

Spray on Paving

Spray on paving is generally easier and cheaper to apply to concrete flooring than other sealers and coatings, yet it still offers numerous benefits. Spray on paving is most commonly used to apply a moisture barrier, which can protect the concrete from future problems such as cracking and warping. Food grade systems are an important type of spray on paving for any kitchen or food environment, as they are incredibly hygienic, being solvent free, non-tainting and very easy to clean. There are also anti-slip options, chemical resistant coatings and anti-graffiti coatings.

Designer Finishes

Designer finishes are probably the most sought after type of concrete flooring, as they can add a real touch of glamour, and can improve the appearance of a room many times over. Designer finishes are highly customisable, and so can suit a wide range of styles and tastes. Almost any colour, texture, design or pattern a person could want is available, making it a highly desirable option, both in terms of style and durability. As with any other concrete surface, designer finishes are still highly durable, easy to maintain and easy to clean.

Anyone who has previously had doubts about concrete flooring may change their mind when they realise what a wide variety of options are available!

Laura Heinz is a reputed name in the interior designing business. She is also a part time blogger who likes blogging about things that would help you to make your house look beautiful. She believes that polished concrete surfaces adds a kind of finesse to your house.

What Vision Benefits Does Medicare Allow?

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Many American elderly citizens rely on Medicare for their healthcare coverage. Vision care becomes more and more important as we age; therefore, it is important to have a thorough knowledge of what vision care services are and are not covered by Medicare. Unfortunately, the details of Medicare vision coverage can be difficult for many to understand. What vision benefits does Medicare allow? Here is a simple breakdown:

Routine eye examinations. A routine eye exam is basically a yearly screening. Some eye care professionals recommend routine eye exams once every year, especially for elderly patients. Other reasons for a routine eye screening may be if the patient needs new contacts or glasses. Unfortunately, Medicare does not cover routine eye examinations. Therefore, if you present to an eye doctor for a vision check or “just to see” if anything is wrong, you can be sure that Medicare won’t cover the expense.

Medically necessary eye examinations. Medicare does cover eye exams that are deemed as medically necessary. There are many medical reasons that may necessitate a visit to the eye doctor, including glaucoma (or diabetes, which can lead to glaucoma), advancing cataracts, previous eye surgery, or trauma. However, medical reasons don’t include things like needing new glasses or contacts. It may be that your primary care physician must refer you to an eye doctor for a medical reason in order for Medicare to pay for the exam; it is a good idea to check with a Medicare representative first before going in to the doctor. However, Medicare will cover eye examinations for preexisting medical conditions that are already proven (such as chronic dry eye syndrome and blepharitis, for example).

Vision correction. You may wonder if, under any circumstances, your Medicare coverage might include vision correction (eye glasses and/or contact lenses, for example). The answer is that, yes, Medicare will cover new eye glasses – but only once in a lifetime, directly following (and as necessitated by) cataract surgery.

Where to find more information. If you have any specific questions about your vision coverage, then you can explore the Medicare website (Medicare.gov) to find answers to many commonly asked questions. If you cannot find what you are looking for on the website, or simple prefer to speak to a person, you can also call the 1-800 number found on the Medicare website to speak with a live Medicare representative.

As you can see, Medicare vision benefits are very limited. If you require extended vision care (for regular eyeglass and contact exams, for example), then you should explore your supplemental insurance options to find coverage that will meet all of your needs.

About the Author: Annita Lahue is currently covered under Medicare and pays for her eye care out of pocket. She tries to see discount vision specialists and purchases her eyeglasses online at discounted rates.

4 Crucial Things To Organize Before You Throw The Garden Party Of The Year

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One of the most exciting things you can ever do is throw a garden party for all your friends. It gives you the chance to invite people you don’t get to spend quality time with. Everyone can come together and have a huge celebration. The garden is the obvious place to have it because you don’t want your home destroyed, but at the same time you are never more than 10 meters away from the comfort of your castle. Have a party somewhere else and it doesn’t feel the same. It might be great, but it just won’t feel the same.

The only thing you need to remember is that it has to be well-planned. You can’t just expect everyone to come around and stand about in your garden. If you want it to be amazing there’s some things you need to do and they might need to be done well in advance. You don’t want to run around at the last minute when you should be getting ready to burst open a cold bottle of beer. Grab your pen and paper so you can write these down and get on them straight away. Just don’t be surprised if you’re asked to host a lot more parties in the future.

