Bears and Lions…I’m Off the Beaten Path!

Mountain lions and brown bears – have you ‘lost it’ Ron? What in the world do those animals have to do with Home Inspections and WDO/Structural Pest Inspections? Well, I guess I am off the beaten path with this message, but I thought it was important enough to share this information with you for you and your family’s safety. With our Tuolumne County ‘reeling’ from and coping with the after affects of the just one year past Rim Fire and now the 3rd year of severe drought, we as residents aren’t the only one’s suffering from these catastrophic events. The animals that normally live quite happily and healthy in the forests have either been displaced (if they were lucky enough to have escaped) by the Rim Fire, or are now struggling to find adequate food and water to survive in what’s left of the forest. Hence the reason for this ‘off the path’ message, the animals are moving into our neighborhoods and close by areas in search of that food and water, which in the case of bears and mountain lions presents a real safety issue for us if we were unfortunate enough to encounter them. As hard as it may be to believe, there have been reports and sightings of some mountain lions roaming around all the way down to the south Modesto neighborhoods. So, I’ve put together a list of tips that may help lessen the chance that you may actually be enticing these animals to come visit your property (and damage it or you possibly) through inadvertent acts that you may be doing that seem normal or not an issue. They are: · Don’t leave trash, groceries or pet/animal feed in your car or truck · Secure your garbage in bear-proof cans and do not drag them out to the curb until the morning of the garbage collection day · Harvest any ripe fruit you may have on your fruit trees and make sure you collect any fallen fruit · Do not use bird feeders · Keep barbecue grills clean and stored away when not in use · Don’t leave any scented products out on your decks or patios (like suntan lotion or candles) · Keep you doors and windows closed and locked, or at least secured against entry · Install motion activated devices like alarms, sprinklers and/or electric fencing where appropriate · Remove shrubs and debris piles in your yard that can provide hiding places for mountain lions · Make sure your landscaping is of a deer resistant variety of plants and install high (8’ or so) fencing around garden areas · Do not leave small children or pets unattended outdoors · Keep pet food and water containers/dishes indoors · Secure any livestock that you may have in secure and sturdy enclosures · And finally, I’m not one for ‘telling on someone’, but if you can’t or don’t want to approach and discuss why it is a very bad practice to feed wildlife with a person that is doing so, you can call 888-334-2258 to report the situation if you wish to. Also, for more tips you can go to www.keepmewild.com .

How About Proactive Rather Than Reactive?

Since the beginning of time, pest control has been almost completely reactive rather than proactive. It kind of stands to reason that someone isn’t going to be really motivated to do anything about ‘a something’ until it occurs. But, maybe we’re ‘missing the boat’ here. Not only that, but those that do have a pest problem and go on a ‘control service’ or get involved in a repair project, just what does that then equate to for their surrounding environment? When it comes to wood pest problems, just how could a person be proactive so that they don’t have to find themselves in a reactive situation? Probably the first thing to do would be to look over your home and try to identify and list where termites or dry rot would most likely occur. I think I would probably start be slowly circling the house a couple of times and carefully look for any soil or debris that has accumulated against any wood members or that has gotten to a point that is near or above the top of the foundation and/or support piers. While excavating and re-grading the soil and debris down and away from the wood members, piers and foundations, I would make sure that grade has ‘fall’ (slope) away from the structure and that there are no low areas or depressions that can collect and hold water. I would also make sure that the roof rain gutter downspouts have some sort of provision to drain and flow out away from the foundations and structure in general. Next I’d probably look close at all of the exterior components of the home and note their condition and if there are any cracks or openings in the siding, trim, windows and doors, which I would then secure, caulk, seal and paint to avoid pests and moisture intrusion. Going through the interior of the home would be mostly just a search for any kind of leaks or moisture accumulation and any sort of deterioration that may have occurred to the floor or wall coverings due to moisture. Finally would come the not so fun part of crawling under the house and looking closely for any earth to wood contacts and removing and wood, paper, cardboard or old tree roots that might be scattered on the soil, which attracts termites. I’d make sure to pay considerable attention to the plumbing pipes for leaks as well as checking closely under the bathrooms’ and kitchen floors for moisture issues and/or deterioration of the wood members. Don’t forget to closely look in the garage, especially along the base of the walls where the ‘cold joint’ crack exists between the concrete floor and the concrete foundation. The cold joint crack is where the termites like to emerge from especially if you’ve made the mistake of placing cardboard boxes or other cellulose materials that they like to eat over the crack. If you were to do these things you probably could avoid most, but not all, of the issues that can lead to wood pests and dry rot. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” which were the famous words of Ben Franklin.

