Frogs have been disappearing worldwide at unprecedented rates, and currently one-third of the world's 6,485 amphibian species are threatened with extinction. This should come as no surprise since frog populations are being assaulted from many directions at once--global warming, pollution, habitat destruction, infectious diseases, over-harvesting and invasive species being the greatest menaces. Despite this onslaught, there’s a lot you can do to reverse this disturbing trend. First let's look at why frogs are so important to the environment—and to our very survival.

Why We Need Frogs
Stopping the current wave of frog extinctions is important for several reasons:

• Frogs eat mosquitoes, ticks and flies that carry vector-borne diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus, dengue fever, lyme disease and leishmaniasis.
• Tadpoles eat algae and therefore act as a natural filtration system that keeps our drinking water clean.
• Frogs serve as food to a diverse array of predators including birds, reptiles, fish, dragonflies and monkeys, and the loss of frogs from the ecosystem would therefore negatively affect these species as well.
• Due to their permeable skin that absorbs chemicals and pollutants, frogs are accurate bioindicators, providing us with an early-response system that can tell us when something is wrong in the environment.
• Frogs are important in human medicine: 10% of the Nobel Prizes in Physiology and Medicine have come from research that depended on frogs. When a frog species disappears, so does any chance of that species improving human well-being.

Thanks Samuel...

I will ask around for that mulch, however over here I don't think there's much hope in getting that... Do you think I could treat my mulch with boric acid, is there a way to do that without harming the soil?

found this on Pyrethrum

Insects typically become paralyzed as soon as they come into contact with pyrethrum, so it’s often used in wasp sprays. Pyrethrum use in the garden should be undertaken with care and only after cultural methods that might manage a pest have been exhausted. Pyrethrum insecticides are highly toxic to bees, wasps and other beneficial insects, as well as to fish.

Do not use pyrethrum in situations where lady beetles, honeybees and other beneficials are active. Used carelessly, pyrethrum can wipe out these and other beneficial insects.

While pyrethroids may be amongst the least toxic of insecticides, they are an excitatory nerve poison, acting upon the sodium ion channels in nerve cell membranes:

• by sending a train of impulses rather than a single one, they overload the pathways, blocking the passage of sodium ions across cell membranes; similar in action to organophosphates (which include the now banned DDT); inhibits ATPase, which affects the release of acetylcholine, monoamine oxidase-A and acetylcholine;

• inhibits GABAa receptors, resulting in convulsions and excitability (and more 'minor' problems such as sleep disorders);

• known to be carcinogenic;

• liver damage

• thyroid function

• cause chromosomal abnormalities in mice and hamsters;

• are highly toxic to insects, fish, and birds;

• mimic estrogen, leading to estrogen dominant health problems in females and feminizing effects in males, including lowered sperm counts and abnormal breast development;

• sublethal doses have produced a wide array of abnormal behaviors, including aggression, and disruption in learning and learned behaviors

Boric acid

I found contradicting info on this, with some saying boric acid isn't good for soil, but here they suggest adding it to soil:

Next, invest in boric acid, which is available almost everywhere. Boric acid is toxic to many insects, including termites, but safe for people in animals. You want to mix it in with the mulch, both by putting it in by hand and by mixing it with water and saturating the soil. The boric acid will kill any termites who attempt to eat the mulch, so any stragglers that manage to get around the plastic and into the mulch won’t be reporting back anytime soon.

http://www.garden-soil.com/tag/mulch/page/2/

Too much boric acid can contaminate the soil and affect plant growth. Signs of high levels of boron begin to appear in older leaves first. The tips begin to yellow and dry out. Chlorosis can also occur as leaves whiten from insufficient amounts of chlorophyll. Avoid these problems when treating your orange tree by keeping homemade applications of boric acid confined to traps. In addition, if you purchase a commercial pesticide that contains boric acid, take note of the other active ingredients. Other pesticides in the mix may be harmful to your grass, nearby plants and beneficial pests. Never pour or mix boric acid on the soil.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-use-boric-acid-around-orange-tree-103035.html

Straw, please advice me on all of this?

