While there are over 4,000 different species of stink bugs, two that most commonly plague cities are the brown Halyomorpha halys and the green Chinavia halaris, both displaying a distinctive shield-shaped body and incredibly foul smell. Stink bugs are an invasive species native to countries in Asia and are one of the biggest threats to vegetables and fruits grown in the mid-Atlantic states. Stink bugs will puncture tasty fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants, sucking the nutrients out of them and decimating your local crops. Recently, scientists have had some success battling these invaders with another invasive species–tiny wasps, but before you consider starting [...]

In many places across the nation, including Orlando, New Orleans, and Sacramento, one of the summer’s toughest challenges can be keeping cool. Power bills soar – in Orlando, Florida, running the air conditioning can easily cost you anywhere from six hundred to well over a thousand dollars a year, depending on the efficiency of your unit. Across the nation, most people spend $52 to $350 per month to run air conditioning nine hours a day. These twenty tips and tricks will help you keep cool throughout the summer, without breaking your bank account.

Try to [...]

You’ve seen the reality shows, and probably thought you have what it takes to quit your day job and start flipping houses, but do you? Companies throughout the housing industry, including Home Depot, along with mortgage companies and lenders say they’re seeing an uptick in millennials buying fixer-uppers for themselves or to flip. It’s a healthy trend with the potential for huge profits, but it’s not without its risks.

via Matthew Hurst

Brian Augsberger, a Rehab Financial lender who provides rehab loans in fifteen states across the US, said “not everyone is cut out to be a [...]

We know… it’s not easy saving for a home, in fact, it’s somewhat nutty what a down payment can look like with home prices in the most expensive areas today.

Because we *are* a little nutty, and because our partners over at The Nut Job 2 thought it might be cool, we thought it would be great to see how many almonds would be the equivalent of the average U.S. home price, and compare that to other nice things to have – and horrible things to avoid!

We’re not ones to tease, so the actual answer to “how many almond nuts would it take to buy a house?” is over 37,000,000. Yes… that’s 37 MILLION! And that’s a lot of [...]

Although you may see squirrels scrambling around every day in your backyard and neighborhood, some types of squirrels are actually on the endangered species list. Pretty nutty, huh?

You probably didn’t realize it, but there are over 200 species of squirrels in the world and although some of these species are ubiquitous, there are some that are in danger of extinction.

Why should you be concerned? Squirrels play an important role in nature, working as seed and spore distributors; During the autumn months, they stockpile seeds, nuts, spores, and plants; but they don’t always remember where these [...]

Everyone knows that nuts are a great source of protein (they’re also a great story line for the movie The Nut Job 2!) but did you know that you can add almond butter to your smoothies, use them in everyday cooking, and they even work as a substitute for eggs and dairy (ever had vegan cashew ice cream?) You did? But you may not have realized that nuts are also extremely versatile for a variety of simple household repairs.

Soap nuts are made from a naturally occurring soap within a berry shell from a plant in the Himalayas. The natural soap is called saponin, which forms a lather when [...]