12 Clever Ways To Keep Rodents (Including Chipmunks!) Out Of Your Garden

Image source: Pixabay.com

Every gardener knows that enemies lurk in the bushes and trees – from chipmunks to rabbits to squirrels. In some ways, they can be the toughest to repel in the garden.

But if you know what you’re doing, you can deter them naturally. In this article, we’ll first examine the type of small animals that can cause havoc in your garden. Then, we’ll turn to ways you can get rid of them.

Voles

The Vole is a good example. It looks like a mouse but is actually larger and has an incredibly accelerated metabolism. In fact, a vole must consume its body weight on a daily basis just to stay alive. This makes the Vole an indiscriminate feeder; everything in a garden becomes fair game for a hungry vole. They’re also excellent burrowers and can find their way under a fence.

Field mice

Not to be outdone, field mice can squeeze through the smallest spaces and are also indiscriminate feeders. They don’t eat as voraciously as a vole, but can do equal damage and also reproduce prodigiously.

Chipmunks

Chipmunks may seem cute, but they are active burrowers and can kill plants at the roots if they decide to live under your garden. They’re notorious for taking small bites of fruits and vegetables and ruining crops.

Rats and rabbits

True, they’re no longer technically considered rodents, but the tricks mentioned in this article will deter them, too.

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Rats and rabbits are larger than mile and voles, and their body size means they can and will consume more of your harvest. They’re also nibblers who can ruin a tomato or pepper with a few bites.

Squirrels

Squirrels are active nibblers. It’s easy to assume they only eat nuts, but they will pursue any seed in any plant if given the opportunity.

Natural Solutions

I’m an organic gardener. As I result, I’ve had to improvise natural solutions for repelling rodents and rabbits, often in combination. Those combinations are defined by three fundamental approaches: physical barriers, natural “chemicals,” and various aromatic herbs and flowers.

Physical Barriers

1. A fence

A physical barrier is as simple as a fence. Of course, the mesh needs to be a finer mesh than standard chicken wire and should be buried in the ground around the perimeter of the garden to discourage the burrowing habits of voles and chipmunks. However, varmints can still find their way underneath if determined. In fact, most mice find their way into a garden through the gate leading into the garden, where gaps are prominent. As a result, additional solutions may be necessary.

2. Plastic predators

This may seem a bit odd, but you can buy plastic replicas of owls and coyotes to places in or around your garden. One replica should do the trick, depending on the size of your plot.

3. Rubber snakes

Novelty stores and dollar stores sell rubber snakes. Mice, voles and chipmunks are terrified of snakes. You may cause a bit of alarm when you’re showing your friends your garden and they spot a rubber snake, but they’ll get over it.  The rodents won’t.

Natural ‘Chemicals’

4. Blood meal

Blood meal is a by-product commonly made by meat-packing plants. Its appearance is dried and flaked, and all animals, including rodents, are repelled by the scent. That’s because it indicates the presence of a predator. Blood meal is high in nitrogen but only apply it to the ground. The high nitrogen content can burn the leaves; personally, I don’t like the idea of dried animal blood on my lettuce leaves.

5. Good old garlic and hot sauce

Strong smelling spices, like hot sauce and garlic, also repel rodents. In addition, if they choose to taste one of your vegetables, they will quickly turn away and seek food that is not as harsh. Mash 10 garlic cloves and add a cup of hot sauce plus a pint of vinegar. Let it sit in the sun for a few days and apply to the base of plants with a hand spray bottle. Reapply after a heavy rain.

6. Human hair

The scent of human hair tells a varmint that a human is nearby; rodents simply don’t want to be anywhere near us. They may like our fruits and vegetables but they don’t like us. Your local barber might be able to help if you don’t do hair cutting at home.

7. Coffee grounds

Many of us love coffee, but most animals can’t stand the smell or the taste. You can sprinkle used coffee grounds around you garden and between your plants. In fact, coffee grounds make an excellent compost, and Starbucks likely will give you free bags of coffee grounds for composting. Because most rodents are so close to the ground, coffee grounds can make an excellent barrier.

Various Aromatic Herbs and Flowers

This is a win-win approach. You have the benefit of herbs growing in your garden and the beauty of flowers while repelling rodents and rabbits. Here’s the list of the most popular plants that repel rodents:

8. Sage is a strong smelling, aromatic herb that rodents simply don’t like. It’s also a great addition to dishes made with chicken or pork.

9. Oregano. The great thing about oregano is that it’s a perennial plant. Unlike sage, which is an annual, you don’t have to replant every year. Better yet, oregano is a great complement to many of the recipes you might be making with vegetables from your garden. Plant the oregano around the perimeter and pick a spot in the center of your garden for an additional deterrent.