To ‘Treat’ or not to ‘Treat’, that is the question

We live in a time and society of ‘it has to happen now…I mean RIGHT NOW! Or else!’ But, maybe that is working against us – big time. I mean, we see a bug in our home or garden and out comes all of the artillery we can find…cans of sprays, dusts and jells all the way to the use of a hammer until that nasty ‘Ole bug is eradicated. Was, is it really all necessary? Just what is the ‘by product’/fallout from the use of all of those chemicals on our home environment or our garden, or, how about we ourselves for that fact? One thing that gets real active this time of year is ants. Get lazy and leave some sort of food scrap out on the counter or a spill that is not cleaned up real well and suddenly the hoards have descended out of seemingly nowhere and are swarming all over everything. I do not hold a general pest (Branch 2) license, so I’m not going to discuss the multitude of ants that can plague people because that is not my expertise. But I do want to discuss carpenter ants, which do fall under the purview of Structural Pest Control Branch 3 licenses, and that I do have. This is the time of year that carpenter ants are active, especially for people with homes above 3000 feet elevation. Carpenter ants do not eat wood, but they do excavate it, usually to make a safe nesting site or passageway. Typical treatment materials and methods that might be employed against termites are not usually very effective against carpenter ants as the treatment chemicals are designed to be ingested to work, which the carpenter ant won’t do as they are not eating the wood. But carpenter ants are attracted to moisture and decaying wood, as it is easier to excavate. However, they can be found in new wood and wood low in moisture also. Foraging carpenter ants are many times found in and around kitchens and bathrooms. If they are active and setting up a nest or satellite colony, most of the time the main indicator will be an accumulation of wood fragments (not dust) and usually body parts of dead ants in areas or piles on the floor. To avoid a carpenter ant infestation in your home, the best things to consider doing is to inspect for and correct any and all water leaks and/or water intrusion points in and around the house. Also clearing and trimming back foliage and tree limbs around the home structure and foundations will make access more difficult for the ants. Removing severely decayed trees and buried wood from the property are also initial steps to take to avoid a carpenter ant infestation. As carpenter ants clean up decaying and decayed wood, are an important food source for birds and animals, and are predators of defoliating caterpillars, a rush to chemically treat and eliminate any carpenter ant in sight on your property may well not be the right or smart thing to do! Take all things into consideration before ‘pulling’ the chemical treatment ‘trigger’.

As we head out of spring into summer…

For those of us here in the mountain counties region, but specifically the Tuolumne County area that is served by Tuolumne Utilities District (T.U.D.) for our water, the up and coming summer and fall seasons really look pretty bleak for those of us who have yards with plants/vegetation we’ve planted and care about, lawns, fruit trees and/or veggie gardens. What with the Phase Three water restrictions enacted by T.U.D. due to the drought conditions and the resulting required 50% cut back on water usage by T.U.D. customers, keeping our yard vegetation alive, let alone healthy, will be a daunting task. Anyone watching this drought situation unfold over the past year or more should have been planning for the worst-case scenario long before now. But, if you are like a lot of us, you kept hoping all winter for the best (rain/snow) only to find out that we didn’t get near enough. Sure the wet weather in March and April helped, but it was too little too late. So what to do now that reality is staring us right in the face? First, and most importantly, get a mind set that this IS for real and if you want things growing in your yard at the end of 2014, you need to go into immediate action now even though it really is late. Start by spreading a thick layer of mulch around all of the plants and trees you want to save. This will help keep what moisture that is in the soil there longer, help starve out from sun light weeds that will compete for that moisture, and, help keep the soil temperature cooler as the long hot summer days come on. An added bonus will be that over time, as the mulch decomposes, it will turn into nutrients for the plants and trees that you spread it around. Next, examine the method you’ve been using to water your yard. If it has been by a hose or broadcast sprinkler, those methods will ‘not fly’ with the Phase Three water restrictions in place. The lawns…well, forget them, as you are not allowed to water lawns under Phase Three. You can carry water to your plants/trees in a bucket, but that is a ‘pain’. Your best bet is to seriously consider installing (if you haven’t already) a drip watering system. These systems work wonders and are very miserly in their water use when installed properly. However, they can pose a safety issue to your potable water system if you don’t install them correctly and a ‘backflow’ condition is allowed to occur. Making absolutely sure that the air breaker valves are installed at least six (6) inches above the highest irrigation outlet will help avoid a backflow occurrence. Installing backflow valves at the point of connection to the potable water connection will also help. Always follow the drip watering systems manufacturers instructions to a “T” to avoid contamination of your house potable water system and the possible sickening or worse of your family should backflow contamination occur.