Jess: I really like the info. you presented on the nasty chemical imi ??? that stuff is in my lawn-fertilizer ... I will stop buying that, and just use high-nitrogen fertilizer for my lawn to stop the dandelions & weeds.

I'm too sick to do any research on termites right now, and I appreciate the research you dug up, Jess. I posted some info. in Khalid thread on organic ways to termites, will dig that up later. Just saw my doc. again today Jan. 30, he showed my lab-works taken Jan. 20 with infection markers 10 to 16 higher than normal, plus blood in my urine. He suspect either viral meningitis, or pneumonia from the flu-shot. He ordered a chest-X-ray, re-test of my infection markers to see if they improve. So it's 2 visits to the doc, plus lab-tests, and chest-X-ray .. all that for a flu-shot taken on Dec. 19, 2015. I lost 9 lbs. since then, the nurse weighed me today, I'm 118 lb. The weight loss has to do with if I eat too much, the coughing makes me vomit .. plus I lost my taste for sugar ... sugar has been shown to suppress immune system up to 6 hours after eaten.

Oh no Straw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't want you to be ill.....it makes me so sad to hear this.....I am praying for you and you husband...

I think it would be a good idea to start a thread on the flu shot and all these negative side effects it has on your body...people should know about this and the flu shot pharmaceuticals should be sued, like the tobacco companies were in the past, so that it can be stopped....

meningites is a terrible disease...pneunomia as well.........

https://vactruth.com/2012/11/30/2011-billions-vaccine-manufacturers/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/03/12/flu-vaccine-profits.aspx

By Dr. Mercola

Vaccine policymakers routinely ignore the safest and most effective strategies that can naturally strengthen your immunity to help you stay well or move through illness with fewer complications if you do get sick.

For example, there are many far more effective ways to prevent the flu and other flu-like diseases, such as dietary interventions, making sure your vitamin D and gut flora are optimized, being more meticulous about washing your hands, getting enough exercise and sleep, and taking natural immune boosters like oil oforegano and garlic.

But ignoring the obvious is not the worst of it.

The vaccine industry is also ceaselessly working to figure out which propaganda strategy can most effectively lull concerned parents back to sleep and quit asking questions about safety.

Such questions threaten that which is truly important to the vaccine industry: their profits. Sadly, vaccines DO come with potential side effects, and many parents are already grossly underinformed about such risks. Narcolepsy, for example, has yet again been confirmed as a vaccine-induced side effect from the European version of the 2009-2010 H1N1 swine flu vaccine that contained an oil in water adjuvant, ASO3.

With such serious side effects at stake, should the government really be permitted to resort to what's looking like outright fraud, in order to increase vaccination rates?

The latter paragraph tells you what they're really after. Vaccinologists in charge of the US public health system are looking for ways to convince parents, and mothers in particular, of two things:

1. When your child suffers a health problem after vaccination, it really isn't caused by the vaccine, and that
2. Certain side effects, some of which may be severe and/or life threatening, are "normal" occurrences. Meaning, they want you to view side effects like convulsion and anaphylaxis as "expected events" rather than "adverse events," which in and of itself would make vaccinations appear to be far safer than they are

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/conditions/how-vaccines-became-big-business/article572731/?page=all

"Now, all of a sudden, there's a huge demand and a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon. It's something that will continue for good now. It's a new marketplace."

http://vaxtruth.org/2011/09/how-can-it-be-about-the-money-immunizations-are-free-right/

Of course to you, your child is priceless — with value far beyond what money can buy. But many in these different groups, see only dollar signs.

http://www.progressivehealth.com/do-government-officials-push-unnecessary-flu-shots.htm

Are Flu Shots Safe?

The additives in flu shots make them especially dangerous. For example, thiomersal is a preservative that contains mercury. Therefore, it can lead to heavy metal poisoning and cause neurological damage. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and polysorbate-80 can cause infertility.

Flu vaccines have a history of adverse effects. Unfortunately, the results of most safety (and even efficacy) studies are suppressed. But there are evidences that flu shots are linked to chronic disorders.

