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Gotinsectslikeants, centipedes, cockroaches, silverfish, fleas, even — gasp — bed- bugs trying to take over your home or garden? Don't call an extermi- nator quite yet. This is a problem you can fix yourself — cheaper and faster. If you want to treat your home for insects, but you don't want to poison your- self, your pets or the earth, your very best option is to use food-grade diatoma- ceous earth to get rid of household creepy crawlies. Diatomaceous earth is an off-white talc-like pow- der that is the fossilized remains of marine phyto- plankton. If you could take a look at it through a mi- croscope, you'd see that it resembles shards of glass. When sprinkled on a bug that has an exoskeleton — centipedes, bed bugs, ants, cockroaches and fleas, etc. — or placed strategically so that bug crawls into it, the DE cuts into that bug's exoskeleton, which causes it to dehydrate and die. Here's the most amaz- ing thing about DE: It kills bugs but doesn't hurt mammals. You and your pets could eat it without harm. In fact, many peo- ple add DE to their daily diet to promote good health. Food-grade DE is read- ily available at garden cen- ters and hardware stores. You can get a 10-pound bag from Amazon for about $20 with prime shipping. Just make cer- tain you are purchas- ing food-grade diatoma- ceous earth, not the vari- ety for swimming pools, which has been chemically altered and will not work as a pesticide. It must be food-grade. Using a flour sifter, fine mesh strainer, salt shaker or pest control bulb duster, lightly dust the powdery DE in cracks and crevices, along baseboards, win- dowsills, door frames and beneath and behind appli- ances, in the garden, yard — anywhere you see those little pests. This is a nontoxic and environmentally safe treatment, but please wear a face protector because it is as fine as talcum pow- der. For flea-infested carpet, dust the carpet well with the DE and then pound it in with a broom. Leave it to do its job then vacuum the carpet very well af- ter 24 to 36 hours, empty- ing the bag or dust collec- tor often. One last thing: To do its job as the most effective pesticide, DE must be dry. If it gets wet, clean it up and then reapply. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Get rid of annoying insects fast and easy without poisons The California Depart- ment of Child Support Ser- vices celebrates August as Child Support Awareness Month. This year, the de- partment reminds parents that their support can fun- damentally shape their chil- dren's future. The first bike lesson or first pair of shoes can in- spire a child to become a racing champion, the first set of building blocks can unlock a child's passion to build communities. A par- ent's help with their child's first science fair project can produce the next great sci- entist. For 1.3 million chil- dren, many firsts were made possible because one or both parents chose to participate in California's Child Support Program. "Child support is more than just providing for the basic needs of our children," said Director Alisha Griffin. "Each time a parent teaches them how to ride a bike, lets them be messy and creative, encourages their sports or takes time to play and help them with their homework, they're helping the child dis- cover a part of themselves." To access child support services, a parent may com- plete an application online or in the office of one of the 49 county and regional de- partments of child support services in California. The department and the local child support offices help parents with finding a parent; establishing the le- gal identity of a child's fa- ther; reaching an agree- ment with the other parent on a dollar amount of sup- port and establishing, mod- ifying and enforcing a mon- etary and medical support court order. If a parent has gotten be- hind in child support pay- ments, the department can potentially modify or re- duce the total amount owed through the Compromise of Arrears Program. California plays an im- portant role in support- ing the economic security, health and social well-being of children in our state. The department and local child support offices throughout California operate the sec- ond-largest child support program in the country based on total number of cases and the amount of to- tal distributed collections. California's child support program collected and dis- tributed $2.3 billion in child support for 1.3 billion chil- dren and families in federal fiscal year 2015, an increase of $31 million — or 1.4 per- cent over the previous year. Applications to partici- pate in California's Child Support Program are avail- able at http://www.child- sup.ca.gov/resources/apply- forservices.aspx. PARENTING Au gu st i s child support awareness month Mary Hunt By Jennifer Cooper Social Security manager in Redding Social Security is com- mitted to the principles and spirit of the Ameri- cans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which improves the lives of our beneficiaries and our employees who have disabilities. We also want you to see and hear from the people who rely on Social Security disability benefits to not just survive, but thrive, as active membersofourcom- munities. Our Faces and Facts of Disability website highlights the real life sto- ries of people who have dis- abilities. The newest person we are featuring on our Faces and Facts of Disability website is Lynne Parks. She is an artist from Bal- timore, Maryland. First diagnosed with meta- static fibrosarcoma at age 14, she has lived with this illness for nearly 35 years. It started in her face and moved to different parts of her body, including her abdomen and leg. She also has various tumors on her shoulder and arm. Inf lammatory re- sponses, infections, and new tumors are complica- tions that Parks deals with every day. "Because of the tu- mors, I have limited use of my left arm," Parks said. "I have weakness in my legs. There's fatigue because my immune system has taken such a big hit from the cancer and the can- cer treatments. I get sick all the time. There might be a day that I can be at home and resting and I'll try to make the best of it. I'll wake up, fix breakfast and eat, and that takes a while because of my phys- ical limitations, but also because of my first tumor that was in my face." Having been helped by Social Security, Parks tries to help others. "I'm also helping peo- ple who have issues learn to cope with them, because they see in me someone as a role