Oh No, We’re Not Go’in There Again, Are We?

We find ourselves going into springtime and looking forward to warm sunny days and all the outdoor activities that go along with the spring and summer time of year. But wait a minute…maybe we ought to reflect on what kind of winter we just experienced. Depending on which agency you talk/listen to, our snow pack in the Sierra’s is at 50% to 60% of average and the reservoirs are far from full. Granted we could still receive some more precipitation before the ‘wet’ season comes to an end, but we need snow a lot more than rain and the weather ‘guru’s’ are calling for a fairly dry spring weather pattern. So what does all of this have to do with homes, inspections or what ever? Well, quite a bit actually. Many of us have yards with plants that we’ve worked hard planting, growing and nuturing, some maybe for years that add to the esthetics and value of our homes. Others of us may have vegetable gardens and/or fruit trees that we have been laboring over and nurturing for food. These gardens, trees, bushes and vegetables all need water all summer long if they are to grow, produce and thrive. Last summer, thanks to a controversial mandate by the State Water Board that the lake level at Pinecrest Lake must be maintained at an elevation at or above 5608’ until after Labor Day, those of us that are supplied water by T.U.D. (Tuolumne Utilities District) were forced into Phase 3 Water Restrictions in order for the State Water Board to agree to a one time lake level reduction below the 5608’ level. T.U.D. and P.G. & E. (Pacific, Gas & Electric) had to apply for the variance because T.U.D. would probably run out of water to serve the community without the variance. Unfortunately, we appear very possibly to be headed down the very same path again this year. So the question than becomes, what possibly can you do to help alleviate this problem of lack of adequate water and it’s increased cost to your pocket book and treasured plants/trees in your yard? Mulching and smart irrigation methods are the answer. You probably should have started earlier during winter with the mulching ‘program’, but late is better than never. If you weed and mulch around your trees and bushes you will provide a layer of organic material that will help keep the earth around and at your plantings much cooler and help hold the water that you do apply to keep the soil moist longer. The organic material also provides cover and nutrients to all the beneficial microorganisms in the soil that help ‘feed’ your trees and bushes. The mulch, if applied to a proper thickness will also smother out weeds that would compete for the water/moisture that is available. Just make sure that you don’t let the mulch accumulate around the base of the plants or trees as it can ‘suffocate’ them, believe it or not. There are probably many other things that you could do, but with spring here and summer just around the corner, the most logical and beneficial thing to look at would be just exactly what your watering/irrigation method actually will be that will be effective and not be cost prohibitive. If you haven’t already, seriously look into installing drip watering systems to water your yard plantings. A drip system, if properly installed, can save a bunch of water over hand watering or sprinklers, and it will save you a bunch of money at the same time. Now, get out in the yard and ‘get after it’!

The “silent killer”

