| How to Get Rid of Snakes Posted: 22 Jul 2017 05:00 PM PDT Snakes are common in many parts of the world, and if you have a big yard that's home to a variety of plants and insects, chances are you encounter them from time to time. The presence of snakes indicates an ecosystem is healthy, but having them in your yard can be unsettling and even dangerous, in the case of venomous snakes. For non-venomous snakes inside of your house, you can generally leave the snake alone and it will find its own way out. If you'd like a more hands-on approach to snake removal, use a push broom to shoo the snake towards an open external door. EditRemoving Snakes Indoors - Call animal control if you fear the snake may be venomous. If you're uncomfortable handling a snake, even if you don't believe it to be venomous, there's no reason you should deal with it yourself. Call animal control to trap it and take it away. Snakes with venomous bites should always be handled by professionals, such as animal control employees or a wildlife trapper.[1]
- Try to enclose the snake in one room. If you see it in the laundry room, for example, shut the door and wedge a towel underneath it to prevent the snake from escaping.
- Keep children and pets away from the area until animal control has come to capture the snake.
- Leave the snake alone and let it find a way outside. Most snakes will leave your house on their own if given time and opportunity. If you find a snake in your garage or in a room leading to the outside, shut the inside doors and open the door leading outside so the snake can crawl out.[2]
- The snake should leave fairly quickly. This is a simpler and more reliable method than a more aggressive hands-on approach, which may frighten the snake and cause it to hide in a hard-to-reach location in your home.
- Brush a nonvenomous snake into a large trashcan. If you feel comfortable taking care of the snake on your own, try this common removal method: first, set a large trashcan on its side in the same room as the snake. Then use a push-broom to shoo the snake into the trash can. Once the snake is tin the trash can, tip the can upright and place a lid firmly on top.[3]
- Once the snake is securely inside of the trashcan, take the snake to the woods or another area away from your house. Set the can on its side, gently remove the lid, and give the snake time to slither out.
- Catch the snake with an indoor trap. If you suspect there may be a snake in your attic, garage, basement or elsewhere in your house, lay out traps along the walls in these areas. Snakes will crawl over or into the traps and get stuck. You—or animal control—can then safely remove the trapped snake and place it outside.[4]
- If you catch a nonvenomous snake, place the trap in a bucket and take it outside or to an area where you'd like to release it. Pour vegetable oil over the snake to loosen it from the trap and allow it to crawl away.
- Check the traps every day to see if you've caught a snake. If you wait too long, the snake will die of starvation.
EditRemoving Snakes Outdoors - Let the snake leave on its own. If you're dealing with a non-venomous snake, the simplest removal method is to let the snake leave your property on its own. Outdoor snakes pose no serious problem and will wander off on their own time. However, if you have children or pets, keep them away from the snake. Even non-venomous snakes can have painful bites.[5]
- If you frequently notice snakes near your house, your concern should be preventative maintenance rather than individual snake removal.
- Spray the snake with water from a hose. If you see a nonvenomous snake hanging out near your house and you'd like it to go somewhere else, sometimes all it needs is a little nudge to be on its way. Use a garden hose to lightly spray the snake until it moves away from your house and out of your yard.[6]
- Garter snakes and other snakes that you know not to be dangerous are fine candidates for this removal method.
- Remove a snake from water with a pool skimmer. If you find a snake in your pool, you can safely lift it out using a pool skimmer or other kind of meshed net.[7] Small, nonvenomous snakes can also be plucked from the patio or grass with a pool skimmer. Try not to grip them too tightly, so you don't damage their ribs.
- Take the snake to the back of your yard or to a nearby wooded area and set them free.
- Set outdoor snake traps. Outdoor snake traps are usually plastic boxes baited with a substance or aroma that lures snakes inside. Once snakes enter the trap, the shape of the box prevents them from getting out. Set them around your property in areas where you've seen snakes spending time.[8]
- When you trap a snake, drive it to a wooded area and set it free.
