Article: Black widows hole up in seldom-disturbed areas, such as woodpiles, storage boxes, the back of closets, and so on. Not only will cleaning these areas eliminate potential habitats, you'll also get rid of areas for black widow prey to live. Wear gardening gloves. Just in case you do stumble over a spider, your hands will be safe from bites. De-clutter. If you have unnecessary boxes, wood or other items crowding your house, getting rid of them can remove potential hiding places. Vacuum. If you have a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment, use it to clean out dark nooks and crannies. If you see a web without a spider in it, the vacuum is your best bet. Just be sure to seal the bag and dispose of it (outside the house) as soon as you're done so nothing can escape back into your home. Spray down the outside of your house. Use a high-pressure hose to destroy webs and egg sacs. Pay particular attention to window wells, window frames, and door frames. Clear vegetation that is in direct contact with your home. Ivy and other plant life on your house or around its perimeter provide a home for these pests. Clean regularly. Chores like vacuuming and keeping your living area clean aid in preventing spider infestation. Vacuuming is especially important because it clears out dust, eggs and the spiders themselves. The best method to avoid black widows is prevention. By keeping your doors and windows caulked, you are taking an important step in preventing spiders and other insects from getting into your home. Weatherproofing your exits is also very helpful. If you suspect that your black widow problem is bigger than you can handle on your own, call a professional who's licensed to use heavier insecticides. If possible, ask around a few different businesses for quotes depending on the size of your house and the suspected severity of the infestation.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Clean out potential hiding spots. Prevent spiders from entering your home. Call a professional exterminator.
Article: Tight neck muscles is a reason some people try to crack their neck, likely in efforts to reduce the tension and discomfort they feel. Instead of trying to constantly release the joints of your cervical spine, gently stretch your neck muscles, which might alleviate your neck issue and eliminate the urge to crack it. Use slow, steady movements and take deep breaths during your stretches. In general, hold stretches for about 30 seconds and repeat 3-5x daily. Stretching directly after a warm shower or the application of moist heat is recommended because your neck muscles will be more pliable. While standing, reach around your back with your right arm and grab a little above your left wrist. Gently pull on your left wrist while laterally flexing your neck in the opposite direction, such that your right ear approaches your right shoulder. Hold for 30 seconds, then do the other side. If your neck is stiff and has poor range of motion, then maybe the problem is more joint related. In this case, trying to crack (or unjam) your neck joints is certainly warranted, but typically the stiffest joints don't release with self manipulation. Instead, the joints above and below the stiffest joint keep cracking, which may make them a little too loose (hypermobile) and unstable over time. Start with moving your head in circles, first clockwise and then counterclockwise, for about 5-10 minutes each way. You may hear some clicks, cracks and pops in your neck, but focus on the movement and not the sounds. Target the main movements of your neck: forward flexion (looking down at your toes), lateral flexion (ear towards your shoulders) and extension (looking up towards the sky). Go as far as you can in each of the four directions about 10x daily. After a week or two, you should notice an increase in range of motion, which might negate the desire to constantly crack your neck. Strengthening the muscles of the neck is good for stability. Muscles are not only for movement, but they are also important for providing protection and stability to the bones and joints that lay underneath them. Weak neck muscles increase the amount of instability in the cervical spine, which might trigger the desire to crack the spinal joints. Consequently, strengthening the cervical muscles may diminish the desire to crack them. Tie an elastic exercise band around your head and attach it to something stable that's at the level of your head. Walk a few steps away from it until you feel tension in the exercise band. Then do the four main neck movements (flexion, extension, right / left lateral flexion) under tension 10x each on a daily basis. After a week or so, change to a thicker exercise band with more tension. Alternatively, see a physical therapist, who can show you specific and tailored stretches and strengthening exercises for your neck.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Stretch your neck muscles. Mobilize your neck in all directions. Strengthen your neck muscles.
Article: Often a rat will scratch a flea infested part of its body more frequently and often quite vigorously. This area can become irritated, red, or inflamed from scratching and from fleas feeding on your rat's skin. Missing patches of fur or red scabs is a good indication that something is irritating your rat's skin even if you don't see them scratching. Fleas like to hide in densely covered areas of animals. If your rat is scratching its armpits and belly a lot more than normal or has irritation in these areas, it might be a sign of fleas or some other skin irritant. Your rat might jump or react violently out of the blue. This is a sign of hypersensitivity to flea bites. If the infestation is heavy, you will be able to spot fleas or its feces. Flea feces or flea dirt will look like coffee grounds on your rat's fur. Use a flea comb or a comb with closely set teeth and run it through your rat's fur. Make sure to run it close to your rat's skin in order to catch and pull any fleas that are hiding under the fur coat. If your comb comes up with any black spots that are dirt-like, it may be fleas or its feces. Have a bowl of soapy water on hand to wash your comb of any fleas you might pull out. Flea feces and dirt can look quite similar, especially if you bring your rat outside to play. One way to tell the difference between the two is to wet any dirt-like specks with water and watch if the spots turn a reddish-brown colour. The red colour is the digested blood that the fleas have ingested which has been broken down by the water. Adult fleas account for about 5% of a flea colony or infestation. The other 95% consist of flea eggs, larvae, and pupae which are harder to see with the naked eye. Check any areas your rat frequents or sleeps, or even areas near or under its cage. You might be able to see flea dirt or fleas in your rat's cage or bedding, especially if the flea infestation is quite heavy.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Observe if your rat is scratching more than normal. Look for fleas in your rat's skin and fur. Look for fleas in your rat's bedding.