DIY Life

By Debra McDuffee

I was so proud of my perennial garden this year. Not only did all of the plants actually come up, but when I planted new ones, the blooms complimented one another perfectly. Then that furry little critter appeared....

Contrary to popular belief, it is not cute to have a resident rabbit. First, our little friend ate my mystery plant -- the one it ate last year, and now it's been so long I can't remember what it is (other than delicious, apparently).

Next, it systematically broke off each stem of my apricot-colored yarrow, to nibble at the blooms. Frustration began to set in....

By Bethany Sanders

Colony collapse disorder, the mysterious phenomenon that has entire colonies of honeybees vanishing into thin air, has brought the state of our bee population to the forefront. Not many people realize this, but bees pollinate about 90% of our flowering crops. What that means is: without bees, we don't eat.

Creating a bee-friendly yard may not solve the issue of colony collapse disorder, but it is a great way of doing your part to encourage a healthy bee population. It'll also ensure that any of your own fruit, vegetable, and flower crops get pollinated, so that you have fresh food to eat and a beautiful yard to enjoy. In addition, the same plants that draw bees bring other pollinators, like butterflies.

So how do you go about attracting bees to your yard? It's not difficult at all. Read more about it after the break.

By Bethany Sanders

I'm usually all for letting nature just be in my backyard. I'd rather take preventative measures (like the fence around my garden to deter hungry bunnies) that allow us all to live harmoniously together than poison, trap, or kill. Sometimes, though, insects get a little too intrusive and that can be a problem, especially when they're insects that sting.

If you have a wasp problem in your backyard, the best way to get rid of them is to remove the nest. We have to do that at least twice a year in our children's "fort," and we try to keep an eye on it so we can stop the nest building before it gets out of hand. But if you can't find the nest or are afraid to move it, a simple, homemade wasp trap may help you catch the queen (especially if you use it in the spring) or reduce the number of wasps in the area nearest your home.

Keep in mind that wasp traps' effectiveness are not proven, and if you aren't careful, you could end up drawing more wasps to your home. In addition, wasps really are beneficial insects who eat the bugs that bug you the most. So if you can live in harmony, do. If you can't, these simple measures are worth a try.

By Bethany Sanders

Picking up my kids from my mom's this afternoon, I found them stooped in the driveway, laughing over an anthill. The pavement ants they were watching were so small we could hardly see them, yet the tiny insects were carrying large helicopter seeds, working diligently to bring them down into their holes with them. It was really a site to see, like if I tried to pick up my house and stuff it into a manhole.

Ants may be curious, industrious creatures and fun for kids to watch, but the minute they enter your house, they're bad news. I once had ants marching across my kitchen counter for days, and every trap I tried they ignored, until, many dollar signs later, I found the right one.

But according to some experts, a simple homemade solution will do the trick just as well. Not only is it cheaper than experimenting with traps, it's safer for pets and children as well. I'll tell you the secret after the break.

By Debra McDuffee

Attracting birds to your yard can bring so much enjoyment. They are so much fun to watch, and my son loves naming the different types he sees at our birdfeeder -- goldfinch, robin, sparrow, blue jay....

We've shown you how to build a bird house with scrap wood; now I'll share some ideas on how to build a bird bath with materials you may have around the house.

You could use some chicken wire and cement for the bath part, some metal for the support post, and rocks for the edges, suggests Las Pilitas. Or how about an old cake pan, an old garbage can lid, or even a beat-up hubcap? If those are too crazy for you, a soft, flat rock or even a terra cotta pot's saucer will make an effective birdbath.

It's been all over the news for about six months now: there is a bee shortage. While this probably means catastrophic things for our planet in general terms, more specifically, it leaves us with a lack of honey for cooking and body care products, and less beeswax than we'd like to make lip balms and other lovelies.

What about the long-term effects the dwindling bee population could have on our plants? Without bees to pollinate them, our blooms could fade into just a memory.

Have you thought about becoming a beekeeper?

Attracting birds to your yard can bring so much enjoyment. They are so much fun to watch, and my son loves naming the different types he sees at our birdfeeder -- goldfinch, robin, sparrow, blue jay....

We've shown you how to build a bird house with scrap wood; now I'll share some ideas on how to build a bird bath with materials you may have around the house.

You could use some chicken wire and cement for the bath part, some metal for the support post, and rocks for the edges, suggests Las Pilitas. Or how about an old cake pan, an old garbage can lid, or even a beat-up hubcap? If those are too crazy for you, a soft, flat rock or even a terra cotta pot's saucer will make an effective birdbath.

Colony collapse disorder, the mysterious phenomenon that has entire colonies of honeybees vanishing into thin air, has brought the state of our bee population to the forefront. Not many people realize this, but bees pollinate about 90% of our flowering crops. What that means is: without bees, we don't eat.

Creating a bee-friendly yard may not solve the issue of colony collapse disorder, but it is a great way of doing your part to encourage a healthy bee population. It'll also ensure that any of your own fruit, vegetable, and flower crops get pollinated, so that you have fresh food to eat and a beautiful yard to enjoy. In addition, the same plants that draw bees bring other pollinators, like butterflies.

So how do you go about attracting bees to your yard? It's not difficult at all. Read more about it after the break.