EditPreventing Re-Infestation - Trim backyard vegetation. Snakes' typical habitats contain tall grass and bushes, so regularly cutting your grass and trimming bushes and shrubs will make your yard less enticing for snakes. Mow your lawn and remove any downed tree trunks, hollow stumps, or other places where snakes could live.[9]Take these measures to make sure your yard isn't full of potential snake dens:
- Store lumber and woodpiles at least off the ground, and keep compost and mulch piles away from your house.
- Consider removing bushes and other tall vegetation that seems to be a regular habitat for snakes.
- Remove snakes' food sources. Snakes eat mice, crickets, and other insects. If you take measures to keep the populations of these creatures low, snakes will look elsewhere for food. Use soil and rocks to block up any rodent holes in your backyard.[10] Keep your yard free of birdseed, berries, and nuts that have fallen from trees, and stray bits of waste from the compost pile. These are all food sources for mice and insects.
- Seal your house. Prevent snakes from entering your home by checking its foundation for cracks and holes. Seal any that you find with caulk or expanding foam. Make sure that your doors and windows are sealed, too. Place screens on your chimney, vents, and other places where snakes might be able to get in.[11]
- The grid of the screens should not have openings larger than ¼ inch (0.6 cm), in order to effectively block all snakes.
- Apply snake repellent around your house and yard. Snake repellents are typically sold as either a liquid, which you can spray on the external walls of your house or a powder, which you can sprinkle throughout your yard. These repellents are environmentally friendly and will not harm your pets or lawn.[12]
- Various types of commercial snake repellents should be sold at your local hardware store or garden center. You can also find snake repellents online through major retailers.
- The vast majority of snakes encountered by people in their homes and yards are nonvenomous. They rarely bite, and if they do, the bite won't inject poison into your body.
- If you find a nonvenomous snake in your yard, consider letting it be. Most snakes are harmless, and they contribute to your yard's environment by controlling other pest populations, such as crickets and rodents.
- Many gardeners are happy to have a snake or two patrolling the premises and protecting flowers and vegetables from other creatures.
- Never handle a snake unless you are sure it is not dangerous.
- Non-venomous snake bites will bleed far more than venomous snake bites because their saliva contains a substance which stops their blood from clotting and they often bite multiple times.
- If you are bitten by a venomous snake, make sure someone knows what snake it is. This will greatly help your treatment, as doctors will be able to provide the correct anti-venom for the bite.
- Do not leave any animal in a glue trap. Check them frequently to make sure the animal does not suffer. Animals may get their faces stuck in the glue & suffocate, or tear their skin off trying to escape.
- Be aware: in many countries outside of the United States, animal control only handles domestic animals and will not assist you with snakes. You may have to hire a wildlife trapper or pest control and pay for snake removal in these cases.[13]
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| How to Become a Dentist Posted: 22 Jul 2017 09:00 AM PDT Dentistry can be an exciting career. You may want to become a dentist because you are interested in oral health and have a passion to help people. Becoming a dentist takes a lot of education, but after you finish your schooling, you will be ready for a challenging and rewarding career. EditCompleting Your Education - Get a bachelor's degree in a science-related field. The most beneficial undergraduate degree is one in pre-dentistry or a science. Degrees in science-related fields help you meet any prerequisites you will have when entering dental school. While in school, you should focus on getting good grades, learning as much as you can, and developing good study habits.[1]
- All US dental schools have undergraduate course requirements, which will be published on their websites. For example, most require that you take prerequisite courses in many sciences, including biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology.
- You should also consider taking art and business classes.
- Gather letters of recommendation. When you are applying for dental school, you will need to submit letters of recommendation along with your application. You should choose people who know your work ethic and characteristics, so they can provide strong and supportive letters for you.[2]
- You can get letters from professors and any dentists you have shadowed or worked with during your undergraduate studies.
- Apply for admission to a dental school. Most applicants apply to more than one dental school. You should only apply to dental schools that are accredited by the ADA's Commission on Dental Accreditation or a similar accreditation organization for your country.
- Your undergraduate grades, score on the DAT, recommendations, extracurriculars, and interviews are considered in the admission process.
