Thursday, April 30, 2009

How to Get Rid of Groundhogs

Groundhogs are annoying pests that many homeowners face. These oversized rodents will burrow under porches, garages, and sheds. They can also make a quick meal of a vegetable garden. For these reasons, it is important to keep groundhog burrows under control before they can cause destruction. There are a number of ways to get rid of groundhogs including harmless methods and lethal ones.

Before going about destroying an infestation, it is important to understand that groundhogs live in burrows. They will run into these vast tunnels when frightened and will come out to eat. Any means of getting rid of the varmints must either be able to reach them while inside of the burrow or when they come outside.

One of the most popular methods of getting rid of groundhogs is through the use of repellents that force groundhogs to move elsewhere. Most of these are in the form of liquids. Ammonia is one such repellent. All that is needed for application is to pour the liquid into the groundhog hole. After this, one can only pray that the groundhogs will move far away. A limitation of this method is that the groundhogs remain alive to dig a burrow in another location, possibly nearby. Another shortfall is that these liquid repellents may be harmful to local plant life.

Another harmless method of dealing with groundhogs is by using what are known as ‘live traps’. These intricate devices lure the animal into a cage containing food. As soon as the groundhog moves inside, a door closes and the animal is trapped. Live traps should always be set near the entrance to the burrow. Food then needs to be placed inside of the trap. Successful foods include organic items like watermelon rinds or orange peels. After the food is placed inside of the trap, the mechanism needs to be set. It is important be careful while handling these mechanisms to ensure that they do not harm the user. The trap must be checked often to ensure that a trapped animal does not starve to death. When a groundhog is caught in the cage, it must be taken to a local humane society or released in a publicly owned park with the permission of a ranger or other official. This process can be repeated until all groundhogs are caught.

Groundhogs can also be dealt with through deadly means. The easiest of these is with poison. Poisonous pellets can be bought at nearly any hardware store. When applying these, sprinkle the directed amount into the burrow at the entrance. Another way to do this is by digging a small hole through the earth above a burrow and pouring the poison in through there. The hole should be covered again in the latter method. With any luck, the groundhogs should consume the poison and die. Any corpses found can be buried or otherwise responsibly disposed of. A problem related to the use of poison is that a terrible smell is produced by a rotting corpse. Shoveling soil into the groundhog’s burrow, essentially converting it to a tomb, can solve this issue.

A more systematic means of killing groundhogs is through fumigation. In this method, a canister of poisonous gas must be bought from a hardware store. First, it is necessary to block all of the burrow’s holes except for one. Light the fuse on the canister and drop it into the remaining open hole. Cover the hole to trap the gas and the groundhogs inside. After a few hours have passed, open up the holes. Remove and bury any corpses and fill in all holes.

This guide should have provided help in getting rid of groundhog infestations through the use of deterrents, traps, poison, and gas.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

The Power of Government

It has been almost 100 days since President Barack Obama first took office as President on January 20, 2009. Since then, the stock market has taken dips and dive. It is unfortunate that nearly all of the shifts, both upward and downward, have been incited by the actions of our federal government. The government decided who is “too big to fail” and who will die. The government can handpick the CEOs of once-great corporations. At a whim, the president can ask the CEO of GM to step down. The government can choose to breach the contracts of AIG employees and tax 90 percent of their bonuses. This is not the government of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, or Reagan anymore. This is not a government of the people, by the people, or for the people. This government is of Pelosi by Frank, for Reid: all individuals that would rather line their pockets and expand their power than protect the hard-working people they represent. During this undoubtedly transformational period in our nation’s history, one where our capitalistic foundations are being replaced with socialism, the president of the United States has certainly made his choice between the people and the government.

Since taking office, Obama’s new spending has already raised our projected debt down the road. Economists at the heritage foundation calculate that the actions of Obama so far have caused an increase in ten trillion to the debt. As John McCain puts it, this money is being taken from our own children and grandchildren in what is referred to as “generational theft”.

Luckily, many in America have begun to wake up. On April 15th, hundreds of tea parties were held around the country, attracting hundreds of thousands to protest the scope and scale of the national government. It is a good thing that America is not as naive as Nancy Pelosi. We know what increases after the government signs spending bill after spending bill. A hint for Mrs. Pelosi: it starts with a T.

Heratige.org

Politico.com

thehill.com