Just when you thought that your home was the safe, secure and a rejuvenating place that you want be…I guess I’m on a roll about things that can show up in our homes that can really cause us harm, and, we very well may have no idea they are present! Last month I discussed radon and its adverse health issues. This month I thought we ought discuss a substance, a gas, which has been aptly referred to as the “silent killer” – carbon monoxide. The reason carbon monoxide got such a dubious moniker is that you can’t see it, you can’t smell it or taste it. This time of year (winter) is when we many times will hear about people, sometimes whole families that have been sickened and/or died due to carbon monoxide poisoning. This occurs because it’s cold outside and the house gets closed up as tight as possible to keep the heat in, and then a gas/petroleum burning appliance or system is put to use to either make heat, electricity or light, and, that appliance or system is either damaged, defective or used improperly or in an improper location. The reason gas fired furnaces and water heaters have specifically designed and constructed exhaust flue pipes that are routed carefully up through the walls, ceilings and finally out the roof is to safely carry off the byproducts of the combustion process that is occurring in the furnace or water heater as the appliances do their work of making heat. Carbon monoxide is part of those combustion byproducts and is one of the main reasons for the vent flue pipes existence. But, when a person drags a small gasoline burning generator into the house to make electricity because the power has been interrupted, or cook a meal on a charcoal barbecue in the house, there is no provision for safely venting the combustion byproducts to the exterior of the home so that the inhabitants don’t breathe them in. That’s when the disasters occur, as most people never know what got them, unless they are lucky enough to wake up in a hospital because someone was able to find them in time and safe them. One source of carbon monoxide poisoning that occurs far too often is that the heat exchanger of a gas fired furnace will fail (the metal walls will crack or corrode through), which allows the combustion byproducts to escape out of the heat exchanger and mix in with the air of the house that is being conditioned (heated). Because this happens slowly (usually) over time, and because the inhabitants of the home can’t detect the carbon monoxide, they begin getting chronically ill for what appears to be no reason. So, I guess we can all agree that this is a serious issue, but what can we do about it to avoid such a disaster? First, and foremost, buy and install a carbon monoxide detector in your home at the appropriate location – make sure to follow the instructions. They are inexpensive, easy to install, and, you may need more than one to be safe. Oh, by the way, in California it is the law now that every house is to have a carbon monoxide detector installed in them. Second, never, ever run an un-vented or improperly vented gas/petroleum burning appliance in your home! Third, have any gas fired appliances present in your home inspected and serviced by a qualified technician, with the best time being just before the winter heating season. The exhaust flue vent pipes/systems should be part of this inspection in case they have corroded through or become blocked or disconnected. Fourth, make sure that your door from the interior of the house to the garage has a self-closing hinge arrangement installed and that the appropriate seals are in place around the door to seal it closed into the jamb opening. Of course, you should never let you vehicle idle to warm up, but especially in a closed garage. I hope that this gives you a starting point to start checking out your home and its’ equipment to make sure that you and your family are living in a safe, sound and healthy home.

Radon What To Who?

January was designated as “National Radon Action Month” by the Environmental Protection Agency (E. P. A.) in an attempt to raise the awareness and general understanding of radon and its’ dangers. As we ‘slide’ through and out of February, I’m a little behind on the awareness program, but I guess late is better than never. So, just what is radon and the ‘big deal’ about it so much so that the E. P. A. would proclaim a month for the public to become aware of radon, learn about it and do something about its presents? Well, for starters, radon is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that results from the natural decay of uranium found in most soils. The problem with radon is that it is not detectable through normal means and requires testing for its’ presents. The good news is that the test kits are actually inexpensive (around $20) and can be found at many home improvement stores, or by going to the California Department of Health Services website ( www.cdph.ca.gov/Health-Info/environhealth/Pages/RadoninCalifornia.aspx ). The E.P.A. reports the Surgeon General of the United States as saying that radon is responsible for thousands of deaths annually, and it’s been purported that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer following smoking. So radon is a big deal! The way we come into harmful contact with radon is actually in our homes. Radon moves up through the soil and into our homes through cracks in the foundation walls, gaps/cracks in floors and gaps around pipes. Radon is measured in Pico curies per liter (pCi/L). The average radon concentration outdoors is 0.4 pCi/L and indoors is about 1.3 pCi/L. If you have indoors radon levels of 4 pCi/L or higher, you should perform a second short-term test to verify the first test. If the test results still show a 4 pCi/L level or higher, the E. P. A. recommends that you take action to reduce radon down to acceptable levels as soon as possible. Radon can also exist in well water, which can pose a hazard when drinking the water or breathing in the radon when showering. Supposedly one in fifteen American homes contain high levels of radon according to the E. P. A. If, after testing your home you find that you do have elevated levels of radon present, you should hire a licensed radon mitigation Contractor to make the necessary alterations and ‘fixes’ to safely carry the radon gas out of your home with out you coming in contact with it. Typical fixes include ventilating crawl spaces (area under the floor of the home) or the area under basement or concrete slab floors. Sealing the gaps and cracks in floors and the gaps between the foundation and the home. Many times suction type fans and stack tubing is employed to draw the radon out from under concrete slab floors and carry it up out and above the living area of the home where it can dissipate harmlessly. So, spend a few bucks and take a couple of minutes to buy the test kit and use it to check and make sure you and your family are safe in your castle.