- Complete coursework at a dental school. When you go to dental school, you will receive a doctorate degree. A standard program is four years, which includes coursework and clinicals. You can get a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Medical Dentistry (DMD). These are the same degree. The only difference is the name. The dental school you go to will give out one or the other.[3] You can also become a specialist, which will take a few years longer.[4]
- The most important thing to make sure that you do is choose a program accredited by a dental organization, like the Commission on Dental Accreditation.
- Take the required steps if you want to become a specialist. After you finish dental school, you may decide that you want to do something more specialized than general dentistry. If this is your wish, you will need to become a specialist. Becoming a specialist requires acceptance into a residency or postgraduate program. Then, you will continue with postgraduate education for two to six years, depending on the specialty.
- The competition for dental specialty programs is rigorous and only the very top candidates will earn a position. You will need to need to be at the top of your class in dental school and be involved in research or other extracurricular activities.
- There are nine recognized dental specialties: Dental Public Health, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology, or Surgery, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics.[5]
EditObtaining Certifications - Get a high score on the Dental Acceptance Test. To get into dental school, you will have to take the Dental Acceptance Test (DAT). This test is given by the American Dental Association. The test has 280 questions and takes five hours to complete. An average score on this test is 19 out of 30. It is taken about a year and a half before you start dental school. Most people take it in the spring or summer of their junior year of undergrad.[6]
- The test contains a lot of questions related to natural sciences, along with reading comprehension and quantitative reasoning.
- A high score on this test is important because dental school is very competitive. For example, some of the top dental schools in the country had hundreds of applicants, but only accepted between 100 and 200.
- Pass the National Board Dental Examination written test. After you complete your degree at an accredited school, you need to meet the requirements to get your license. In most places, this requires that you take exams after receiving your degree. Usually, one exam is a written test that tests your basic knowledge of the field.[7]
- Your dental school will probably arrange the test for the graduating class to take together.
- Pass your clinical exams. Your state or area will grant your license to practice dentistry. In the US, the exams may vary from state to state. These exams are clinical and require you to perform treatment on patients. If you plan to practice in your dental school's state, then your dental school will often host the exam annually or semiannually.[8]
- Some states accept a regional exam, such as the Western Regional Examining Board or the Northeast Regional Board.
EditGetting a Job - Volunteer in a dental office. Most dental schools want to see students who are well-rounded, with good grades and extracurricular activities. You can get some experience and improve your dental school application by finding volunteer work in a dental office. Talk to one of your professors or contact local dentist's offices to ask about volunteer opportunities.[9]
- You may be able to shadow a dentist or help in the office.
- Observe a dentist. During your studies, you will complete observations of dentists to learn more about what it is like to be a dentist and whether or not you want to be a dentist. You may also be able to shadow a dentist before you apply to dental school to make sure it is the right fit for you.[10]
- Get professional experience. If you can manage your time effectively, get a part-time job in a dental office as a dental assistant or receptionist while you are in dental school. You may not be able to work more than 10 hours a week. However, this will help you gain much needed behind-the-scenes experience at a dental office that you will not learn in dental school.
- Decide where you want to work. After you graduate from dental school, you have a few options for jobs. You can open your own practice or join a private practice with other dentists. You may also be able to work in a hospital. Some dentists will go to work for organizations doing lab research, and others will find jobs teaching at dental schools.[11]
- Some areas, like large cities, have many dentists and the job market is more difficult and competitive. Many graduates from dental school find more job opportunities in rural or inner city communities.
- Find an associateship position. Most people who have just graduated from dental school generally get an associateship position with an established dentist who have their own practice. If you get a position this way, you will work with a dentist until you gain experience and decide to open your own practice.[12]
- You can find these positions through your dental school or dental organization career boards.
EditIdentifying the Specific Characteristics of a Dentist - Make sure you are a hard worker. If you are interested in becoming a dentist, you should learn what will be required of you in this profession. You will be responsible for providing people with dental care. You will have to administer local anesthetics, look at x-rays, and come up with a treatment plan for your patients.[13]
- You will also have to remove cavities and do fillings and give cleanings. You may have to do some minor oral surgery, like root canals, or treat people with periodontal disease.
