CHAPTER 11 - The Best Control 2

and/or dehumidifiers, plumbing and rain gutter repairs, roofing etc. is a primary factor in controlling most structuralinsects and fungal problems. Excessive moisture attracts or creates conditions favorable to many fungus andmold problems, insects, spiders and other arthropods. Most arthropods are very sensitive to moisture loss andcarefully avoid (overly) dry conditions as are fungus, mold and mildew. Create dry conditions and you controlmany pest problems.Vertebrate Predators - include chickens, bats, birds, snakes, small mammals, lizards, amphibians and fish thatcan be used for biological control of mosquitoes, scorpions, insects, weeds and other pests.Vetiver Oil - Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) has long been known for its pest control properties. One ofthe compounds in the oil is called nootkatone and can be used to repel termites.Vicks VapoRub ® - will repel many insects and ticks and removes fungus on fingernails and toenails.Vinegar - Apple or rice vinegar is derived from apples or rice respectively. White vinegar is acetic acid. Applecider vinegar will control appetite and maintain well being. It helps lower cholesterol and improves metabolism.It helps boost the immune system. Spray weeds and pest plants with 10% vinegar (or straight ammonia as a“kicker” or add a shot of dish soap, salt and rubbing alcohol), pull them out, sear them with fire, properly mow,properly fertilize, etc. White vinegar will also kill ants. Vinegar attracts wasps, fungus gnats and fruit flies - put2” in a long necked bottle - add a few drops of liquid soap or Safe SolutionsTweetmint enzyme cleaner - and theywill crawl in and won’t be able to crawl out. To deodorize concrete, scrub with enzyme cleaners or a solutionof half white vinegar and water or undiluted denatured alcohol as needed. Vinegar is an acid that can be usedto soothe the alkaline sting of a wasp or a flea bite. Mix 3 parts vinegar (10% acidity) with 1 part dishwashingsoap and spray weeds to kill them. White vinegar sprays repel cats and will control heavy dandruff and removesweat stains. See White Vinegar, Baking Soda and Dog Spray.The Use of Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide to Disinfect - Now, you can safely disinfect your home and food- without exposing your family to toxic synthetic chemicals. You can make your own inexpensive sprays thatactually work better disinfecting than any commercial synthetic disinfectant. All you have to purchase from thedrug store is some (fresh) three percent hydrogen peroxide and some plain (5%) white or apple cider vinegarfrom the grocery store. Put them full strength in their own clean spray bottles.If you want to safely disinfect vegetables or fruit, just spray or thoroughly mist them with the vinegar and thenthe hydrogen peroxide (or the hydrogen peroxide and then the vinegar) , and then rinse them off under runningwater. Using first one spray and then the other, you can also safely and effectively disinfect food preparationsurfaces and other washable surfaces and materials. You won’t cause stains on most surfaces, nor will youhave any lingering taste of vinegar or hydrogen peroxide on your food, and you will not harm you or your familyor the environment.From Our Toxic Times, May 2001: Heinz Company spokesperson Michael Mullen references numerous studiesto show that a straight 5% solution of vinegar—such as you buy in the supermarket—kills 99% of bacteria, 82%of mold and 80% of germs (viruses). He noted that Heinz can’t claim on its packaging that vinegar is a disinfectantsince the Company has not registered it as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing the two mists killed virtually all Salmonella,Shigella, or E.coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces when used in this fashion, makingthis spray combination more effective at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commerciallyavailable kitchen cleaner.The best results came from using one mist right after the other - it is 10 times more effective than using eitherspray by itself and more effective than mixing the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in one sprayer. See Chapter 41.Visual Aids - There are scare balloons, holographic balloons, flash tapes, whirligigs, plastic owls, holographic tape,aluminum foil and plates, etc. all available to help repel pests from your area and drive them to your neighbor’s.Vitamin C - Having more vitamin C in your blood plasma reduces your risk of stomach cancer. A natural extractof citrus, e.g., oranges, tangerines and/or grapefruit, which contains a minimum of 0.75% vitamin C (ascorbic acid,citric acid, sugars and other natural compounds) when sprayed on living plants has a tonic effect. The colors of472