Unfortunately, flu vaccines are actively pushed for children, pregnant women and the elderly. Yet these are the same groups of users that are most at risk of the dangers of these vaccines.

Even proponents of vaccination agree that flu vaccines offer the least benefits and the greatest risk to the elderly. Yet the flu shots given to old people hold higher doses of the vaccine as well as harmful additives found in flu vaccines.

Flu vaccines have also been linked to a number of childhood diseases include asthma and autism.

The flu vaccine produced to combat the 2009 H1N1 swine flu was found responsible for increased diagnosis of narcolepsy among children who received it.

Unfortunately, most countries refused to acknowledge the proven link between the vaccine and the chronic disorder. However, the government of Finland was penitent enough to promise lifelong health cover for the children affected.

Government scientists in the US have also found that flu vaccines raised the levels of inflammatory markers in pregnant women and caused preeclampsia and preterm birth.

These examples are only some of the high-profile adverse effects linked to flu vaccines. There are a lot of smaller cases that were never picked up by the media. For example, allergic reactions to flu vaccines are quite common especially among people with egg allergies.

http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/government-pays-damages-to-vaccine-victims-flu-shot-most-dangerous-with-gbs-and-death-settlements/

Hundreds of People are Afflicted with Guillain-Barré Syndrome Every Year from the Flu Shot

As can be seen in this report and other reports from government payments for vaccine injuries, Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is the most common side effect and injury due to the flu vaccination.

What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome? Here is the definition the CDC gives:

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare disorder in which a person’s own immune system damages their nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. GBS can cause symptoms that last for a few weeks. Most people recover fully from GBS, but some people have permanent nerve damage. In very rare cases, people have died of GBS, usually from difficulty breathing.

The Flu Vaccine Contains Mercury, a Well-known Neurotoxin

While mercury in the form of thimerosol has been removed from most childhood vaccines, it remains in the flu vaccine, which is recommended for young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and just about the entire population. Mercury is a well-known neuro-toxin, but it is such an effective preservative, that it is used in bulk, multi-dose containers of vaccines. In fact, U.S. law requires it.

Here is a fact - my own truth..

The last - and only time I ever had the flu-injection, I had the worst feverish flu in my life. I was ill and had to be booked of from school FOR WEEKS.

The next time I had a flu was when I had to write exams, I went to to health shop and they gave me Oscillicoconum, It started working within 2 hours. By the end of that day all my symptoms were gone.

Since then I only use Oscillicoconum, a homeopathic product that is being put down by Big Pharma off course. I NEVER HAD FLU AGAIN SINCE I USED THIS PRODUCT, FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS NOW.

I take 3 capsules every year just before winter starts as preventative, as an immune booster.

This homeopathic remedy, like all other homeopathic remedies in grain-form, has to be melted under your tongue. if swallowed with water, IT WON'T BE EFFECTIVE.

To kill the weeds in the lawn I raise the cutting height and the grass out grows the weeds.

Hope you get better Straw.

Thanks Jess for posting all this Information.

In the regular rose forum its the same 2 or 3 posting about spraying all the time. Seems odd.

Thank you, Sam, for your well-wishes. Agree that in Rose forum it's 2 or 3 persons recommending spraying chemicals repeatedly like a broken-record .. but they never post pics. of their roses, what's their hidden agenda?

Thank you, Jess for the info. you dug up to show the truth. The info. you posted are very informative for me and future generations .. much appreciated. I'm so happy to hear that California is protesting fracking off shore ... never know what is fracking is until Jess informed me. Thanks.

https://youtu.be/RY-JY-D4v7I

Life in the soil

Bacteria fungi nematodes protozoa microarthropods

I hope your'e feeling better Straw, haven't stopped thinking about you.

I still have to get around creating that 'Fracking' thread.

Thanks Sam for the valuable info on nematodes.

we don't have such wonderful options here...sigh sigh sigh...but I'll keep pestering my local nursery...

and yes, I always wonder why these 'sprayers of doom' never post rose-photo's....