- A dentist who runs their own practice may have to work more than 60 hours weekly early in their career.
- Have good manual dexterity. Because dentists use their hands, often doing precision work in tiny, hard to reach areas, you will need to have outstanding manual dexterity. Your fine motor skills are imperative to your success as a dentist. Working with your hands is an important part of your career.[14]
- To improve these skills, find a hobby that uses your hands and fingers. For example, you can play an instrument, draw and paint, make models, or play video games.
- You can also work on your hand strength by using objects to work the muscles, like putty, balls, or a squeeze grip.
- Make sure you have compassion. Most people who want to be dentists have a desire to help people. Dentists should have good bedside manner and genuinely want to interact with people. You need to be compassionate because many people who visit the dentist will be scared or have anxiety. You need to be able to compassionately treat these patients.
- Start practicing compassion in your everyday life. Be a friend to others and listen when they talk. Volunteer your time and give of yourself in the community. Try to think about other people's situations and put yourself in their shoes.
- Develop your problem-solving skills. Dentists need to have problem-solving skills. This helps you figure out the best treatment for patients. Some patients may not be able to undergo the standard treatment procedure, so you have to be able to come up with alternatives.
- To improve your problem solving skills, think about identifying the problem and approaching it logically. Come up with possible solutions to the problem, and encourage input from others.
- Focus on time management. Dentists need to be able to manage their time so they can perform the needed procedures in a reasonable amount of time. Most dentists will see numerous patients each day and need to be as quick and efficient as possible.
- Start making schedules for your days. Prioritize what needs to be done and what you can do later. Plan time in your day for classes, work, and studying, along with food, relaxation, physical activity, and sleep.
- Develop good leadership skills. No dentist works alone, and most dentists oversee a team of healthcare professionals. This means you will need to be a strong leader when you are a dentists. Dentists will be over others in the office, such as dental assistants and dental hygienists.
- Good leaders are knowledgeable, kind, firm, and decisive. They keep their word, dress respectfully, and treat others with respect.
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| How to Make Rock Candy Posted: 22 Jul 2017 01:00 AM PDT Rock candy makes for a delicious science experiment you can do in your own kitchen. Rock candy can form on a wooden stick or a string and you can add colors and flavors to customize your candy in any way you can imagine! EditIngredients - 2 cups (473 ml) of water
- 4 cups (946 mg) of granulated white sugar
- Food coloring (optional)
- Flavoring (optional)
EditMaking the Sugar Solution - Heat 2 cups (473 ml) water in a pot, bringing it to a boil. Get an adult to help you if you're not allowed to use the stove--boiling water can be extremely dangerous if you spill it on yourself.[1]
- Use purified water if possible. The sugar can attach to impurities in the tap water and create a crust that will prevent water from evaporating and prevent the crystals from growing on your string instead.[2]
- If you don't have access to a stove, you can use a microwave instead. Combine the sugar and water in a microwave-safe glass and heat it for two minutes on high. Stir the sugar water and microwave for another 2 minutes. Stir the mixture a third time and the sugar should dissolve almost entirely into the water.[3]
- Make sure you handle the pot or microwave-safe glass with hot pads or oven mitts so you don't burn yourself.
- Stir in the 4 cups (946 mg) of sugar in 1/2 cup (118 mg) increments . Stir with a spoon after each addition until the sugar is dissolved into the water. As the water becomes more saturated with sugar, it will take longer for it to dissolve in the water. It may take as long as two minutes for the sugar to dissolve.[4]
- Stir the solution until the water is clear. If the solution is cloudy or you find the sugar stops dissolving, turn the heat up so the water reaches a vigorous boil.[5] Hot water has a higher saturation point than cool water, so turning up the heat should allow you to mix in the rest of the sugar.[6]
- Remove the solution from the heat and allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes. You don't want any undissolved sugar to remain on the bottom of the pot. If undissolved sugar ends up in the jar or glass where you grow the rock candy, crystals will attach to the undissolved sugar and not to your string or stick.[7]
- If you have undissolved sugar that didn't mix with the boiling water, you may want to pour the solution through a strainer and only retain the liquid.
