ASK THE GARDENERS. Questions & Answers

Q We enjoy your questions and answers and pass along to others the natural remedies for garden pests. I seem to recall your having something about pets' fleas. Although it actually isn't a garden problem, I appreciated the suggestion, which had something to do with citrus. H.N.

Titusville, Fla. Yes,we had something about pets' fleas, because so many folks wrote about them. Fleas may lay eggs in pets' bedding or on pets, but the eggs drop from fur into dust, debris, or onto the ground outdoors. Citrus skins make a safe flea repellent and flea killer. It was discovered in Florida that discarded skins from a citrus fruit processing plant killed fire ants. We, and other folks, thought there was merit in trying citrus for fleas. We simmer cut-up citrus skins for 10 or 15 minutes, let them cool, and put them in a cotton sock or a nylon stocking (with cotton balls added for liquid soaking), secure with a twist tie and rub into fur as you would with a sponge.