FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF OCT. 29, 2000:
My husband and I have heart disease. We’ve been told by our doctor to watch our fat and cholesterol intake, so we’ve cut back on fried foods. I’ve just heard that there are some new guidelines we should be following. Can you explain them?
This past October, the American Heart Association did indeed add a new dietary recommendation, says University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist Martha Raidl. The AHA now suggests that we eat fish twice a week–and not just any fish, but fatty fish like salmon and tuna that are good sources of a compound called omega-3 fatty acids. According to Raidl, these fatty acids appear to reduce the incidence of heart attacks or strokes.
Eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids and cutting back on fried foods is a great start, says Raidl, but don’t forget the AHA’s other important guidelines: Every day, eat five servings of fruits and vegetables and six servings of grains. Choose lowfat meats and dairy products. And limit your intake of salt, cholesterol, alcohol and fats–especially saturated and trans-fats.
What are the large flies that look like houseflies that are congregating on the insides of our windows? They have overlapping wings and shimmering gold faces. We get them every year at around this time.
They’re probably cluster flies, says Bob Stoltz, University of Idaho extension entomologist. They move into your walls and attic as temperatures outside drop, then slip into your toasty living areas through light fixtures and around pipes once you turn on the furnace.
Cluster flies, as their name suggests, can cluster by the hundreds in your home. "All winter long, you think the flies should be done, but they keep coming inside your house," says Stoltz. If it gets cold enough outside, the ones in your walls and attic will become inactive. They’ll just chill out–so to speak–until spring. Then they’re likely to head back outside–via your living room.
"Sealing will help a lot, but they can get in through not very much," says Stoltz. Fortunately, they’re "just a nuisance–they don’t even have biting mouth parts. Just swat them or toss them out."
My grass has a coating of white dust on it. I’ve been told it’s powdery mildew. Does powdery mildew really affect lawns and, if it does, how can I control it?
The fungal disease powdery mildew does indeed affect lawns, appearing–just as you described it–as a white dust on grass leaves. It usually occurs in cool, shaded areas in the spring or fall and can contribute to the thinness of turf in dense shade.
"It’s not usually a serious problem unless it causes the leaves to turn yellow, tan or brown and die," says Jo Ann Robbins, University of Idaho extension educator. If your grass leaves discolor because of it, be forewarned that affected, weakened patches of turf are more likely to succumb to winterkill.
Robbins suggests that you increase the amount of light and air movement to the sections of your lawn that are prone to powdery mildew. Mow them frequently, avoid excess water and fertilizer, and irrigate in the morning so the turf will dry before night. Overseeding with shade-tolerant and mildew-resistant grasses also helps control mildew under shade trees or eaves.
I have snakes in my yard and they seem to increase in number every year. We live too far from water for them to be water snakes. Everyone I call about them says there isn’t any way to get rid of them. Do you have any suggestions for me to try?
Herpetologist Charles Peterson, who teaches at both Idaho State University and the University of Idaho, says there’s "no great, simple answer" to Western terrestrial garter snakes, which is what he suspects you have.
The relatively thin, grayish or brownish-green snake is usually found near water, but Peterson encounters them in the desert as well as in Idaho yards and gardens. The snake has a yellow stripe down its back, sometimes yellow stripes down either side, and runs anywhere from under 2 feet to 3 feet long.
"They’re not dangerous–in fact, they’re helpful to have around," says Peterson, curator of herpetology for the Idaho Museum of Natural History in Pocatello. Wandering garter snakes eat rodents, worms and slugs and in turn fall prey to cats, hawks, magpies and owls.
"The main thing I tell people is to plug up any cracks that might allow entry to their basements, to cut down vegetation and to remove piles of rocks, wood or brush, which might attract rodents. There’s nothing really effective to repel snakes: just keep your yard open, clear and clean."
Sometimes, Peterson finds that Idahoans with persistent snake problems have rock walls in which the snakes are hibernating. If that’s the case in your yard, consider removing it.
[READERS: Do you have a question about your home, yard or garden? Send it to HomeWise, University of Idaho Ag Communications, Moscow, ID 83844-2332 or e-mail it to homewise@uidaho.edu. Mention of proprietary products or firms does not constitute endorsement by the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System or imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.]