Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

When the pandemic hit, you started off strong: You nurtured a sourdough starter and baked your first Instagram-worthy loaf, finished the books on your "to-read" list, cleaned out your pantry, reorganized your closet by color, and maybe even indulged your inner interior decorator through hours of Animal Crossing.

Now, my friend, its time to graduate to the big leagues of domestic hobbies and start growing your own edibles. No, not those greenswere talking about herbs and vegetables that will elevate your home-cooked meals for months to come.

Starting an indoor herb garden is such a no-brainer that it often starts as a happy accident. Youre preparing dinner and toss a few scraps of celery or green onion into a cup of water for freshness, only to discover that theyve grown back a few days later. Fennel and baby bok choy are also extremely easy to grow from discarded ends, only requiring water and bright sunlight. Garlic and ginger can also be coaxed back to life: Just plant each piece in potting soilgarlic facing downward, ginger facing upand keep them well lit and lightly watered. In a little over a week, youll have edible green stalks to use as a flavorful garnish.

If you live somewhere temperate and have a little outdoor space to call your own (even if its just a porch or balcony), consider setting up a mini greenhouse. Otherwise, there are several indoor garden kits that can help even the blackest of thumbs reach their green potential. The key here is to start simple and begin with kitchen scraps. You can save the serious gardening for Animal Crossing.

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Dwell On This: Start an Indoor Herb Garden - Dwell

Lighting in a home serves both practical and aesthetic purposes. Its easy to maneuver around a well-lit home, reducing the risk of slips and falls, and the right lighting can help homeowners create their desired ambiance, which typically changes depending on which room youre in.

When choosing lighting for their homes, homeowners must walk a fine line between appearance and functionality. A fixture in the foyer that instantly impresses visitors likely wont prove as awe-inspiring if its installed in the living room. When choosing lighting for a home, some general rules about what works in each room can help homeowners make the most informed decision.

Kitchen

Kitchens are often the busiest room in a home, so lighting here can be especially important. A kitchen often benefits, both practically and aesthetically, from different types of lighting. For example, pendant lighting above kitchen islands can make meal preparation easier and safer, but such lighting likely wont work in breakfast nooks and informal dining areas in the kitchen. Recessed lighting works best in such areas. In kitchens with no island, under-cabinet lighting can be used to illuminate countertops and simplify meal preparation.

Formal dining room

Many people enjoy the look of chandeliers in formal dining rooms, and such fixtures can be installed directly above the dinner table. The interior design experts at Better Homes & Gardens advise hanging chandeliers roughly 33 inches above the table in dining rooms with eight-foot ceilings, adding three inches for each additional foot above eight feet. Darkened dining areas may be ideal in restaurants, but homeowners may want to split the difference at home and choose dimmable chandeliers for their dining rooms. This allows homeowners to dim the lights for romantic dinners but turn them up for family gatherings with lots of people around the table.

Living room

Adaptability also is important in the living room, where homeowners may host anything from movie nights to book clubs to parties for the big game. It can be a tall order to accommodate such a wide range of activities, and many homeowners come down to deciding between recessed lighting and track lighting. If the living room currently has neither style, homeowners should recognize that it will cost considerably less to install track lighting than recessed lighting. Better Homes & Gardens notes that flexible track lighting provides ambient, task or accent lighting, and track lights can even be moved to change lighting schemes at any time, making them a budget-friendly option for homeowners whose living rooms are multi-purpose spaces. Recessed lighting also works well in living rooms, especially ones with low ceilings. Thats because recessed lighting is installed into the ceiling, meaning it does not take up any visual space in the room. That can help living rooms feel bigger.

Bedroom

The home improvement experts at BobVila.com note that bedroom lighting should provide enough light when getting dressed, but also be able to be toned down as residents prepare for their bedtime routines. Both portable and installed lighting can be used in bedrooms to serve these various functions. Recessed fixtures that dim can ensure theres ample light to get dressed in the morning, but they also can be dimmed at night as residents try to get ready to sleep. Portable nightstand lights can make it easier for couples sharing a bedroom, allowing one person to stay up and read while the other goes to sleep.

Homeowners have many options and many needs when choosing lighting for their homes. A professional consultation with a lighting expert or interior decorator can help homeowners find lights that provide both practical and aesthetic appeal.