It is above 41C here today. my brain, my plants, everything is melting and scorching...

then to cheer myself up I again looked at the Firefighter rose, and found this delightful description by Straw...

"Harmonyp, you need Firefighter ... because he's a strappling stud compared to other wimps. He's tall, dark red, and handsome, and towers over other wimps. He has burdundy tan limbs, smooth-chested, and eager to please. He's the man of your dreams. This Romeo will bring you loads of bouquet, so fragrant that you'll cry with ectasy."

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1725993/would-firefighter-be-redundant

hehehe...that is so beautifully written :-) I can't wait for 'the stud', his spot is planned already, and he'll get here hopefully soon, otherwise in late winter-spring...

Jess: I can't believe I wrote that !! I was a fun & zany poster until the Bayer-gang started making fun of me that I lost my sense of humor. Thanks for reminding me of the real "Straw" before the nit-picking got to me, then I became serious and dug up tons of research to protect myself. I hope Firefighter work out great for you !!

Straw: I am so sorry to hear about your prolonged health issue and pray for your quick recovery.

I absolutely agree with Jess on use of Homeopathic medicine and would add that herbs should also be used in natural form as a matter of routine, ie, they should become a part of our diet. Traditionally, we use a combination of herbs for flu which includes licorice, Malabar nut, hyssop, tea, peppermint, fennel and eucalyptus. Nowadays it's available in easily usable form though the traditional guys still like to boil the actual herbs like Liquorice (Glycerrhiza glabra), Sweet Violet (Viola odorata), Borage (Borago officinalis) and few others. I still recall my grandmother and mother boiling such herbs for me and my sisters when we had flu in our childhood. Equally important was to cover the head and chest, have good rest and good sleep. My grandmother used to say that fatigue will prolong cold and it will become chronic. She was not educated but new quite a lot about life.

Please see these links, it might be available in US. I take it in routine and it tastes quite well actually. May like to give it a try Straw.

http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/best_of_asia/article/0,28804,1734666_1734664_1734656,00.html

http://shop.khanapakana.com/qarshi-johar-joshanda-herbal-tea-5-47-oz-155-grams/

Jess & Straw: Will watering the roses with tobacco water work for termites? I have used it against aphids and thrips with much success but not sure how will it work against termites which are inside the soil. And won't it also not kill worms and other beneficial insects too?

best regards

thanks Straw :-)

I can't wait for this beauty to arrive.

I think we should all live as if these types don't even exist. 'They' take all the fun out of living....by constantly attacking, as if we are involved in an eternal war.

http://www.historytoday.com/ian-scott/heroin-hundred-year-habit

interesting article...

amazing how these massive 'empires' are always built on the pain of the unsuspecting victims....also the generations upon generations that suffer afterwards?

How, only after it's far too late, laws have to be implemented against their bright ideas?

http://www.businessinsider.com/yes-bayer-promoted-heroin-for-children-here-are-the-ads-that-prove-it-2011-11

'Sure, it's a blast from the past that says nothing about Bayer's corporate culture today. But their sudden re-appearance is a chilling reminder of what life was like in the early 20th Century when companies were permitted to sell anything to anyone, no matter how dangerous, regardless of the consequences.'

Has this changed? ...just wondering out loud...

What happens when all the frogs, all the bees, are dead and gone?

more generations upon generations of suffering?

Jess: Finally got some good sleep to re-read everything you wrote in this thread. Jess wrote:

"The last - and only time I ever had the flu-injection, I had the worst feverish flu in my life. I was ill and had to be booked of from school FOR WEEKS.

The next time I had a flu was when I had to write exams, I went to to health shop and they gave me Oscillicoconum, It started working within 2 hours. By the end of that day all my symptoms were gone.

Since then I only use Oscillicoconum, a homeopathic product that is being put down by Big Pharma off course. I NEVER HAD FLU AGAIN SINCE I USED THIS PRODUCT, FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS NOW.

I take 3 capsules every year just before winter starts as preventative, as an immune booster." Jess

Some info. from Wikipedia: "The preparation is derived from duck liver and heart, diluted to 200C—a ratio of one part duck offal to 10400 parts water.[3] Homeopaths claim that the molecules leave an "imprint" in the dilution that causes a healing effect on the body."

