Posts Tagged ‘environment’

What Is The Low Down On Bed Bugs?

Most individuals under seventy years of age in the West will not have encountered bed bugs. This is largely due to improved living conditions, DDT and better public education. The DDT was used in the thirties and forties and eradicated the problem in the more wealthy countries.

Bed bugs are a member of the arachnid or spider family, although bed bugs are parasites that suck blood, not all bodily fluids. They will feed on most warm-blooded animals and there is some proof that humans are not their first preference of prey.

The most common form of bed bugs are known as Cimex lectularius by their Latin name. They are quite small but very fast moving insects and they are members of the spider family, although many of them do not look like spiders at all. Rather, most of them look like little beetles, until they have satiated themselves, after which they can hardly move and are at their most vulnerable.

Bed bugs feed in a similar way to mosquitoes. They insert a tube into the skin of its victim and suck blood out. It is not a great deal to you, about a quarter of a millilitre, but is a lot to them. It allows them to live and procreate.

Bed bugs, unlike their relatives the ticks, are not known to convey any diseases. In fact, they are one of the few insects that do not pass on a disease.

A bedbug bite is similar to an ant bite in appearance, but it will itch like a mosquito bite. You will probably experience a slight swelling with a red dot in the centre and an itch. Not much more.

You can check for bed bugs quite easily by soaking a bar of soap in a little water for half an hour while you lie on your bed reading a book. Then get up and fetch the soap, wet-side down and throw back the bed clothes. Pat up the bed bugs, if there are any with the soft soap. This is a speedy method of getting rid of a small number of bed bugs, but cannot be seen as a solution.

With regards to the annihilation of an infestation of bed bugs, it depends where you are. If you are in a hotel, the bar of soap will be proof enough of a problem and it is the hotel manager’s duty to provide a solution. If they do nothing, report the hotel to the local tourist bureau.

If you live in rented accommodation, it is your landlord’s responsibility to resolve the predicament. If he or she is reluctant, then go to the council hall and seek advice.

If the problem is in your own house, then take the skirting boards and architraves off. Spray or paint very strong insecticide onto the wall and refit the woodwork. If you are still worried, seal the woodwork off on all sides with mastic or silicone.

These actions will ensure that your house will be free of bed bugs.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on quite a few subjects, but is currently concerned with natural tick repellent. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at tick Repellent For Dogs.

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How Hybrid Cars Work

Basically, hybrid electric cars have two engines: a conventional petrol or diesel engine (the same as you would find in any modern car and an electric, battery powered engine, as you might find in a milk float or a forklift truck. The magical difference is that the car’s on board computer judges which engine is necessary to provide the power needed by the driver and switches it on.

Therefore, if you are accelerating to cruising speed for motorway driving; going up hill or overtaking, the car will probably use its liquid fuel engine but then as you ease off the accelerator to, say, cruise down the motorway; go down the other side of the hill or to drive in slow traffic, the computer will turn off the liquid fuel engine and turn on the electric engine.

The electric engine can be regarded as free to run, because it runs off batteries which are recharged by the car while it is using petrol or diesel and at some other times, such as whilst it is braking (and the alternators are recharging in both modes). You should never need to recharge your car’s batteries overnight as they do with forklift trucks.

There are in essence two types of hybrid cars: the semi hybrids and the full hybrids.

The semi hybrids have the same sort of set up: two engines, one running on liquid fuel and the other running on batteries, but the electric motor is not capable of running the car on its own. It is there to ‘assist’ the petrol or diesel engine.

In this type of hybrid, the electric motor is called an ‘assist’. These semi hybrids will save money on fuel, but when the car is moving, you are burning fuel all the time.

The main difference when it comes to the full hybrid is that both engines are capable of powering the car autonomously. Whilst you are running on electricity, you are running at zero expense to your wallet and at zero expense to the environment, unless you are actually pushing the car and then both engines might be working in union.

This changing of power sources is done automatically without any intrusion from the driver. In the case of the Prius, for instance, this remarkable achievement is accomplished by what Ford calls its Hybrid Synergy Drive. Other businesses have their equivalent to the HSD.

In order to get the most out of these full hybrids, you actually need to be doing an ‘average amount’ of driving under ‘average’ or ‘mixed’ circumstances. For instance, if you are driving in traffic, the car will try to use the electric engine, but if all you do is drive in inner city traffic jams the batteries will soon become depleted and you will be driving on liquid fuel all the time, which sort of negates the main reason for spending a great deal extra on a hybrid in the first instance.

The car needs to travel on open motorways in order to recharge its batteries so that it can use them when it gets back into town. If you only drive in town traffic, you might be better off getting a small run about instead.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with how to compare tyre prices. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Car Tyres For Sale.

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Some Like It Hot: How Water Heating Your Home Can Be Energy Efficient

If you want to make your home more environmentally friendly, you’ve got a lot of options. Tinted windows are a great way to lower energy bill costs during the warmer months of the year. Another option is to choose only glass, paper products and other recycled household items. Solar panels on a home’s roof can also reduce your current energy costs.

Water heating is also a superb way to make your home more environmentally friendly. There is a lot to consider when choosing between your myriad of water heater options, as well. Not only do you need to choose an option that provides enough water for your household’s needs, but you also need to find one that will make such provisions in an efficient manner so you can save money. This includes choosing the right size and fuel source for your personal needs.