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How to choose the right lighting inside your home - Daily Herald

Twinkle Khanna shared this post. (courtesy twinklerkhanna)

Twinkle Khanna, in her latest Instagram entry, wrote that "it's not so bad being named after a nursery rhyme after all." What prompted her to say that? Well, let's just say it has something to do with her daughter Nitara. On Monday evening, Twinkle shared a video on her Instagram profile, in which her daughter Nitara can be seen playing the nursery rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on a guitar. Sharing the video on her profile, Mrs Funnybones wrote in her caption: "And she plays for me... It's not so bad being named after a nursery rhyme after all." The comments section of her post was filled up with heart emojis.

See Twinkle Khanna's post here:

Nitara frequently features on her mom's Instagram profile. Last week, Twinkle posted a picture from her reading session with her daughter and she wrote: "You have a quota-25 pages a day and so do I.' She asks, 'But who gives you the quota mama?' 'That's the tricky part of being an adult. You have to give yourself these tasks and make sure you stick by them.' With brushed teeth and uncombed hair, we begin our mornings in the best way possible. It may not be 25 pages every day, sometimes it's merely 5, but it all adds up eventually."

Twinkle Khanna is a celebrated columnist and the author of bestselling books such as Pyjamas Are Forgiving, The Legend Of Lakshmi Prasad and Mrs Funnybones. She is also an interior decorator, the owner of The White Window, and a film producer. Twinkle Khanna also runs a digital content company called Tweak India.

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Twinkle Khanna Shares The Perks Of "Being Named After A Nursery Rhyme" - NDTV

The Building Industry Association of Washington has announced the winners of its2020 Excellence in Remodeling Awards, and Irons Brothers Construction, Inc.took top honors in two categories.

The Excellence In Remodeling awards program recognizes outstanding remodeling projects across Washington, ranging from additions and historic renovations to kitchen and bath updates to entire home transformations at a variety of price points. This year, remodelers from home builders associations across the state submitted 32 entries in 19 categories.

The Building Industry Association of Washington traditionally honors award winners at a live annual awards ceremony, but COVID-19 restrictions forced the organization to cancel its live event for 2020.

The awards presented to Irons Brothers include:

Parents of two boys, the homeowners in this remodel wanted to be close to their children while also having a private retreat to themselves so Irons Brothers added a master suite using creative reconfiguration of existing space. The remodeling team built an addition to the rear of the home using the familys existing laundry room and expanding into their outside-corner covered patio.

They then filled the bathroom retreat space with luxurious elements to combine modern-day comfort with 1955 architecture, including a curbless, walk-in shower with a wide doorway for accessibility.

Oversized white tiles surround the large shower niche, while marine blue dimensional gloss tiles create a statement at the vanity. The rich walnut custom cabinets with white quartz countertops and silvery-gray plank floor are durable and timeless. A clerestory window at the top of the shower and a large skylight maximizes the use of natural light.

This third-floor master suite is the crowning glory of this redesigned home.Irons Brothers certified aging-in-place design team specified elements for the retired couple and their 120-pound pit bull terrier to age in place.

The team added a new residential elevator to the west side of the home to access the master bedroom from all levels, placing the elevator shaft on the homes exterior to minimize the need for interior structural changes. This move also maximized the couples budget. The shed roof for the addition followed the sites slope, creating tall walls east of the master suite for clerestory windows that allow daylight without sacrificing wall space in the bathroom/closet area.

This design kept western walls low to maximize the bedroom views. The master bathroom includes an easy-access shower, his-and-her wall-mounted vanities with motion-sensor lights, and pops of beachy blue for a spa-like feel. An extensive walk-through closet and indoor sauna completes the suite.

Other universal design features include wider doorways, slip-resistant flooring and reduced transitions, lever handles, and pocket doors for easy use.

You can view these projects in a video here.

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Irons Brothers Construction wins Remodeling Excellence Awards - My Edmonds News

Caterpillar House is the first custom home on Californias Central Coast designated LEED Platinum, the highest rating for sustainability from U.S. Green Building Council. Photo: Joe Fletcher

Movie producers like Ashley Levinson are used to high-stress multitasking. Yet making sure a cast and crew stayed safe and healthy during a clandestine shoot in the midst of the deadly coronavirus pandemic was an entirely new degree of challenge for Levinson, one of the principal backers of Malcolm & Marie, which was written and directed by her husband, Sam.I dont think I slept through the night until two weeks after we wrapped shooting, said Levinson, reflecting on the high-wire act of pulling together the intimate new Netflix drama out Friday, Feb. 5, which was filmed over 14 days near Carmel over the summer to become one of the first films to wrap production during the pandemic.

