I'm not complaining. I love Summer weather. The sunshine, warm breezes, birds chirping, and flowers blooming inspire me to head outside for my runs, plus I'm so loving just slipping on shorts and a tank top instead of tons of layers. There are just a couple things that I hate about Summer runs, so if these are bothering you too, here are some ways to deal with them. Bugs flying in my eyes: Why Read more

OK, I thought I was the only one, but turns out, there are other Android users out there who are experiencing an error on their phones with potentially disastrous consequences — a bug that can inadvertently send your text to the wrong contact. I haven't had any wrong-recipient mix-ups (at least not that I know of), but I have experienced a related bug that sometimes causes my texting app to lag Read more

Turns out there's a word for what I'm feeling when I look at this bug – entonophobia, or fear of ticks — and your pets should be scared, too! The common external parasite can transmit fatal illnesses like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease, and you should do daily checks for the dangerous insects, especially if you live in woody, grassy, or brushy areas. Ticks look like this Read more

DrSugar is in the house! And she's answering your health-related questions. Dear DrSugar, Mosquitoes love me. Aside from using repellent featuring DEET (the natural sprays don’t work for me at all), is there anything else I can do to make myself less attractive to hungry pests? I heard drinking white vinegar helps. Also, once bitten, what is the best way to calm down the itchy factor of the Read more

If the scent or the effects of chemical bug sprays worry you, why not go the natural way? Lavender is a wonderful natural bug repellent, and it smells fantastic, too. Try placing potted lavender and other herb plants near your doors to repel bugs from entering your home. When you're having a picnic or hosting an outdoor dinner party, set some bunches of dried lavender on your table to use as Read more

I made the mistake of leaving my trash out when I went away for Memorial Day weekend and came home to find that a family of gnats had moved into my kitchen. Needless to say, I was not pleased. But thanks to a little trick of mine I was able to take the life of every last one of 'em by the following morning. Simply take a plastic water bottle and cut off the top third or so of the bottle — just Read more

Shoo fly. I said shooooo and I mean it. Oh well, if your willing away just won't work, grab this high-powered weapon instead. The Fly-Goodbye Bug Vacuum Gun ($30) uses a powerful inward gust of air to suck those bugs up into a catch-and-release tube. This magnifying glass-equipped chamber allows you to examine your captures, to make sure you got your hit, then safely and humanely transport them Read more

Diatomaceous earth (aka, DE) is a naturally occurring, soft, chalklike sedimentary rock that is made from tiny, fossilized water plants and can be easily crumbled into a powder. In its powder form, DE dehydrates an insect's exoskeleton, killing them, so it makes a great nontoxic pesticide. You can disperse DE around your garden to protect your plants. To do so, fill a large spice shaker with it Read more