Knowing the difference between water heater types comes first. Offering a storage tank of hot water, conventional storage water heaters are the large, bulkier kind. Since they heat your water directly without use of a tank, demand water heaters are also known as tankless or instantaneous water heaters. Heat pump water heaters move the heat from one spot to another in your home instead of creating heat directly for handing out hot water. Then, there are heaters who simply use solar heat to create hot water, known as solar water heaters. Your home’s own space heating system is made use of with tankless coil and indirect water heaters to achieve the same effect.

To help you decide which heater is most appropriate for you, you should also have several selection criteria in place. The water heater’s fuel type or energy source should also be looked into. Other important factors are its availability and cost. If you have limited space for your water heater, size must also be taken into account. It is also important to compare the energy efficiency of your new heater to your former one.

Your household’s needs should come first when deciding what type of water heater to purchase. You should also create criteria specific to your own needs before buying anything. As a result, there should be no reason not to be able to purchase a water heater that’s both energy efficient and meets your own personal housing needs.

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The Awful Results Of Malaria

Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease caused by mosquito bites that carry a parasite of the genus Plasmodium, is widely common in tropical and subtropical countries in Asia, South and Central America and the Middle East. Malaria is more prevalent in regions with lots of rainfall and constant high temperatures that supply the perfect conditions for bugs to thrive and multiply.

Malarial attacks begin with multiplication of the plasmodium virus in the red blood cells and could have long-lasting and even deadly consequences.

Malaria starts with headaches, fever and chills and could, in later stages, also lead to coma. Malaria has 3 stages, the first stage starting with fever, shivering, joint pain, vomiting, anemia, hemoglobinuria, retinal injury and fits.

This could happen for 4 to 6 hours every alternate day, every three days or could occur every four days. As the disease progresses into the second stage, one could experience feelings of heat and dryness, while the third stage could cause extreme fatigue and weakness.

It is however worth noting that the first indications happen around 10 to 15 days after the mosquito bite when it multiplies and bursts the red blood cells.

The effects of malaria especially in children may not be overlooked because a bite from this insect can lead to high intracranial pressure that becomes evident as abnormal posture caused by acute brain damage.

Malaria caused by mosquito bites could lead to other significant consequences like cognitive impairment, widespread anaemia and neurological impairment with cerebral malaria. Cerebral malaria could result in retinal whitening that is the foremost distinguishing clinical sign of malaria.

Malaria caused by mosquitoes could in severe cases show up as an enlarged spleen, severe headache, clots of blood in the brain, inflamed liver, low blood sugar and hemoglobinuria which could lead to renal failure.

Other significant side effects caused by this mosquito bite disease could be dehydration, liver or kidney failure and breathing issues caused by fluid in the lungs.

Rupture of the spleen might lead to internal bleeding with the spread of infection leading to inflammation of the meninges, or membranes, that enclose the brain and spinal cord.

The control of malaria starts with the use of mosquito nets, the use of insect repellents and the spraying of insecticides in places where mosquitoes could breed easily.

Home pest control begins with not having water standing about in buckets, tubs and the spraying of insecticides in drains which are perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Mosquito repellents might be chemical based or could also be in the form of herbal or biological pest control with the planting of mosquito repellent plants in the surroundings.

It is best to note that one way of pest control lies in protecting oneself from mosquito bites by avoiding going out at dawn and dusk. It pays to have mosquito mesh on all the doors and windows at home. Not wearing dark colors and opting for long sleeved shirts and long trousers would also help.

Pest control includes using repellents like creams, lotions and electronic devices. It is best to kill mosquitoes by spraying insecticides, but this ought to be done some time before entering the room. Last but not least, avoiding mosquito bites is the most effective pest control each time.

Owen Jones publishes articles on several subjects, but is currently involved with Hand Held Insect Killer devices and static units at Electronic Insect Killers.

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Government Standards for Making a Home Green

What does it take to make a home green? For some people, the answer is simple. Using recycled materials and finding ways to lower your energy bill are all ways people assume get their house the green label.

It might not be that simple, though. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) governs different sustainable practices and consists of the nation’s leaders in a variety of different industries. Its main goal is to encourage environmentally friendly building projects in which people can live and work. According to USGBC, performing a few sustainable practices in your home is just the beginning to getting your home considered green.

Instead, the nationally accepted benchmark for buildings that are considered green is LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It originally launched in 1998 and is a home rating system that encourages the design and construction of green homes. There are eight different categories used in its rating system. Each category has a certain number of credits which, in turn, are worth one or more points. United States homes are given a certification rating by LEED based on the number of points they scored.

What are some of these categories, then? Points can be awarded for innovation and design process. They can also be awarded for the home’s location and its relation to the larger community. In addition, there are points for sites that are sustainable and being fully used. So too are there points for water efficiency, materials and resources and energy and atmosphere. Points are awarded for the latter based on how energy efficient a particular home is. Lastly, points can also be awarded for relevant education to the homeowner or any other resident living in the building.

When someone now declares their house to be green, you’ve got some background information to know how accurate their statements may be. You have to do more than simply perform practices that are sustainable to ensure your home is considered green. Ensuring just that, the USGGC and LEED ratings are a particularly good set of standards that are both impartial and balanced in that regard.

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