Staying Safe While Staying Cool

Ahh, summer.

Time for cannonballs in the swimming pool, trips to the lake, tubing down the river and anything else to help keep cool. While having fun is the main goal, safety should also be a top priority. Did you know that in 2005, there were 3,582 fatal unintentional drownings in the United States? And an additional 710 people died from drowning and other causes in boating-related incidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control Prevention. To help you and your family stay safe this summer, here are some important water safety guidelines: Learn to swim. Children as young as six months can be enrolled in swim lessons. Any child over age three should take lessons. Fence in your pool (fences should be at least four feet high) and include a self-locking gate. Learn CPR. Your local Red Cross chapter offers certification courses.Supervise, supervise, supervise. Keep younger children within arm’s reach. If you’re boating, ensure everyone on board has a properly fitted lifejacket. Teach your kids to “buddy up” and always have a partner any time they’re swimming, whether in a pool, lake or ocean. Never combine alcohol and water. One third of boating deaths are alcohol related, and alcohol can be a factor in teen drownings as well. Remove pool toys when not in use so children are not tempted to go in or near the pool. Keep rescue equipment, such as a life preserver or hook, by the pool as well as a phone. If you’re at the beach and get caught in a rip tide, do not fight it. Swim parallel to shore until you’re out of danger or tread water until help arrives. Finally, always swim where there’s a lifeguard. The chances of drowning with a lifeguard present are one in 18 million.

Pest Problems? Blame it on the Drought or the Rain.

Have you ever noticed that when it's dry outside, there seems to be more insects inside? Or that rainy conditions automatically make you bring out the bug spray? Before you start thinking it's just a figment of your imagination, there really is a correlation between climate changes and the resident insect population."Insects respond to various [weather-related] situations in a largely automatic manner," said Chuck Tindol, co-owner of Allgood Pest Solutions. "There's no particular thinking or intelligence involved in their reactions. Whether it's rainy or it's dry, any conditions that are not the norm will drive insects to move into a more favorable environment."A drought will reduce outside insect populations but increase the likelihood that they venture inside a house for food, water and harborage. Heavy rain forces those same insects to seek higher ground - your home."Basic logic is that extreme climatic conditions for humans also create stress on native insect populations. Just like we do, they look for ways to adapt to these extreme conditions, which could mean they move into your house," Tindol said.Just how do they get in so quickly though? Through cracks and crevices in your home that you may not have even realized were there. Windows that have gaps, doors without adequate weather stripping, large openings around outside pipes, exterior water faucets - these are all prime entry points for insects. Trees and shrubs that grow against the house and up into the eaves and soffits also make it easy for insects and rodents to get in.Trimming back trees and shrubs and making sure all doors and windows are tightly sealed will help keep the insects out. Putting foam around pipe entrances into walls is also highly recommended.Pay attention to flower and garden beds as well. Insects love moist mulch, but when a lack of rain dries the mulch out, they will swarm inside the nearest structure - your house - to find water. Minimize moisture and hiding places, especially near a home's foundation."A lot of people have a sprinkler system around their house and, when they can water, it's going off every morning or three days a week so that pine straw and mulch stays wet," Tindol said. "Millipedes especially will just go crazy in that kind of environment. When it dries out, they make a mass exodus into the house."Regular pest control applications every three months will greatly help control insects, even during extreme weather conditions. Some "over-the-counter" pesticides may help as well but it's important to properly apply them. For example, fire ant bait is useless at certain times of the day."The problem is if you put [a product like] Amdro out in the morning when there's dew on the ground, or if it rains within an hour of when you put it out, it won't work," Tindol said. "Fire ants are most active from about 3:30 to 4 p.m. to just before dark so the best thing to do is put Amdro out around 2 to 3 p.m."The main thing to remember, whether Georgia remains in a drought or not, is that any kind of extreme weather will force insects to move somewhere they can find food, water and shelter. So if you're not fond of uninvited house guests, be sure to seal up your house and schedule pest control services on a regular basis!Here's a list of insects to watch for, depending on the weather:Rainy weather home invaders: Ants, outdoor Cockroaches, Spiders, Crickets, ladybugs, Bees, Hornets, Wasps, Rodents - Rats and Mice.Dry weather home invaders: Ants, earwigs, Millipedes, Sowbugs and Pillbugs, Crickets, Spiders and scorpions.