model, essentially," Parkssaid."LifewithoutSo- cial Security benefits, it's a horrorstory,becauseIimag- ine myself on the streets." The disability benefits Parks receives are a cru- cial resource for her qual- ity of life. Our disabil- ity programs continue to be a mainstay in the lives of many people — people just like you. Social Secu- rity disability beneficia- ries are among the most severely impaired people in the country. It's some- thing that can happen to anyone. We invite you to learn the facts about the dis- ability insurance program, and see and hear these sto- ries of hardship and perse- verance at www.socialse- curity.gov/disabilityfacts. SOCIAL SECURITY Honoring our beneficiaries CONTRIBUTED One of the many recipients of Social Security disability benefits. The public is invited to hear Tehama County Sher- iff Dave Hencratt speak at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9 at the Tehama County Patri- ots meeting regarding Cal- ifornia's recently passed gun control laws and how they will affect gun own- ers. The Tea Party meets at the Westside Grange on Walnut Street in Red Bluff. Hencratt has said he will be bringing a special four- legged sheriff's deputy as well. The Tea Party Patriots meet every Tuesday in Red Bluff and the Corning Pa- triots meet every Thursday at the Corning Veterans Hall, at 6 p.m. Both groups arrange for guest speakers to talk about city, county and state government and other topics of local inter- est. These are non-partisan groups based on the con- cepts of limited govern- ment, fiscal responsibility and adherence to the con- stitution. These meetings pro- vide an opportunity for all community minded persons to hear from and ask questions of local of- ficials and let them know how they feel about what is going on in the commu- nity. Everyone is invited to attend these meetings. For more information, or to add your name to the e-mail list so you can be advised of the speakers, call Donna in Red Bluff at 527-3207 or Patty in Corn- ing at 833-0265. GUN CONTROL Sheriff to speak at Tea Party meeting Passages Health Insur- ance Counseling & Advo- cacy Program is presenting Welcome to Medicare work- shops for those turning 65 this year or younger adults whowillbeentitledtoMedi- care due to a disability. As people get closer to Medicare eligibility, there are several things to con- sider. In light of the fact that Medicare's coverage is much like employer group coverage it's important to know what questions to ask: How will my retiree plan work with my Medi- care? Can I delay enroll- ing into Medicare and not be penalized? Do I need a drug plan? Are there pro- grams available to lower my Medicare health and prescription costs? Workshops will be of- fered 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Aug. 11 at Lake- side Pavilion, 2565 Lake- side Village in Chico and 1-3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16 at Red Bluff Community Center, 1500 S. Jackson St. Registration is required by calling 898-6716. This free workshop is designed for boomers and others who will be new to Medicare this year who want to understand how their Medicare benefits work. Family members or caregivers are welcome. People who are new to Medicare will be deluged with information from different insurance com- panies marketing their products. Ronda Kramer, program manager for Pas- sagesHICAPwarnssigning up with the wrong plan, or not doing anything may cost new Medicare recipi- ents thousands of dollars, and they may not be able to make changes if enroll- ment deadlines are missed. For more information, call HICAP at Passages at 1-800-434-0222. If your group or agency would like a workshop, contact Kath- erine Tilman at 898-5927. HICAP does not sell or endorse any insurance products. For more information about Passages' services, go to www.passagescen- ter.org. SENIORS Medicare workshops offered for baby boomers Instagram users are re- porting a new scam called the "Ugly List." Insta- gram users are fooled into thinking a friend tagged them in a mean-spirited prank. However, it's really a phishing con. How the scam works: You get an Insta- gram notification saying you've been tagged in a post. The catch? The post is called "Ugly List 2016," and it was a friend who tagged you. How mean. In the notification, there's a link to see the full post. You click on it, and it leads to a page that ap- pears to be the Instagram log in. You need to enter your user name and pass- word before you can see the "Ugly List." Don't fall for it. The form is fake. It's a way for scammers to steal user- names and passwords. Once scammers have your account info, they will hack your Instagram and tag your followers in new "Ugly List" posts, perpetu- ating the con and stealing more information. Tips to avoid this con: Do a quick search. Be wary of anything that is shocking or sensational on social media. If it seems suspicious, do an online search. Don't trust your friends' tastes online. It might not actuallybethem"liking"or sharing these scam posts. Their account may have been hacked. Hover over a link to see its true destination. Before you click, mouse over the link to see where it will take you. Don't click on links leading to unfamil- iar websites. Report an Instagram scam. Check out Insta- gram's resources for re- porting scams. If your account has been hacked, see Instagram's advice on securing your account and reporting the violation. SCAM ALERT 'Ugly' Instagram con leads to hacking; tips offered B 6 0 65 N G 52 I 28 B 6 0 65 N G 52 I 28 BINGO Friday,Aug5 th Red Bluff Community Center 1500 S. Jackson St. Doorsopen@5:00pm Bingo at 6:00 pm 12 extra Hot Ball Jackpots Buy-In $10 Early Birds $5 744 Main St., Red Bluff SUMMER SALE WOMEN'S CLOTHING "One Size Fits All" 30% OFF SOAP SALE L'IPE DE PROVENCE 5 FOR $30 Comeandshopnow! Round Up Saloon Round Up Saloon 610WashingtonSt. Red Bluff Supporting Farmers Market with live music on Wednesdaynites call for dates (530) 527-9901 (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson St. Red Bluff Water Aerobic Classes Monthly Special $ 28 00 a month No Enrollment Fee Stop by or call for information ARetirementCommunity 750 David Avenue Red Bluff, CA. 96080 (530) 527-9193 www.tehamaestatesretirement.com Tours Provided Daily LaCorona Garden Center 7769Hwy99E,LosMolinos 530-576-3118 General Hydroponics Fox Farm Soil Grow More Fertilizer YaraMila Fertilizer Chicken Feed Garden Plants LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, August 5, 2016 » MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5