Jess: Will order oscillicoconum in case my family comes down within a cold. my kid can't swallow pill, so a solution is best to put into her food.

Thank you, Jess, for the info. on how Bayer made cough medicine with heroin to market to children in the 1900's ... Yes, with Heroin and aspirin !!! That's from Business Insider link. In addition, Bayer manufactured toxic gas that killed 6 million Jews in concentration camps. Yet some rose forum people still recommend Bayer spray for newbies, and one even came into Organic rose to recommend Bayer spray ... That's why I post here everyday to keep the Bayer-folks away.

Re-post vital info. that Jess posted:

"- Imidacloprid is manufactured by Bayer (based in Germany)

- Imidacloprid is banned in Italy, Germany, Slovenia, and restricted in France (see: source).

- Imidacloprid is the active ingredient used in the grub killing pesticide named "Merit" (Merit and Bayer are trademarks of Bayer CropScience)

- imidacloprid is a chlorinated nicotinoid compound, that affects the nervous system

- Imidacloprid works by fitting into nerve receptors meant to receive the neurotransmitteracetylcholine (ACh). By blocking these acetylcholine receptors, an excess of acetylcholine accumulates causing paralysis and eventual death

- Adverse effects of imidacloprid may include apathy, difficulty breathing, loss of the ability to move, staggering, trembling and spasms[1]

- The thyroid is particularly sensitive to exposure of imidacloprid, which is linked to causing thyroid lesions.[2]

- Imidacloprid is very toxic to earth worms,[3] with an LD50 of between 2 and 4 parts per million in soil

*** From Straw: Great info., Jess, didn't know the above until you posted it. Thanks.

Thank-you Jess and Straw.

Neighbor Wilbur

That Wilbur dog is adorable .. he looks good in ALL PICTURES. That's the type of dog I want to have. Thank you, Sam, for posting Wilbur .. he always cheer me up !! The house is very nice with wooden floor .. is that your house, Sam, or Wilbur's house (your neighbor) ?

Both our houses have the same maple hardwood floors. This one, It's my neighbors floor. Wilbur has to get his paws washed when he comes inside.

Straw, the Oscillicoconum remedy is a small tube containing tiny granules that tastes just like sweets... it has to be melted underneath her tongue, and she won't dislike the taste, it only takes a few seconds/minutes to dissolve.. if it's taken any other way it won't work. Underneath the tongue it immediately gets taken up in the blood stream...

I'm so happy to hear you slept better Straw...

what a beautiful and friendly smile Wilbur has, thanks so much Samuel, this made me smile...I also want to have a dog like that... I just feel like hugging him :-))) His eyes are oozing with kindness.....

And yes, a lovely wooden floor indeed....

The product highly recommended here is Koinor/Kohinor, containing Imidacloprid. Some even recommend spraying the roses with that.

If poured into the soil, it gets taken up into the whole plant, including the pollen. But they say (advertise/recommend) it's safe to use, it's bee friendly when it's not sprayed on! sigh..........................

Bee colony collapse and many other different problems due to that, especially if/when rose sellers with huge farms of roses use that (on agricultural scale). And then they wonder why the bees die....or get fungal diseases.../bee colony collapse etc etc....

why don't they care about the planet their own children and grandchildren will inherit?

is money that important?

I'm sure Wilbur loves the extra attention every time he comes in :-)

I found a way to keep the ants away from areas where I walk frequently... I used a lot of ash and they moved somewhere else, now i can get closer to my plants again :-)

Yes Wilbur loves getting his hair brushed and combed too.

The other roses forum is the nit pick forum and they spray the roses so the can get hybrid tea for the rose society. It is a sterile monoculture. They have perfect wood mulch. More chemical fertilizers and fungicides and herbicides for weeds. They call themselves master rosarian. So prestigious.

Gag me with a spoon.

Just quickly ran out and took some photo's of the strongest roses in bloom now. Amazingly, they also have most bee-friends.