When Sam Levinson and Zendaya both concerned about the forced time off from filming their HBO drama series Euphoria hatched the idea of making a movie while the entertainment industry was on lockdown, using pods and bubbles to prevent the virus spread were not yet familiar concepts. The NBA successful experiment of playing all its games in Orlando hadnt even started.

First off, we had to immerse ourselves in learning as much as we could about how the virus is transmitted and figure out, could we even do this safely? Ashley Levinson said. We wouldnt have done it if we didnt have doctors telling us that what we were doing was safe.

Zendaya takes on a mature role and an ownership stake in her new movie Malcolm & Marie

She knew a high-level epidemiologist who had been in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic began, and his findings informed the protocols the producers devised: pre-shoot quarantining, regular coronavirus testing, everyone in protective equipment, and a promise from everyone involved not to leave (the set) once we arrived, Levinson said.

Although they discussed shooting in Zendayas or the Levinsons home, Los Angeles wasnt issuing permits (to shoot) because the (COVID-19) numbers were so high, Levinson said, so we started looking at various places we could get to with one tank of gas, to eliminate as many stops as possible.

Monterey County was the only place in California at the time allowing shoots on private properties. So it had to be Carmel, Levinson said.

Production designer Michael Grasley, who also works on Euphoria, researched contemporary homes along the Central Coast that would fit the films aesthetic goals: a midcentury, open-plan property that would pop on screen in black and white.

San Francisco architect Jonathan Feldmans stunning, eco-conscious, rammed earth-and-glass Caterpillar House, on 33 acres in the private Santa Lucia Preserve, fit the bill.

Review: Zendaya tears into John David Washington in riveting, dramatic Malcolm & Marie

While Malcolm & Marie has just two roles, a feuding couple played by Zendaya and John David Washington, the glamorous house in which the entire movie takes place became effectively the movies third character.

Feldman studied film and thought of being a filmmaker before pivoting to architecture, so its fitting that the stunning residence has a natural cinematic quality, with huge south-facing sliding windows framing views of the rolling hills.

Caterpillar House is the first custom home on Californias Central Coast designated LEED Platinum, the highest rating for sustainability from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is built with 2-foot-thick earthen walls, from dirt excavated from the site during construction.

Its a glass box, all about its connection to nature, to natural light, Feldman said. Yet, shot at night, it somehow became even more monumental, looming, even moody in a way that really fit the story (of) this couple isolated from the rest of the world. It was really exciting to see how well the house lent itself to that.

We knew we wouldnt have to do that much to make it look great, Levinson said. The house was ideal. Its a work of art itself.

Everyone working on the film lodged at the nearby Carmel Valley Ranch, which closed due to the pandemic and had standalone buildings for everyone with their own HVAC systems so we wouldnt be cross-contaminating anyone that could potentially be sick, Levinson said.They limited the cast and crew to just 22 people far fewer than a typical set. The lean team meant we got really crafty with every element of the film, Levinson said. We brought stuff from our own houses. Our personal pillows were there. Zendaya brought her own clothing (and did her own hair and makeup). We borrowed a friends bed. We kept some of the owners belongings. It was a case of eliminating how many things we needed from the outside world.

They rehearsed in a parking lot and did outdoor camera tests, too. A San Francisco chef prepared meals with produce from Monterey-area farmers.

There were so many things you wouldnt have thought of, she said. I mean, if someone wanted a cup of coffee, you couldnt have different people getting it. Things you would never think of normally.

Levinson says the experience of making Malcolm & Marie with collaborators all invested in one anothers safety and equity (crew members are shareholders in the films profit structure, with future proceeds donated to Feeding America) convinced her that we might want some of these positive changes to stick around in post-pandemic productions.

Its the most proud Ive ever been of the process, being a part of a community of people that you respect so much, with every single person really looking after each other, she said. I feel enormous gratitude for the fact that we were able to make a film that were so proud of, make it in the way that we did and also give back.