10. Basil is another winner when it comes to repelling rodents and works great in tomato-based recipes. It’s also an annual and very sensitive to any frost, so don’t abandon the oregano altogether.

11. Rosemary is another aromatic herb that repels animals. It’s also an exceptional herb for cooking. It’s a member of the pine family and is highly scented. It, too, is an annual in most parts of North America so you may have to replant in the Spring.

12. Lavender. The flowers are beautiful and the scent is delightful, unless you’re a rodent. They can’t stand the stuff. This is another perimeter plant you could consider. Or, interplant them with your vegetables.

Final Thoughts

Keep an eye on your garden. If you notice a rodent or signs of a rodent, then reapply your natural chemicals, move your plastic replicas to a new location, and check for gaps or holes under or around your fencing. The degree to which you take these steps depends a lot on where you live, but rodents are ubiquitous. They’re everywhere, from cities to suburbs to the countryside.

Hopefully some of these solutions will give you relief from the rodents. If not, you always could let the dog or cat take a nap next to the garden.

How do you keep rodents out of your garden? Share your tips in the section below:

3 Pests That Might Eat Your Stockpile Before You Do

Image source: preparedsociety.com

What can be worse than to open up your stockpile, only to find that all of your food supplies have been eaten by something else?

Stockpiling supplies isn’t enough. You need to protect all of them from the pests that could leave your family hungry in a time when food will be scarce.

Venezuelans were eating dogs, cats and pigeons in 2016 because they couldn’t find any food. The Spanish and the Portuguese had to resort to food banks after the economic collapse of 2008. Incredibly, 1 in 7 Americans is on food stamps.

Unless you want to throw money away on food, I recommend you know what the biggest enemies of your stockpile are, and then take these easy steps to protect your food from all of them.

1. Rats and mice

The first things everyone thinks of when they hear the word “pests” are mice and rats. They can wreak havoc in your pantry, particularly if the only thing protecting your Mylar bags is 5-gallon plastic buckets. They will chew away plastic without a problem.

Now, there are various types of mice traps out there, including a few that are really, really cheap. But that doesn’t guarantee that your stockpile will be safe. The first thing you should do is put those plastic buckets into larger, metal buckets.

The only thing about metal buckets is that they’re pretty pricey. A 6-gallon metal bucket with a lid is more than $20 on Amazon … so you’ll probably only put some of your foods in them at first, while you also focus on the other ways to keep mice out of your pantry. (Figuring out the entry point and isolating the room, setting up mice traps, etc.)

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A better solution is to get one or more of those galvanized trash cans. They’re about $35 each, but they can fit more buckets. Keep in mind that metal containers are more fire-resistant than plastic ones, meaning that in case of a house fire, your stockpile could get away unharmed.

Tip: don’t forget to keep pet food the same way you keep your own. Pests will be drawn to it if you leave dry pet food in original packaging.

2. Pantry moths

The good news is that moths have a harder time getting inside containers than do mice. So, if you have #10 cans or glass jars, so long as they are properly sealed, they should be enough.

Nevertheless, having them in your pantry requires to always be careful not to keep containers open. There are plenty of tricks known by pest control folks on how to take care of them. For example, one gentleman I read on a survivalist board suggested using pheromone traps and a portable steamer to make sure not only the moths but also their eggs are removed from your pantry. Sounds like good advice.

3. Ants

Out of all the pests we talk about in this article, you’re probably going to hate the sugar ant the most. That’s because it’s attracted to comfort foods (such as honey) as well as sugar. Some of the things you can do to get rid of ants include:

• Block as many entryways as you can. Yes, I realize they are really small and can come in through many different places, but this will decrease the chances of them being successful.


• Ants hate vinegar and lemon juice, so mix a 50-50 solution with water when you clean your pantry. They help clear those trails that they leave to attract other ants.


• Sprinkle cinnamon, mint or black pepper throughout your pantry; ants do not like them.

Of course, it isn’t just comfort foods that ants like. Pretty much any type of food will attract them. I realize you know how to keep your 5-gallon plastic buckets safe but don’t forget the extra items you bring to your pantry, such as pemmican or seeds. Literally everything should be kept in airtight containers.

Spending a few extra dollars on ways to keep pests at bay could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in the long run.

What advice would you add? Share it in the section below:

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Could Boosting the Immune System Halt Autism and Schizophrenia?

Scientists have for years theorized that the immune system and the brain are more interconnected than previously thought, with findings of recent studies backing this hypothesis. For example, researchers recently discovered there is a physical connection between the immune system and the brain’s blood supply. Now, researchers have recently begun to find out that there may be a more psychological connection.