- The solution you have made is a super-saturated solution, meaning the water has absorbed more sugar than it would have absorbed at room temperature. As the solution cools, the water saturation point of the water will become lower, and it will no longer be able to hold the amount of sugar. The dissolved sugar will be unable to stay in liquid form, and will instead crystalize on the string or stick you provide.[8]
- Add color or flavoring if you don't want plain rock candy. Try to coordinate the color to the flavor--blue with blueberry, red with strawberry, purple with grape--so the flavor is clear. Make sure you stir the solution thoroughly so the flavor and color is evenly distributed.[9]
- You only need a few drops of flavoring, but try to make the solution dark with color for the best results.[10]
- Try mixing in drink mix, like Kool-Aid, for color and flavor.
- Try adding a splash of fruit juice for lemon, lime, orange, or other fruity flavored candy.
- Try different extracts like peppermint, strawberry, vanilla, or even banana.
- Pour the solution into the glass or jar where you plan to grow your rock candy crystals. The glass or jar should be tall and cylindrical and made of glass--plastic may melt when you pour in the hot solution. Fill the glass almost to the top.
- Make sure the glass is clean and contains no dust particles. Even dust can give the sugar crystals something to cling to, and you only want them to settle and grow on your string or stick.[11]
- Cover the glass with a piece of wax or parchment paper to prevent dust from settling on the top of the solution.[12]
EditMaking Rock Candy on a String - Tie one end of a string around the middle of a pencil and tie a paperclip to the other end. The paperclip will act as a weight and keep your string hanging straight down so it doesn't touch the sides. The string should be about 2/3 as long as the glass is deep--it should not be long enough that the weight will touch the bottom of the glass. This will give your crystals plenty of space to grow.[13] Touching or hanging too close to the bottom or sides of the glass could make your crystals smaller or misshapen.
- Use a string made from natural fiber, like twine or cotton. Fishing twine or nylon string are too smooth and it will be difficult for the sugar crystals to find crevices to cling to and grow.[14]
- You can also use a washer or screw to weight the string, or even another piece of rock candy, which may help your crystals grow faster.[15]
- The pencil should be long enough that it can rest on the top of the glass without falling in. You can also use a butter knife, skewer, or popsicle stick instead. A butter knife or popsicle stick may be more stable, as they can lay flat on top of the glass and won't roll.
- Dip the string in the glass of sugar/water solution, remove it, and lay on a piece of wax paper to dry. Lay the string out straight, since it will become stiff as it dries. As the water evaporates, you will see a few crystals form on the string. These are seed crystals and they will help larger crystals grow around these points.[16]
- You must make sure the string is completely dry before you proceed to the next step and be very careful not to knock off any of the seed crystals when you place the string in the solution.[17]
- You can skip this step or try to speed it along by wetting the string and rolling it in granulated sugar (just make sure the string is completely dry before you put it in the glass and the sugar isn't falling off), but making seed crystals will make your rock candy grow faster and increase your chances of success in growing crystals.[18]
- Lower the string into the glass of sugar/water solution, resting the pencil on the top of the glass. The string should hang straight down and never come in contact with the bottom or sides of the glass.[19] Cover the solution with a paper towel. You don't want to seal the glass with something that will keep the air out, like plastic wrap, as evaporation is an essential part of this process.