Malcolm & Marie (R) begins streaming on Netflix on Friday, Feb. 5.

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Co-starring in Malcolm & Marie, the stunning Monterey County home where the movie is set - SF Chronicle Datebook

When Don and Lou Ann McLean bought a hexagonal home on the edge of Lake Austin in 2013, they loved the 1.3-acre waterfront lot. But they were hesitant about the house, which was built in the 1960s and had the feel of a rustic lodge.

The structure, propped up on columns above a site that plummeted to the water, had few redeeming qualities after being sliced up into a series of awkward spaces over the years and extended with a clumsy 1980s addition.

It was a little hard to get our heads around it, said Ms. McLean, 63, a former attorney.

But of all the different places we looked at, this one was on a pretty spot on the lake, said Mr. McLean, 71, a retired insurance broker. It had about 185 feet of water frontage, more than any of the other homes they saw. So the lot won us over.

The McLeans were looking for a change after raising their four children in Orange County, Calif. We had always wanted to live on a lake, Ms. McLean said. We were water-skiers and raised our kids boating, and thought that a lake would be a great place for our permanent home.

The couple, who own a six-acre vineyard called Caprichosa, part of the Vines of Mendoza resort in Argentina, also wanted to live in a city, which is how they settled on Austin, Texas, after a cousin of Ms. McLeans suggested it.

Despite their reservations, they bought the property for $1.95 million, then recruited a local architect, Jim LaRue of LaRue Architects, to transform it. At first, he thought demolition was the solution. It was sort of a frumpy, dumpy little building that was originally a fishing cabin, Mr. LaRue said. When we saw it, the concept was that we were just going to scrape it.

But as he studied the site, he realized that the structure was irreplaceable, literally: It was so close to the lake that it seemed to hover over the water an impossible feat today, as new homes there are required to be set back at least 75 feet from the shore.

To retain that position near the waters edge, Mr. LaRue opted to keep the hexagonal footprint but to reconfigure the walls and roof, repurposing the existing structure as a new primary suite. Then he demolished the 1980s addition to make way for a connected, low-slung building, threaded between pecan trees, that would contain most of the homes 4,200 square feet.

The new house is built with rugged materials including Texas limestone, exposed steel and standing-seam metal roofing that is also used as siding. Tall glass doors slide open at one end of the living-and-dining room to connect to a broad covered patio equipped with retractable screens and integrated heaters for year-round use.

Rather than adding a fireplace and TV to the living room, Mr. LaRue put them outside. When the glass sliders are open to connect the indoor and outdoor living areas, the fireplace anchors the far end of that common space, he said. It just happens to be outside.

And should anyone want a quick dip during commercial breaks, a pool hugs the edge of the patio.

For the interiors, the couple worked with Laura Britt, of the Austin-based Britt Design Group, to develop a very warm, organic, modern palette, Ms. Britt said. Finishes include European white-oak floors, hand-troweled and -burnished plaster, walnut kitchen cabinets elevated on beefy legs and textiles that add bursts of color in an otherwise neutral envelope. For the dining area, the couples builder, Classic Constructors, made a custom table from wood beams salvaged from the old hexagonal roof.

In March 2019, nearly three years after construction began, the McLeans moved in. At that point, their team began work on the dock, which has an ipe storage locker for kayaks and a paddleboard, with a deck on top. By the time everything was finished in the fall of 2020, they had spent roughly $4 million.

Now hunkered down to wait out the pandemic, they are especially appreciative of their easy access to water and the changing views through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the surrounding landscape, designed with Environmental Survey Consulting; the reflecting pool with aquatic plants that wraps around their bedroom (in place of the balcony that was originally there); and the abundant wildlife.

You get almost a treehouse feeling, Ms. McLean said. Weve had foxes come through the yard, and weve had robins and nuthatches, so its been lovely.

Some neighbors have also reported owl sightings. Everyone around here is noticing a lot more wildlife than theyve seen before, she said. Maybe there are more birds and animals moving in, she speculated, or maybe were just here to notice it.

For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @nytrealestate.

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Whats It Like to Sleep in a Hexagon? - The New York Times

Pests in your home and garden can be annoying, unsanitary and potentially harmful. A combination of insect killer and pest control methods may be necessary to effectively get the job done and stop insects, rodents and animals from becoming a serious nuisance.