According to researchers at the University of Virginia (UVA) and the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Medical School, the immune system may directly affect social behavior in certain animals, such as mice. The finding could have enormous implications for people with autism-spectrum disorders or with schizophrenia. [1]

Jonathan Kipnis, professor of neuroscience at UVA in Charlottesville, said:

“The brain and the adaptive immune system were thought to be isolated from each other, and any immune activity in the brain was perceived as sign of a pathology. And now, not only are we showing that they are closely interacting, but some of our behavior traits might have evolved because of our immune response to pathogens.

“It’s crazy, but maybe we are just multicellular battlefields for two ancient forces: pathogens and the immune system. Part of our personality may actually be dictated by the immune system.”

Kipnis and his colleagues found that blocking one particular kind of immune molecule in a mouse’s brain caused abnormal behavior that vanished after restoration of the molecule. [2]

When this molecule, called interferon gamma, was genetically blocked, the rodents’ brains became hyperactive and specific areas of the brain that govern social interaction were unable to function properly. The affected mice – normally highly social creatures – interacted significantly less with the other mice.

The researchers say this means that the immune system, along with controlling whether or not we get sick, also appears to control our desire to interact with others.

And that, in turn, could mean that immune system problems might play a role in one’s inability to have normal social interactions. [2]

Read: Autistic Children Found to Have Fewer Healthy Gut Bacteria

Kipnis said:

“Whether we like it or not, there is a piling up of evidence that the immune system has a major impact on brain function: The brain is not isolated from the rest of the body.”

Fascinatingly, researchers say proof that immunity and social interaction are closely related lies in the fact that infections spread rapidly when animals are in close contact. The immune system-social interaction theory has been tested in mice, rats, flies, and fish using publicly available gene-expression data.

Fascinatingly, the researchers theorize that immunity and social interaction are closely related due to the fact that infections spread rapidly when animals are in close contact. Using publicly available gene-expression data, the immune system-social interaction theory has been tested in mice, rats, fish, and even flies.

When mice or rats are housed together, for example, there is an increase in the genes that interferon gamma activates, whereas those same genes are decreased in socially isolated rodents.

Zebrafish and flies exhibited a similar pattern.

Tony Filiano, a postdoctoral associate in Kipnis’ lab, said:

“Our hypothesis is that interferon gamma might have evolved as an efficient way to control the anti-pathogen response when organisms are social.”

If the immune system and social behavior evolved alongside each other, this could explain the results of other autism studies. Earlier this year, one such study showed that some pregnant women with elevated blood levels of interferon gamma went on to have children with autism and intellectual disability.

While interferon gamma is needed for social behavior, the study suggests that too much of the molecule might shut off its activity.

The findings might also explain why some children with autism seem to become more social when they have a fever, as elevated levels of molecules such as interferon gamma accompany fevers.

Kipnis says that understanding the link between the immune system and social behavior might help scientists find drugs that treat autism. Clinicians might be able to administer the medication in the cerebrospinal fluid, rather than via the brain. [3]

Sources:

[1] Gizmodo

[2] RT

[3] Scientific American

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.

Could Umbilical Cord Blood Rejuvenate Brains’ Memory Functions?

When a baby comes into the world, the umbilical cord usually gets thrown away. But now scientists have discovered that they can reverse memory and learning problems in mice by using infusions of a protein found in human umbilical cord blood.

Parents already have the option of donating their child’s cord blood to blood banks. The stem cells are frozen for future use in treating various types of cancer and genetic disorders; but the liquid portion of the blood, the plasma, gets discarded. Neuroscientist Tony Wyss-Coray, however, thought that there had to be some redeeming value in the plasma. [1]

How Umbilical Cord Blood Could One Day Heal the Brain

As it turns out, a component of young blood might be the fountain of youth for aging brains that are losing their ability to create and retain memories. Wyss-Coray, along with his team of neurosurgeons at Stanford University Medical Center, say that cord blood rejuvenates the hippocampus in the brains of old mice. The hippocampus is a brain area that is vital for learning and memory.

However, Wyss-Coray says using actual cord blood plasma “is not something you’d ever want to develop as a treatment” because it’s “very cumbersome and difficult to collect.” But by identifying specific beneficial molecules in the plasma, Wyss-Coray hopes to be able to develop treatments for Alzheimer’s and other memory-loss diseases. The team has already identified one potentially useful protein called TIMP2. [1]

When older mice were given the umbilical cord blood treatments, they acted like younger mice in a series of behavioral tests – they escaped a maze faster than before the treatments, had better memories, and started building nests again – something the rodents typically stop doing as they grow old. [2]

Read: Cord-Blood Transplants Provide Fresh Hope for Leukemia Patients

The discovery was made when Wyss-Coray and his colleagues noticed that there were unusually high levels of TIMP2 in cord blood compared with blood from older people. When they injected TIMP2 into the older mice, they saw amazing results.

