MSN_062719

14 | June 27, 2019 | Malibu surfside news sound off
malibusurfsidenews.com
Don’t Panic, It’s Organic
Malibuites’ myriad options for repelling rats, ticks
Andy Lopez
Contributing Columnist
Invisible Gardener
There are many problems
facing those
in Malibu and other
places impacted by the fire.
One of them is dealing
with rats and ticks. Many
folks would prefer to deal
with them without using
toxic pesticides that
will hurt them and other
animals.
There are various ways
to repel rats and keep them
away from places like
under the house or in a
car’s engine compartment.
There are many electronic
devices that give off a high
frequency that only the rats
can hear. Most are battery
operated. Some work better
than others, but many
are available for purchase
online.
Another option is garlic.
I buy Garlic Barrier. Follow
the product instructions
for strength, as using
too much could make you
dizzy and even sick! Garlic,
added to water, can be
sprayed around the areas
from which you want to
rid rats.
Garlic also will kill ticks
and fleas on contact. Spray
daily until the problem
disappears and then once
a week as a preventative.
Make sure to spray under
the house and to soak piles
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of wood. I would spray the
entire yard at least once
every few weeks for a long
as the ticks and rats appear.
If garlic doesn’t do the
trick, try cold-brew coffee!
It not only will repel rats
and ticks, but also will
kill ticks on contact. The
coffee’s caffeine also will
effectively drive rats away.
I would use French vanilla
since vanilla is toxic to
rats.
Rats have a sensitive
nose, and you can use that
against them.
Coffee and garlic are
safe to use around pets,
but I would avoid directly
spraying them or spraying
when they are out, as
it would smell and might
even get them sick. I once
tried to spray garlic and
cold-brew cold together
and I did get dizzy.
Another safe repellent is
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food-grade Diatomaceous
Earth. You can dust certain
areas where they are present.
It will kill ticks but
only repel the rats.
Add 1/2 cup food-grade
DE to a gallon water and
shake well. Spray the DE
liquid. When it dries, it
will leave a fine coating of
DE, which will kill off the
ticks. You also can lightly
dust your dogs with the DE
for flea and tick control. I
would not dust cats, as they
won’t like it. For cats, put
some DE in your hand and
use a flea comb to get the
DE onto the comb. Then,
comb your cat with it.
There also are many safe
traps you can use (try Rat
Zapper), but I would only
use them if the rats have
made their way inside your
home, garage or into your
car’s engine compartment.
If you do have them in
those areas, find out how
they are getting in and seal
it; otherwise, you will get
Letter to the Editor
Justice for elephants
We applaud the celebration
of Father’s Day and
the deep appreciation and
love shown for all parents.
We were surprised and
disheartened though, that
this newspaper not only
printed but awarded a photograph
depicting one of
the cruelest forms of tourist
exploitation perpetrated
against innocent captive
animals — the riding of elephants
for entertainment.
We realize that education
doesn’t happen overnight,
and mistakes always happen
while the world learns.
The purpose in writing this
is not to embarrass anyone
but rather to shed light on
the heartbreaking underbelly
of this dark business.
It must be stopped. It is up
to all of us to become fully
educated in the horrors of
global animal abuse and
work together to end it. Not
promote, or glorify it. No
legitimate sanctuary would
ever allow this abuse, in
fact the opposite. We encourage
everyone to watch
the award-winning documentary
entitled “Love
and Bananas”; it chronicles
how the race is on to
desperately rescue these
gentle giants and bring to
more visitors.
A rat zapper works well
for non-engine areas, but
the heat would be too
much for most devices.
You can, however, place
the rat zapper close to the
radiator. But there could be
problems like forgetting to
check if you caught something
and disposing of the
body. The car will smell up
really fast. In the event of
such a problem, you can
spray that area upon arrival
at home, or when it’s not
in use, with garlic and see
if that bothers you, as you
will smell it.
Speaking of smell,
you also can use essential
oils. They are very
strong and you only need
a few drops per gallon or
you can place the drops
directly onto part of the
engine area. The heat will
definitely spread the essential
oil. There are many
essential oils, so you can
pick what you like. Citronella
oil, eucalyptus oil
and lavender oil are just
a few you can use. These
oils will drive off not just
the rats, but most animals.
Just be careful when using
oils, as this stuff is
strong. If you haven’t used
essential oils before it’s
best not to even try. Young
Living offers Thieves oil,
which will work great and
is premixed for you.
If none of the above
strike your fancy, try compost
tea. It will kill ticks
and fleas and also repel
rats. The tea’s microbials
will damage a tick’s nervous
system, and the rats
won’t like the smell of it. It
also will affect a rat’s skin.
The compost tea will
help the soil come back to
life, providing a natural
tick control tool that
works.
Any questions? Email me at
andylopez@invisiblegardener.
com.
real sanctuaries. NY Times
states this movie “is unsparing
in showing the
cruelty required to train an
elephant to perform tricks
and give rides to humans.”
Please watch, learn and join
in. Loveandbananas.com.
As human beings, our true
job on the planet is to protect
and love it, and those
living on it. Beyond only
humans. Let’s stop riding
elephants and instead work
together to save, help and
appreciate them.
Sherman Baylin and Jae
Flora-Katz, Malibu residents