Boscobel

Clocolan - blooms non-stop, lovely fragrance. Starting to get her orange color, no more faded pink. Huge flowers, like Just Joey.

Just Joey. Blooms non-stop, never scorches in the heat. lovely fragrance.

Hey Jude. Still a tiny plant, but always in bloom. Only gets sun till noon.

Rosa Mochata Nana and friends

Purple Glow & Friends. Lovely fragrance.

thanks for sharing my roses with me.

I agree Samuel...

For prestige and money, so short sighted...so cruel hearted...no care about killing nature...

Gag me with a spoon as well :-) !!!!

Only when the last tree has died

and the last river been poisoned

and the last fish been caught

will we realize we cannot eat money

Cree Indian Proverb

Jess: I love those rare roses in your garden: Burgundy Panarosa, Boscobel, Clocolan, Hey Jude, Just Joey, and Rosa Mochata Nana. So neat that praying mantis' colors blend in with PAK rose. THANK YOU, I really enjoy your radiant roses in this gray & gloomy winter.

and that awesome pic. how wood ash repel ants !! People sprinkle lime (pH over 10) around the house to repel insects, but wood-ash is even better with higher pH. Thanks for showing that works.

The last poem is so true: Only when the last tree has died .... will we realize we cannot eat money. Greed is rampant in polluted country. Artificial scarcity also promote greed ... remember the "man-made" scarcity of flu-shots decade ago? That time the President of U.S. announced that he'll make sure flu-shots production will be UP to solve the shortage of flu-shots. My kid was under 2, and my sister, the doc. gave my kid a flu-shot just because "it's in short-supply". I didn't want it, nor ask for it. My baby came with a nasty cold right after that flu shot, and developed a peanut-butter allergy.

It's a hassle to pack lunch for her school, she can't have peanut-butter. So I pack her a hot thermos of lunch, then I stuff ice-packs for her fruits, plus a cheese-sandwich. Yesterday I found that every one of the cheese sandwich I packed ... she gave it to her friend (her friend needs that ... school's lunch is flimsy). No wonder my kid is ravenously hungry when she gets out of school.

Jess: These are really stunning roses. Now when all of us have pruned our roses, you would be the only one posting rose photos for some time. Why don't you open a dedicated thread for your roses and post all pics in that thread so that we can see all your roses at one place.

best regards

Thanks

Those Pictures are so good Jess.

I agree with Kahlid those photos should have their own thread cause they are so outstanding. It's so nice to see them. Wow a praying mantis.

you all have made my day, by enjoying my roses with me, thank you from my heart

:-))))

I will do that - a thread with just roses, as soon as my work is done today.

Straw, homeopathy is seen by many through the same eyes as some see organic gardens... it works, but is being put down by the sprayers of doom, always promoting poisons and always putting organic stuff down...

I will continue saying that again and again...homeopathy works...

I started getting a sty(e) in one of my eyes last night and took 3 Staphysagria 30 C homeopathic tablets, melted it underneath my tongue...when I woke up - gone, no more sty...

About this wood ash - I wish I remembered that earlier... I had millions of aphids on my citrus trees in spring, and when I piled heaps of ash around each tree, the aphids went away, without having to use Koinor... because the ants couldn't get to their 'aphid farms' anymore...plus then, for the very first time, my citrus trees started producing fruit... and all of that without killing one single ant :-)

And yes Straw, man-made scarcity - all about more profit for the few.... how evil is that...

ps - I can't WAIT for your spring - Straw in Chicagoland, Samuel in Canada and Khalid in Pakistan - because then I will be able to feast on ALL YOUR BEAUTIFUL ROSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jess: I see homeopathy as loving oneself, and strengthening one's immune system. Yes, it's very organic .. working WITH NATURE & ONE'S BODY, rather than against nature, or against one's body like the flu-shot of injecting several flu-strains into the body.

The chemical way is attacking nature: spraying poison to kill all life .. the organic way is to nurture nature, very much like homeopathy .. gentle & zero side-effects.

Reposting the information from my post above which seems to have been missed by all..

