The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, ad the world heareth them.

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” – 1 John 4:1-11 (KJV)



Preparedness Notes for Saturday — April 29, 2023

On April 30, 1897, English physicist J.J. Thomson announced that he had discovered the electron, which helped revolutionize the knowledge of atomic structure; he later was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.

I just belatedly learned of the death of economics commentator Richard B. Daughty (aka The Mogambo Guru.) He was born March 27, 1947 and died February 10, 2022. He stopped posting articles in 2017. Both his insight and his humor are greatly missed!

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.



Get Started With Scratch Cooking – Part 2, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

Batch Cooking

This is what I’ve heard over and over from young moms, working moms, professional working parents, older adults, and all kinds of people: We have no time to cook from scratch. We’re barely keeping our heads above water on the daily. I can’t keep up with the dishes! Groceries have gotten so expensive!!

Here is my advice: start small and involve the whole family. Meal plan together. Hey, it’s fun! You can talk about it over a meal – pick one when you’re all together. In another chunk of time, and this is especially good to do with children who need to learn how to do this, make an ingredients list from the meal plan. Shop together. When you go shopping, if you actually do that in person, take one or more children with you and give them assignments to find the ingredients for the meal plans on each aisle. You’ll teach them about reading the labels and about cost. If you’re like some people, and you order everything online to be delivered or curbside pickup, see if you can assign the task of ordering to an older child, review the “cart” before purchasing.Continue reading“Get Started With Scratch Cooking – Part 2, by SaraSue”



Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I had to make a couple of day-long trips to buy some fasteners, lumber, and hardware for the workshop remodeling projects. These trips take a frustratingly long time.  But this is just part of living in the hinterboonies. The detractors — like long driving distances — are more than counterbalanced by the many joys of living on the edge of the wilderness.

We took some hikes this week, and made a lot of progress on mucking out the sheep shed, and some other projects. On Wednesday and Thursday, our life was all about shoveling, hauling, spreading, and rototilling-in manure.  There was so much manure being flung about that I felt like I was under the capitol dome in Washington D.C.

Lily will fill you in on some details…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

Make haste, o God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord.

Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.

Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.

Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.

But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying.” – Psalm 70 (KJV)



Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 28, 2023

April 28th is the birthday of gun designer Aimo Johannes Lahti. (Born in 1896.) This inventive Finn designed (or co-designed) an amazing array of weapons including the L-35 Lahti pistol, the Suomi M-31 SMG, the Lahti-Saloranta M/26 LMG, the famous Lahti L-39 20mm anti-tank rifle (pictured), and even the 20 ItK 40 — a 20 mm dual anti-aircraft cannon.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 



Get Started With Scratch Cooking – Part 1, by SaraSue

A question that came up recently in conversation with friends and family, is how in the world can a person provide food for their families without relying on processed foods? – every day of the year, 3x or more a day? It’s actually a really good question. And in doing so, how can one afford it? Where does this food preparation time come from? These are practical questions that modern families face daily. I honestly would much rather solve a problem I can solve than worry about all the big problems in the world. Are we going into a civil war or world war 3? I have no idea! But, I can make a mean chili. No matter what horrible thing comes our way, a full belly of nourishing food will help us cope a whole lot better. Here’s my strategy for three square meals a day, plus snacks, of healthy, nourishing, non-GMO or adulterated foods, without breaking the bank or spending all day cooking every day.

There are two major components of my strategy:

  • Bulk food
  • Batch cooking
Bulk Food

Having a full pantry makes scratch cooking possible, so that is why I prioritize it. I rarely go to a grocery store for food once I’m stocked up. How to stock up has been covered here before, so I won’t go into that topic in depth. If you grow your own food, that is ideal, but not everyone can do that.

Whether you grow it yourself or buy it, you can obtain quality food (organic or nonGMO) at very affordable prices if you are willing to buy in bulk. The Amish live near me, and I’ve found that they are masters at growing food. When my cucumber and tomato crop failed last year due to excessive heat and me falling ill, I was able to pick up cases of both from the Amish very cheaply. I then processed them for the pantry and freezer (pickles and marinara sauce). In addition to growing my own food, I use Costco, Azure Standard, Walmart, and growers in my community for bulk purchases, depending upon where I can find the best quality and pricing. I don’t just buy a little bag of rice or flour, I buy 20-to-50lbs (high quality!) at a time. Those are two things I cannot grow, as an example.

The problem with bulk purchasing is you must have a way to store things. I probably have 60 or more 5 gallon food grade buckets that I’ve purchased over time. They are easy to use, stack, and you can seal them for long term storage if you desire. Storage space needs to be designated for bulk purchases. The initial investment for storage containers is not that expensive if you can get buckets and lids for a good price. I used to pay $3-4 for a food grade bucket, and now they are selling for $7-8, not including the lids. Buckets have a vast number of uses and last a long time. I’ve used them to transport water or feed, made mouse traps out of them, used them to collect rain water, as trash bins, etc. My opinion is you can’t have too many buckets, so your investment will not be wasted.Continue reading“Get Started With Scratch Cooking – Part 1, by SaraSue”



Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the commercial real estate market. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Fitch: Platinum And Palladium: High Risk Of Future Supply Disruption.

o  o  o

At Kitco.com: Gold prices treading water around $2,000 an ounce as U.S. GPD grows 1.1% in Q1.