General pest problems are relatively easy to manage once you identify what the type of pest youre dealing with. We offer a wide variety of pest products and home insect repellents that can help prevent, eliminate and control your problem.

If youre trying to decide on how best to treat your pest problem, get started with these tips and advice:

Know the Pest, Control with the Best

This is the first and most important step in home pest control. Once you identify the insect or rodent problem youre dealing with, determine a strategy and choose from product types like sprays, trap, bait station, etc., to get rid of it.

Once youve eliminated pests inside and out, here are some recommendations to keep them from coming back:

3 Easy Steps to Pest Control

The best pest prevention is denying them entry in the first place. You probably wont be able to completely eliminate pests from your home, lawn, or garden but there are three simple steps you can take to minimize the problem:

Indoors or outdoors, we have plenty of detailed project guides to help you getting started on an effective, do-it-yourself pest control plan. Be sure to always read and follow product instructions carefully for the best results.

We Can Help You Get Control of Pests

From everyday problem pests like spiders, stink bugs, silverfish and roaches to birds, squirrels, rodents, and other types of vermin we offer a full range of top-rated, effective, home pest control solutions, product subscription models, plus certified, licensed pros to give you rest from pests.

The Home Depot has all the pest control products and pest management solutions you need to keep those pesky insects, rodents and animals in check.

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Pest Control - The Home Depot

Organic certification can boost grower returns, but growers considering a transition should think about pest control challenges and the marketing opportunities available for organic pears, such as these organic Bosc near Mesa, Washington, photographed in July 2015. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)

Organic pears can sell for about $10 more per box, but for growers interested in transitioning Bartletts and Anjous to organic, theres a lot more to consider than just the potential for higher returns.

A panel of growers shared their perspective on shifting to organic pear production during the Washington Tree Fruit Associations annual meeting in December: citing pest and disease pressure, nutrient management and marketing opportunities.

Our organic customers only want certain sizes and grades, said Jason Matson of Matson Fruit Co., located in Selah, Washington. Otherwise its sold as conventional and then whats the benefit? Youll be sinking expensive organic dollars and getting a conventional return.

While almost 20 percent of Washingtons pear orchards were certified as organic by 2019, just 14 percent of the product was sold as organic that year, according to Washington State University emeritus professor David Granatstein, who tracks organic trends. Theres only so much demand for organic pears.

Don Gibson, president of Mount Adams Fruit, agreed that growers should consult their marketers before transitioning to organic. If you are growing something like a third-grade Anjou, it has no home in the organic world, he said. You need to have the fruit your marketing department wants.

As a vertically integrated fruit company, Mount Adams needs organic pears in its portfolio, even though organic orchards dont always generate larger returns. The organic price premium fluctuates, Gibson said, and packouts can be a little lower than conventional blocks due to russet that stems from fire blight control, but retail customers want some organic in the mix.

For individual growers, however, the calculations look a little different, said Ray Schmitten, a pear grower from Dryden, Washington, and a horticulturist for Blue Star Growers who described ups and downs of profitability in the decades he worked as an organic consultant.

Theres a margin of benefit, but every organic block Ive been involved with, weve got to the point of diminishing returns, he said. In his region, its hard to manage nitrogen to keep fruit size up for the long term without applying conventional fertilizer.

If my fruit size is declining, Id better get out of organic certification, Schmitten said. We love the ideology of it but cant afford to lose the farm for the ideology.

Before getting into organic, Matson said growers should consider whether their primary pest challenges could be managed organically and reckon with their record-keeping abilities. Organic audits are thorough, he said.

All three panelists recommended transitioning established blocks, even if the block was planted specifically for organic production. Gibson said that using conventional tools such as Apogee (prohexadione calcium) in the establishment years can help the pears get into higher-volume production faster, and then they transition.

Schmitten recommended setting up orchards with the option to do overhead wash systems, which reduce the fruit damage from psylla. That helps growers to transition to an organic or IPM psylla control program that largely relies on natural enemies. He said that even when he transitions a block back to conventional to boost fruit size with conventional fertilizer and resume weed spraying, hell pretty much stick to the organic pest program to protect the natural enemies.

Pest control is the easy part. Once we build up the predators, we spend the same as conventional, Schmitten said.