Jess & Straw: Will watering the roses with tobacco water work for termites? I have used it against aphids and thrips with much success but not sure how will it work against termites which are inside the soil. And won't it also not kill worms and other beneficial insects too?

Any views?

I can't wait for spring too. I like Burgundy panarosa ,Jess, Thanks for posting these threads and taking time to show us your roses. I hope a lot of people read this as a good example. I am so glad the wood ash worked for the termites. I am so thankful for all you guys on here showing how to grow roses the good way. I am so thankful that the info about frogs and toads are here. I hope it gets read by people.

Sam: You are in a beautiful place !! Really enjoy the pic. of Andirondacks where you live. My ears are still blocked from that blasted flu-shot, water can't drain out when I take a shower. What really helped me through this ordeal is hydrogen peroxide, putting that into my ears zapped cold-virus and reduced my vertigo (dizziness).

Many folks STOP the cold-virus from invading their ENT (ear & nose & throat) by putting 3 to 5 drops of hydrogen peroxide into their ears at the 1st sign of a cold. Also rinsing one's throat with salty water helps .. I learn this tip from my microbiology professor in college.

If I had rinsed my ears with hydrogen peroxide right after I felt blockage (after the flu shot on Dec. 19) .. that WOULD HAD saved me lots suffering like bleeding ear, and middle-ear infection, leading to dizziness and loss of balance.

http://www.cancertutor.com/colds_h2o2/

The lab's X-ray machine is down so I could not get a chest-X-ray as the doc. ordered. Decades ago I had pneumonia (coughing up blood), but it was nothing .. I was energetic & had a good appetite. Blocked ears from cold-virus is a thousand times worse: zero energy, zero appetite, plus dizziness. All that could had prevented if I had put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide when I first felt my ears blocked after the flu-shot.

I never have ear-blockage in my life, until the flu shot. I went for 7 years without a cold 2006 to 2013, then my entire family caught a cold in 2014. In 2015 I had zero colds (didn't even catch my kid's cold) ... until the flu shot of Dec. 19, which I came down with ear-blockage & vertigo & lost 9 lbs.

I had seen that with my kid: every year she came down with a cold, After her cold is over & after a shower, there's wax coming out of her ear, indicative of ear-blockage from cold-virus.

Thanks for the beautiful message Samuel...

and also so sorry Khalid, yes, I've missed your post, it seems like they always end up above my time-zone-post, and I don't scroll up often enough...

Khalid, over here tobacco is so expensive, like almost everything these days...our rand has weakened extensively... maybe if I dig a few holes and sprinkle it inside around my roses? it might just work...I will get hold of the cheapest brand tobacco - that is also normally the strongest...thanks for that idea...and, maybe mixing it with water and just pouring it around the areas where I know these critters are might work even better? I will surely try that - it might be easier than all the other ideas I had so far....I don't think there will be many other insects where they are, except for the ants that prey on them?

Straw? what do you think, maybe this could be a great solution?

Answer on termites Samuel - they are not the ants I referred to - the big black ants and tiny ones were the ants I referred to being deterred by the wood ash, unfortunately...

but I have lots of boric acid now that I will paint or spray onto logs as bait for the termites, also sticks with boric acid sprayed on that I will plant inside the soil where I know they dwell. plus I will dab Vetiver oil onto cotton swabs and put that all around my vulnerable roses.

My beautiful Sharifa Asma was starting to look as if she is going to die any moment when I decided to just pour some Vetiver oil around her into the soil and the next day she was looking perky again... I know that is one bed where I saw millions of these termites...the same happened with my Compassion climber - and after that Vetiver treatment no more drooping, so I know that works, except a tiny 15 ml bottle costs more than R100 - to me that's a lot...especially if having to use it over a large area. So I dabbed some cotton swabs with it and also dripped a few drops onto logs... That is the best oil for termites, and I'll use it everywhere now, the little bit that's left at least...too expensive to buy another bottle...

I also mailed your YouTube doc on beneficial nematodes to my local nursery and hopefully they can source that from the biological lab at the university in town. That would be the very best and permanent solution to termites. Thanks so much for that info.

