Mice and rabbits can be deterred with fencing, trees guards or a spray repellent such as Ropel. Tree guards are also effective in preventing girdling from string trimmers. Deer have increasingly become a problem in suburban areas. Homemade deterrents include hanging bars of fragrant soap or a 6-ft. wire guard. A commercial spray repellent such as Hinder can also be effective.

BOB: As deer continue to overrun our residential landscapes, homeowners must be more concerned about protecting their ornamental plants, especially during winter when heavier browsing occurs. There are 3 ways to protect your plantings, and we feel proper plant choices and exclusion are the two that work the best in the long run. Here are your 3 choices: Exclusion - Through the use of fencing or mesh, keep the deer away from plants.

I know of thirty different methods of protecting roses from deer. Unfortunately 28 of them don't work. A big dog and or an 8 - 10 foot fence will do the job.

Children are asked to wear light-colored clothing with long pants, long sleeves and socks pulled over pant leg bottoms whenever they go on field trips. Every class does a "tick search" before returning from field trips.

Most likely, these types of animals will flee from you, especially if you act aggressively toward them. They would rarely, if ever, harm the characters.

Most people know that tree roots stabilize a tree. However, that is only part of their job. Most people don't realize that roots absorb oxygen out of the soil. Tree roots absorb air, water and nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus from the soil then convey these elements to the rest of the tree. All of these are essential for the trees growth and overall health. Tree roots also store starches that are produced during the growing season.

Storms in all shapes and forms create havoc with trees throughout the country. It’s bad enough losing a big tree, but the greatest danger in a storm is the property damage and casualties that can occur when big trees fall. Preparing trees for these natural disasters is a must and should be done well in advance of the stormy season. To help ease these dangers, have a professional arborist evaluate your trees. Doing this will help you determine potential weaknesses and dangers.

Although rarely seen during construction it cannot be assumed there are none in the straw. And why not? It makes the ideal condo for them! For this reason mouse poison is laid as a precautionary measure. On completion, the walls are fully sealed so mice cannot get in or out, and there is no food or water within the walls.

Bananas will survive most Texas winters with the exception of the colder areas along the Red River and in the Panhandle. Allow the first hard freeze to kill the tops back to the ground, then trim to remove the dried stubble a few days later. You'll gain several degrees' worth of protection if you pile mulched tree leaves over their crowns. If you are growing a dwarf banana in a patio pot you will need to protect it from sub-freezing weather.

The best way is to avoid traveling to places where the disease is most common and avoid close contact with someone who appears to have the disease. Hospital workers who have started wearing masks and gloves have not gotten sick.

a general rule, people should observe wildlife, including wild birds, from a distance. This protects people from possible exposure to diseases and minimizes disturbance to the animal. Avoid touching wildlife. If there is contact with wildlife, do not rub eyes, eat, drink, or smoke. Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water.

You can now get your Certificate of Completion emailed to you at a nominal charge. Emails are sent out the day after completion of the course.

A crew of 15 vegetation restoration engineers are constantly planting large patches of wild carrot. The dog food your dog has gotten used to is such crap you have no idea.

Rabbits are shipped by airplane in a specially prepared carrier through a special program offered by the airline for companion animals. They are taken to the airport shortly before their flight and should be picked up promptly when they arrive to minimize any stress the trip would cause. Don't worry. Rabbits aren't mailed! The cost of shipping is in the neighborhood of $200. Go to the Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club's website at www.hlrsc.com.

A compilation of suggestions from our readers: I've had pretty good luck using bird netting. It's been especially good if I stretch it over a pvc pipe framework (which I spray painted green to be less obvious). I use it over some raised

CWD attacks the brains of infected deer and elk, causing the animals to become emaciated, display abnormal behavior, lose bodily functions, and die. Signs identified in captive deer include excessive salivation, loss of appetite, progressive weight loss, excessive thirst and urination, listlessness, teeth grinding, holding the head in a lowered position, and drooping ears.

Although all plants are flammable under the right conditions, steps can be taken that may decrease their flammability and reduce their accessibility to fire. For information regarding fire-resistant landscaping, please contact your local County Extension Agent. There is a great deal of good information about this topic on the internet.

There is alot of homegrown and official advice on what you can do to keep deer from eating your plants. There's also lots of things you can buy that claim to repel deer. But, deer will anything if they're hungry enough. You can spend alot of money on repellants. People have mixed results with repellants, which seem to be affected by deer populations and food supply (deer will eat anything if they're hungry enough), to operator error -- oops, forgot to reapply after it rained.

Check out our SRT Kit. This is a good list to start from. You can pare down from there. Your associates who do tree sits really know how to cut corners without cutting safety...too much. We think they sometimes go too far (sometimes due to short cash, they have no choice), but nobody can give you better info about minimalist tree gear than your fellow tree sitters. The big logging companies are getting more and more desperate to stop protesters.

The Tree Preservation Amendment will protect all large hardwood trees. Pine trees and palm trees will not be protected, except for the Long Leaf Pine and the Cabbage Palm (the 'State Tree'). In addition, any tree identified by the State of Florida as an invasive species will not be protected.