Nitrogen and vigor management pose the top organic challenge in North Central Washington, he said, while Gibson said in the Mid-Columbia, fire blight management is the top threat to organic blocks.

Rodent control can be an issue everywhere, panelists said.

After leaf drop, well go through with the brush rake and rake all the garbage from the weed strip into the center of the rows so its not right next to the trunks, Matson said. That relocates the prime rodent habitat away from the trees, at least.

As of 2019, Washington had 4,200 acres of pears certified organic, according to Granatsteins data. Thats up from just over 2,000 in 2015. Bartletts account for 38 percent of the acreage, with Anjous at 33 percent and Bosc at 15 percent.

Is that the top of the market? Perhaps.

The market is inelastic, Schmitten said. When we first really got into organics in the mid-90s, one orchard came in and saturated the market.

The growers he works with through Blue Star want to stick with organic for Bartletts where they can, but less so with Bosc and Anjou.

While the panel billed itself as a discussion on what growers should consider if they want to get into organics, its just as important to know when to get out, Schmitten and Matson stressed.

When disease or pest pressure is so bad you have to break out the conventional hammer to get control back before you lose it, Matson said. And when the market is just too small. Pears are a niche item in themselves. Organic pears are a niche of a niche. Organic Seckel or Red Anjous are a niche of a niche of a niche. Retailers dont want these too nichey varieties.

by Kate Prengaman

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Organic ins and outs - Good Fruit Grower

Dr. Reid Ipser, Director of Technical Services, Nisus Corp.

Target Specialty Products, a service provider of pest and turf and ornamental solutions in the United States and Canada, will hold a 1-hour webinar on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern. As part of its Business Growth Webinar Series of 2021, the topic is Granular Baits vs. Residential Insecticides: Perimeter Treatment IPM Strategies.

Nisus Corp. has partnered with Target for the webinar. Dr. Reid Ipser, the director of technical services for Nisus Corp., will be the guest speaker.

During the webinar, attendees will learn how the perimeter pest management strategies apply using granular baits as a base line treatment method. The discussion will focus on how to incorporate granular baits in a current integrated pest management (IPM) rotation program, develop new rotation programs and the efficacy of pre-baiting as a first service of the new year.

Pest management professionals interested in attending the upcoming webinar can register for free now.

ABOUT DR. REID IPSER

Prior to joining Nisus Corp. in 2015, and after his graduate studies, Dr. Ipser worked as a regional technical director and operations manager for HomeTeam Pest Defense. He later worked in product development formulation for Waterbury Companies and FMC.

In his role as Nisus Corp.s director of technical services, Dr. Ipser is responsible for handling customer inquiries, training, presentations, content development and field support for sales.

Dr. Ipser has nearly 20 years of experience in the pest control industry, holds multiple degrees in entomology, including a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, and has authored numerous scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.

ABOUT TARGET SPECIALTY PRODUCTS

Headquartered in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., Target Specialty Products operates 44 locations across the United States and Canada. Click here to be added to Targets mailing list and notified of future educational opportunities. Find an online library of Targets previously recorded webinars for on-demand viewing.

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Upcoming Target Specialty Products webinar to focus on perimeter pest control - Pest Management Professional magazine

Silverfish are small insects that can infest a home. Although they are not dangerous, they can damage property and trigger allergies. A person can try several natural and chemical methods to get rid of them before contacting a professional pest control service.

Silverfish are a type of wingless insect that lives worldwide, including throughout the United States.

They tend to occupy gardens in places with high moisture levels, such as under piles of leaves or wood or in gutters.

Silverfish can find their way into a persons home through gaps, cracks, and holes in the buildings exterior, and they can cause damage to both the building and peoples possessions.

This article explains what silverfish are and how to get rid of them.

Silverfish get their name from the color of their scales, which are silver or metallic brown.

Their bodies are long typically 1219 millimeters and fish-like, and they have six legs and two antennae.

Silverfish are also called bristletails because they have three long bristles on the end of their body.

People most often find them in moist or humid places, such as bathrooms, basements, laundry rooms, or attics, but they can be present anywhere in the home. They are nocturnal, which means that they are most active at night.

Silverfish feed on the sugar and starch in a range of household items, such as books, photographs, documents, and wallpaper.