But...I will definitely get hold of that tobacco as well....definitely...the nematode-solution might take a long time to happen...

yes Straw, homeopathy is loving oneself and nature, just like organic gardens and roses...Hydrogen Peroxide is an amazing cure - some people I know have used it to stop gangrene in severely infected feet due to accidents, where the foot started turning green and doctors recommended amputations.

Samuel you stay in paradise, what a beautiful landscape...you are blessed to be able to stay there...please share more photo's with us?

Hopefully Khalid's thread on his travels will be posted soon :-)

On Khalid's recommendation, here are my roses.

I will add more as they all start blooming. Thanks Khalid. Thanks all of you. You are such beautiful souls.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3665134/m=23/celebrating-rain-roses-and-beneficial-insects

I'm afraid some of them are re-posted, but some are new.

Jess wrote: Hopefully Khalid's thread on his travels will be posted soon :-)

Jess: Since last 5 days I am posting lot of information in the travel thread with numerous photos. Please click following link...

Travels, gardens and roses 2016 - share your pics here

Bump up this thread on termites. I enjoy seeing Jess' roses again. Some plants that repel termintes from ehow:

http://www.gardenguides.com/109131-plants-prevent-termites.html

Vetiver Grass

This grass is native to India and has been used for perfumes because of its pleasant scent. It repels termites and is toxic to them. Vetiver grass is used to help control erosion because of its deep root system, and it is the roots that cause termites, cockroaches, ants, ticks, weevils and other insects to stay far away from the area in which it grows. BeyondPesticides.com reports that the chemical nootkatone is responsible for deterring the Formosan subterranean termite. Vetiver grass has also been used in houses to repel moths.

Hot Chili Peppers

Hot chili pepper plants can deter termites, ants and cutworms, according to The Organic Farmer in Kenya, Africa. You can also make a spray from chilies by soaking 2 cups of very hot chilies in 1 qt. of water for one day; shake the mixture, strain it and add 1 gallon of water and 1tbsp. of dishwashing soap. Spray the wood where you suspect termites exist and repeat your application every other day until you see no further evidence of termite damage.

Catnip

Since 2003 the United States Department of Agriculture has tested essential oil of catnip for termite control, according to ScienceDaily.com. It has been shown to kill termites when they come into direct contact with this substance, but it is short-lived in the environment.

Garlic, Mint, Marigolds

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advises homeowners to limit their use of pesticides for termites and all other insect pests. In their publication, "Pesticide Reduction," they suggest using common plants that are known to repel insects. Included in their list are mint, garlic and marigolds, which you can plant near your house. Mint is a perennial plant that grows well and spreads nicely in damp, partly-shady areas. Garlic and marigolds are annuals that you can plant every spring.

The termite topic is always a hot topic and I will be expecting a few more because I saw several vast swarms around here the past hot summer...

But I'm ready with 3 packets of Borax, to mix in water in a huge old tub. In that I will soak logs and twigs, a few hours, then leave it to dry on newspaper and place this as bait around where I see little white ants...the same tub can be used for more logs. Or perhaps you would choose tp spray it ont logs.

The workers take this to their queen and when she dies the colony starts deteriorating and they become less each season - until - or if - a next queen arrives.

the Borax can't be mixed with soil or compost because that creates 'hot spot's where nothing will ever grow again...

there's lots of info if you google: borax for subterranean termites

Another successful way (that worked for me) is to drip a few drops of Cedar oil (the cheapest), around roses or where you see their tiny mounds growing bigger ...ants move as well..

One more way is flooding them - they drown when that is done.

Thanks for the advice Jess. I will see the effect of neem oil for a few weeks and then, go for the borax treatment. I checked the soil yesterday and didn't find any termites. Has neem oil killed them for good??? I am not sure and only time will tell. Has neem oil also killed worms in the soil? I am worried about this will be checking it thoroughly next week. If worms have also been killed then I don't want to use worms anymore.

Will report progress next week.

best regards

Jess: thanks for the tip on borax, Clocolan is so pretty !!