Economy & Finance:

First Republic Bank continues to crumble: First Republic advisers have lined up potential purchasers of bank’s new stock – CNBC.

o  o  o

This piece from Fortune was linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: First Republic Bank lost more than $72 billion in deposits during the first quarter—and plans to lay off up to 25% of its workforce.

o  o  o

And CBS reports: First Republic shares continue their free fall amid mounting worries.

JWR’s Comments:  In early February, First Republic stock was selling at around $147 per share. Yesterday morning (Thursday, April 27), the shares were at $5.81. That’s a massive and probably unrecoverable drop. There are dozens of smaller banks — with similar levels of capitalization — standing by as the next possible dominoes. These banks are continuing to lose deposits. Their shareholders must be feeling nervous. As I’ve mentioned before, the banking crisis was caused by the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates too low for too long. Years too long. This crisis is far from being over.

o  o  o

David Stockman on Why Decades of Inflationary Finance Are Finally Coming Home to Roost.

o  o  o

Jobless Claims Hover Near 17-Month Highs, Flash Recession Signal.

o  o  o

US Discusses Ending Trade with Russia as Economic Sanctions Fail to Halt Aggression in Ukraine.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“There is no such thing as an achieved liberty; like electricity, there can be no substantial storage and it must be generated as it is enjoyed, or the lights go out.” – Supreme Court Justice Robert Houghwout Jackson, 1953



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 27, 2023

On April 27, 1865, the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history occurred when the overloaded steamship SS Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River, killing some 1,800 people, many of whom were former Union POWs returning home from the Civil War.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.



Pest Control for Keeping a Bug-Free Home – Part 2, by G.F.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

Flies of all types spread disease, something that will be very problematic if medical care is difficult to come by. Most store-bought solutions are inadequate. Zappers offer only partial control and explode the fly, spreading any disease it may have. Sticky traps offer little help, except in confined spaces (like a closet). Sanitation and exclusion are everything. The best value pesticide for controlling flies is the classic fly swatter. Fly swatters are very cheap. Keep one around for each room. Hand them out to your kids. There is no better way to decimate fly populations in your home.

Cloth-destroying insects, like silverfish, firebrats, and clothing moths can be difficult to control. Keeping clothes and books off the ground and away from contact with walls helps. Better yet, keep them in bags and totes when not in use. Cedar works well as a repellent, but only for a few years, though you can always replace or supplement with new wood, if you have a ready source. Pyrethrid dusts and oils work well, but are toxic and expensive and, therefore, should only be applied in cracks and joints to keep insects out. Diatomaceous earth is safer and cheaper and can be applied in large amounts, though it’s not quite as effective.

Spiders are best killed with a vacuum cleaner or a rolled-up newspaper. They can also be removed using the cup and piece of paper method. Do not use poisons for spiders. They do not provide long-term control and anything that will kill a spider is quite toxic.Continue reading“Pest Control for Keeping a Bug-Free Home – Part 2, by G.F.”



The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at the risk of tsunamis, on American coastlines.

Tsunami: Could It Happen Here?

A quite informative background piece, posted over at the USGS site: Could It Happen Here?

Florida Is Packed With “Survivalists,” Survey Claims

Published by The New Times of Miami: Preppin’ in Paradise: Florida Is Packed With “Survivalists,” Survey Claims.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.” – James Madison, Federalist Paper 10



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 26, 2023

On April 26, 1986, one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents occurred at the Chernobyl plant in the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor sent radioactivity into the atmosphere. At least 31 Soviets died immediately.

I had the misfortune of being downwind of the accident, at the time. I was posted TDY in southern West Germany, with the 2nd Military Intelligence Battalion, in Stuttgart.  Someday, the details of the COMINT traffic for that time period may be declassified. But all that I can say now is that late April and early May of 1986 represented an amazing time for me to be working a live intelligence-gathering mission against the Group Of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG or “G-SOF-G”), conducting analysis, and writing reports. – JWR

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.



Pest Control for Keeping a Bug-Free Home – Part 1, by G.F.

I have, at various times, held different agricultural pest control licenses in California, including a Private Applicator Certificate, Qualified Applicator License, and Pest Control Business License. I do all my own pest control on my little homestead, for both my home and farm. This article focuses on how to provide the most protection against arthropod pests for your home on a modest budget and in a way you can keep up after TEOTWAWKI. Before going into detail, let’s talk safety, gear and sourcing of materials.

Whenever dealing with pesticides, you must take safety seriously. In this article, I will recommend products that are relatively safe, but that does not mean they are innocuous. You should always wear personal protective equipment and know what you are doing. I don’t have the space here for a full lesson, but would encourage you to purchase the University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources Publications 3383 and 3324 and keep them on your bookshelf. It’s geared toward agriculture, but many of the principles apply to home applications, too. And of course read labels fully and in detail.

You also need a way to properly apply bulk chemicals. On a small scale, you can use a hand-pump applicator, either handheld or a backpack. You will make your life much easier if, instead, you get a motorized backpack sprayer. I have a strong preference for the Stihl brand and I also keep smaller, handheld mechanical options around. You should also get a small hand dust applicator (less than $10).Continue reading“Pest Control for Keeping a Bug-Free Home – Part 1, by G.F.”