Book a tent

This one is the most important out of the lot. You definitely can’t expect all your guests to stand outside when it’s raining. Who knows when there will be a downpour at this time of year? If you have a tent erected somewhere in the garden it means you have somewhere to sit if the worst happens. It’s also a good idea to keep the food undercover. If your garden is big it saves you running backwards and forwards to the kitchen all the time. Once you book one they will come and put it up for you before your party starts.

Hire a big barbeque

This is going to depend on how many people will be at the party. If there’s only a few people you might get away with using a small barbecue you have lying around, but if there’s lots of people you don’t want them to go hungry. That’s why you should have a big barbecue and there will always be plenty of food sizzling away. If you wanted to be really fancy you could even hire someone to come out and cook everything for you. Find out the costs and see if it fits into your budget.

Have lots of lighting

People need to see what they’re doing. It’s nice to look someone in the eye when you’re talking to them instead of staring into the pitch black. You have many options to choose from. If there’s lots of trees lying around in your garden you can hang lights from them. There’s also the solar powered LED ones that you can stick into the ground. Just make sure they’ve been set-up for a few days so you know they are working, plus it gives them a chance to absorb some sunlight. Apparently solar powered lights need this. Who knew?

Make sure everything is safe

The final thing you have to do is to make sure everything is safe. There’s also inviting people and buying alcohol, but I’m sure you can manage that. How can you make sure everything is safe? Well start by clearing the garden so people don’t trip up on anything. If you have a swimming pool you should have a rope around it. The last thing you need is someone falling into the water and no-one seeing what happened. Make sure all electrical cables are tucked away and covered. Make sure you do these four things then you can worry about the entertainment.

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David Hall is a home improvement expert and knows how to organize parties properly. If you too are planning to throw a party then do visit www.portablesheltersonline.com for more information.

How to Make Moving Home Less Stressful

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Moving home is one of the most stressful experiences life has to offer, along with getting married and the loss of a loved one. As with everything, there are certain things you can do to make the experience go a lot smoother and reduce some of the stress. Try following these simple steps to help make sure your move goes to plan!

Have Back-Up Plans

You may have the perfect vision planned out for the day of your move, but life has its own plans, which will almost certainly throw a spanner in the works and veer something off course. If you’re lucky, your day will go exactly as planned, but it’s almost certain that at least one thing will go wrong – so be prepared and have a contingency plan for every step of the journey!

Hire Professional Movers

It’s tempting to try to skimp on costs and recruit friends and family to help you make the move, but with such a momentous and stressful task, it’s much easier to hire a professional removal company. Professional movers have moving home down to an art: they can supply you with everything you need to get packed up and ready to go, and then they’ll do all the heavy lifting and deal with the transportation of your stuff. If you really can’t afford to hire professionals, then you should definitely make sure you over-recruit on the friends and family front! There are sure to be things you’ve overlooked, or things that take longer than planned, so it can’t hurt to have extra people on hand to help – they probably won’t end up being “extra” after all!

Allow Plenty of Time to Pack

Packing is probably the part people dread the most about moving home. Just how exactly do you box up your entire life? Allow yourself plenty of time to get everything done when you know for sure that the move will be going ahead.

Organise Your Packing

By allowing yourself plenty of time to pack, you’ll have the leisure of organising your boxes properly, making the transition into your new home much smoother. Before you even get started with packing, you should declutter your entire home and get rid of anything you won’t need in your new house. Anything you haven’t used for months, or even years, can be donated to charity or sold beforehand – that way you’ll have that much less to pack! You should also pack by room and category so you know where to find things as you get settled into your new place.

Keep Essentials Close

The things you use regularly – at least once every day – should be kept nearby. Either keep these things with you when you travel yourself, or pack them last so they’re the first thing to emerge when you unpack. Having toiletries and kitchen utensils you use every day close to hand will mean your regular day-to-day activities such as washing and cooking won’t get thrown off track by the move. And don’t forget to pack the toilet paper last of all!

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Matthew Sanders, the author of this article is a very perceptive man. He is working with MetroMovers, a removal company in Sydney. They are known to provide the best service that too at affordable prices.

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