The other researchers say the results of the study, published in Nature, should be interpreted with caution. Rob Howard, professor of old age psychiatry at University College London, says that Alzheimer’s research shows that everything works in mice, but so far scientists haven’t had any luck replicating results in humans. He explains:

“Having taken that on [sic] board, this is a really interesting way to understand how we might help people who are aged or in the early stages of the disease.” [2]

But even if the protein therapy using umbilical cord blood doesn’t reverse aging or stop Alzheimer’s, scientists are hopeful that it may boost what’s left of the remaining healthy brain and perhaps offset age-associated decline.

Sources:

[1] The Atlantic

[2] The Guardian

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.

Daily Dose of This Plant Could Reverse Age-Related Decline in the Brain

The findings of a Yahoo News/Marist poll show that people over the age of 69 generally don’t have positive views of marijuana. While the majority of younger Americans increasingly view marijuana as a legitimate medication and relatively acceptable recreational substance, the older crowd has been slower to adopt these views. In a twist of irony, a recent study shows that a daily dose of cannabis could reverse age-related brain decline in older people.

In the study, using mice, researcher Andreas Zimmer of the University of Bonn in Germany gave low doses of THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, to young, mature, and aged mice. The young mice performed slightly worse on memory and learning tests – no one was shocked by that result. The rodents took longer to find a safe platform hidden in a water maze, and had a more difficult time recognizing another mouse they’d previously “met.” [1]

Before receiving THC, the mature and aged mice performed worse on the tests than the younger mice did. Once they received the compound, however, the elderly mice’s performance improved so much that their test scores matched those of their younger counterparts.

Zimmer says:

“The effects were very robust, very profound.”

The changes were also visible in the mice’s brains. The researchers noticed that the critters’ hippocampus – the area of the brain that is critical for learning and memory – had grown more synaptic spines, the points of contact for communication between neurons. Furthermore, radical changes were seen in the gene expression pattern in the hippocampi of the aged mice treated with THC, rendering their brains completely different from those of the young, untreated mice.

Zimmer explains:

“That is something we absolutely did not expect: the old animals [that received] THC looked most similar to the young, untreated control mice.”

The researchers have a theory as to why marijuana rejuvenates aging mice brains. Marijuana stimulates the endocannabinoid system, a biochemical pathway that slows with age in mice, humans, and other animals. But there is no guarantee that these results can be replicated in humans. [2]

Source: Collective Evolution

David Nutt, the former government drugs adviser and professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, says:

“The key question now is does the same apply to humans? Clearly this needs to be tested, but it will not be possible in the UK due to the ridiculous restrictions on cannabis research occasioned by its being a schedule 1 drug.”

Related: 4 Studies Proving That Marijuana Can Treat Brain Cancer

Michael Bloomfield, a clinical lecturer in psychiatry at University College London, notes:

“What is particularly exciting about this research is that it opens up a whole new chemical system, the endocannabinoid system, as a potential target for new avenues of research, which could include illnesses like dementia. However, we are still in very early days and further research is needed.”

Source: Herb.co

Cannabis hasn’t been intensely studied for medical purposes for very long, and it’s going to be tricky teasing out details, like how much of a dose is considered ideal. According to Bloomfield, THC sometimes has the opposite of the desired effect on people, depending on the dose, the patient’s age, and how often it is administered.

“This means that the possibility of doctors potentially prescribing cannabis, THC or similar compounds for memory problems in older people is still a long way off.”

So, it will likely be years before doctors are able to accurately prescribe marijuana for aging brains, but it’s an exciting possibility that could make the Golden Years much happier for senior citizens.

Andreas Bilkei-Gorzo, a researcher at the University of Bonn, is hopeful that marijuana can help people squeeze more years out of their life. [3]

“If we can rejuvenate the brain so that everybody gets five to 10 more years without needing extra care then that is more than we could have imagined.”

The study is published in the journal Nature.

Sources:

[1] Scientific American

[2] The Guardian

[3] Daily Caller

Collective Evolution

Herb.co

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About Julie Fidler:
	Julie Fidler is a freelance writer, legal blogger, and the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two ridiculously spoiled cats. She occasionally pontificates on her blog.