Soap, hair, dandruff, and dust can also be food sources for silverfish, along with glue, clothing, silk, cotton, and linen.

These insects can also eat dried beef products and even other silverfish. Other food products that they can eat include:

Silverfish are shy insects and will hide from humans. They cannot fly or bite, but they can run very quickly.

They can also breed very rapidly, which means that infestations can quickly escalate.

According to The Wildlife Trusts in the United Kingdom, people may see silverfish in the home all year round.

Silverfish can cause damage to homes and property, and they can sometimes trigger a persons allergies.

A 2015 study into different types of indoor allergens noted that a person who has an allergy to silverfish might experience respiratory symptoms.

The scales that silverfish shed contain a protein called tropomyosin, which can combine with other allergens and sometimes cause allergic reactions. A person may also be allergic to silverfish droppings.

Silverfish can also contaminate food products, such as flour and meat.

According to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), the signs of a silverfish infestation include:

People can use various techniques to tackle a silverfish infestation, including both chemical and natural methods.

Silverfish can be picky when it comes to eating bait, and commercial baits often do not work against silverfish.

Additionally, silverfish can survive for a very long time without eating or drinking, which means that they will not resort to eating bait because of hunger.

People should only use insecticides for large infestations, and they will not work while suitable habitats remain available to the silverfish.

Even if people remove these habitats, insecticides can take a few weeks to work.

Experts note that sprays that include the following ingredients can be effective against silverfish:

In one study, commercial bait formulations that included 0.05% or 0.20% chlorfenapyr were the most effective in killing silverfish.

A person should always follow the instructions on these chemical products to ensure their safety. They should also check that they are allowed to use them in their chosen environment and in their state.

People should also not use chemicals in areas where they may contaminate food or water or where children or pets may accidentally consume them.

Some people may prefer to try natural methods of eliminating a silverfish infestation before they use chemicals. In this case, the first steps involve reducing the amount of moisture and humidity in the area in which the silverfish are living.

A person can use a dehumidifier to reduce the humidity to levels that make the area uninhabitable for silverfish.

If there are dark places for silverfish to live, clearing out these spaces will reduce the number of places they can use to shelter.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the following natural ingredients can repel silverfish:

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a powder made of fossilized algae. It dehydrates silverfish if they come into contact with it and will eventually kill them.

Sprinkling DE in affected areas can be beneficial in controlling a small infestation, and it is safe for humans and pets.

Traps that use sticky tape or boric acid can be helpful for small infestations. However, boric acid is harmful to humans and pets if they ingest it.

If a person discovers a silverfish infestation, and chemical baits or natural methods are ineffective in eliminating it, they can call their local licensed pest control professional.

The pest control professional will recommend an appropriate treatment.

Reducing the number of environments suitable for silverfish to live in is an easy way of preventing them from entering the home.

Removing piles of wet leaves and keeping wood off the ground and away from the home can encourage silverfish to find shelter elsewhere.

Sealing up any gaps, cracks, and holes in basements, attics, foundations, or outer walls can prevent silverfish from finding ways into the home.

Eliminating any damp areas in the home can also discourage silverfish from settling inside.

Keeping basements, attics, bathrooms, and kitchens clean and dry will help prevent them from living in these rooms.

People can also remove food sources for silverfish, such as dust and debris, by cleaning out closets and cupboards and dusting bookshelves.

To prevent silverfish from getting into food products, the NPMA recommend storing the products in glass or plastic airtight containers.

Earwigs, centipedes, and spiders are natural predators of silverfish. Letting house spiders remain in the home can keep the number of silverfish down naturally.

Silverfish do not bite humans or animals, do not carry disease, and are not poisonous.

However, they have the potential to spread germs if they come in from the outside and contaminate food.

Silverfish are insects that do not pose significant threats to humans.

Although they can trigger allergies in some people, they do not bite or spread disease.

Silverfish have a well-earned reputation for causing significant damage to buildings and possessions, so it is important to get a silverfish infestation under control quickly to minimize the damage that they cause.

People can try a range of methods to get rid of a silverfish infestation, including reducing their habitats within the home, using chemical baits, or opting for natural methods such as DE and traps.

If these attempts prove unsuccessful, professional pest control services should be able to help.

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Silverfish: What they are, how to get rid of them, health risks - Medical News Today