- As the water evaporates, the remaining solution becomes more saturated with sugar, and the water must force the sugar out. The sugar molecules will collect on the string, forming your rock candy crystals.[20]
- Tape the pencil to the jar to keep it from rolling or moving while your crystals form.[21]
- Place the glass somewhere safe, where it will remain undisturbed. For the biggest crystals, look for a cool, dark space, where the water will evaporate slowly, giving the crystals lots of time to grow.[22]
- If you want to grow crystals quickly, but don't care if they get big, put the glass in a sunny spot so that the water evaporates quickly.[23]
- Vibrations can negatively affect your crystal growth. Keep your glass off the ground (and away form the vibrations of people walking on the floor) and away from sources of music or noise, like a stereo or television.[24]
- Wait one week for crystals to form. Don't touch or tap the glass, or you may disturb the crystal growth and even cause some to fall off the string. After a week you should see big, smooth crystals on the string.[25]
- Carefully remove the string from the solution and lay it on wax paper to dry. Snip the paperclip off with scissors.
- If the rock candy is stuck to the glass, run some hot water on the bottom of the glass. This should loosen the sugar enough so that you can pull your candy out without damaging it.[26]
EditMaking Rock Candy on a Stick - Wet a skewer or popsicle stick with water and roll it in granulated sugar. The granulated sugar will become seed crystals, which give the dissolved sugar something to cling to and a point at which to start crystallizing.[27] The seed crystals make it easier for the rock candy to grow and may speed up the process by giving crystalizing sugar an easy target for attachment.
- Allow the skewers to dry completely before proceeding to the next step. If the sugar isn't firmly stuck to the wood, it may fall off in the glass and the crystallization will occur on the sugar on the bottom of the glass and not on your skewer.[28]
- Hold the skewer in the middle of the glass so that it is not touching the sides and the tip does not touch the bottom of the glass. If the skewer touches the glass, it may impede the crystal growth, or your stick of rock candy may get stuck to the bottom or sides.[29]
- Try to keep the tip of the skewer about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the bottom of the glass.[30]
- Pinch the dry end of the skewer with the clothespin and rest the clothespin across the top of the glass. The skewer should be pinched in the middle of the clothespin, as close to the spring as possible.[31] You can use an extra large clothes pin if the glass has a wide mouth.
- Your skewer should be held securely by the clothespin and still be in the very center of the glass.
- Cover the glass with a paper towel. You can tear a little hole for the skewer to poke through the towel.
- Place the glass somewhere safe, where it will remain undisturbed. Music, television, or lots of activity can cause vibrations that may disturb your crystals or cause them to fall off the stick. For the best growth, store the glass in a cool or room-temperature spot away from noise and lots of foot traffic.[32]
- Wait one to two weeks for your rock candy to be ready. Resist the urge to touch or tap the glass, as this could knock your crystals off the stick. [33] When you are happy with the amount of crystals (or they just don't seem to be growing any bigger), carefully remove the skewer and rest it on wax paper to dry.
- If there is a crust on top of the surface of the water, use a butter knife to gently break through the crystals, avoiding the crystals near your skewer.[34]
- If the rock candy is stuck to the glass, run some hot water on the bottom of the glass. This should loosen the sugar enough so that you can pull your candy out without damaging it.[35]
- Finished.
- This recipe could be useful as a science fair project or science experiment.
- If you do not see any crystals growing on the string after a day or so, remove the pencil and string, boil the water again, and try to mix in more sugar. If more sugar does mix in, you did not add enough when you were mixing in the sugar at the beginning. You can start again with the now fully-saturated solution.
- Don't add too little sugar or too much to your rock candy because it won't grow.
- This recipe may take longer than expected so patience may be needed.
- When making rock candy in the microwave, ensure you watch the syrup closely as it may tend to boil over.
- Make sure that you keep the handle on the pot away from you so that you can't bump into it and spill boiling sugar onto yourself.
- Do not mess with the jar or put your fingers in it. This disrupts the forming process of the crystalline structure. It may not prevent it from working, but it will hinder the progress of the crystal growth.
EditThings You'll Need EditSugar Solution - Pot or saucepan
- Wooden spoon
EditRock Candy on a String - Popsicle stick, wooden skewer, butter knife or pencil
- String
- Paper clip or washer
- Tall, narrow jar or glass (not plastic)
EditRock Candy on a Stick - Skewer or popsicle stick
- Clothes pin
- Tall, narrow jar or glass (not plastic)
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