Not all bee species are beneficial, however. Carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.) are quite different from the garden bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and common honeybees (Apis spp.) that are so important for plant pollination. Carpenter bees are so-named for their nesting behavior, which involves burrowing into dead wood material, which can include the structural wood in homes and other buildings. Carpenter bees are a type of bee that should be combated when you find them, but you can’t do this unless you first identify them....

One of the best looks in kitchen and bathroom design is the full-wall sheet backsplash, often built from laminate countertop materials. It is the logical end result in backsplash evolution. Seamless, smooth, and often a solid color, it is better than any other backsplash material at protecting walls and at facilitating clean up. Increasingly found in designer kitchens, it is practically a staple of any type of kitchen that aspires to an ultra-modern, sleek style....

Each bagua area has attributes associated with it. You can activate a gua by bringing in the color, element or shape. Here’s a quick overview of each bagua area and its related qualities. Note: Most feng shui schools use the same bagua as described here, including BTB, Flying Stars, and the Classical or Western feng shui schools. What differs from school to school is the application of the bagua on a floor plan....

The Leesa twin mattress takes the weaknesses of traditional memory foam mattresses — namely lack of circulation and sinking — and turns them on their head. A tri-layered foam design provides breathability along with the support that some memory foam models seriously lack. We wanted to see if this mattress held up to its promises and whether or not it was truly suited to all sleep styles. Keep reading to see our take on Leesa’s popular bed-in-a-box offering....

World’s Best Places to Live The London-based Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveability Index, is based on a worldwide search for the best places to live and visit. Looking at 40 different indicators arranged in five separate categories, including stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure, EIU publishes some interesting findings. In 2018’s list, Canadian cities ranked highly, as usual, with three cities in the top 10. Former #1, Melbourne, Australia, lost its top spot after seven years to Vienna, Austria, which won by less than a point....

I’m a nature lover, but I like to keep nature outside. My new house has had a series of unwelcome visitors, including moths. Enter Moth Prevention Moth Traps, which are designed to draw in adult male moths, trapping them before they breed. The company claims that its traps are proven to have the best catch rates for clothes moths and textile moths on the market—and they’re supposedly safer than competitor products, too....

These evergreen trees feature either fan-shaped (palmate) or feather-shaped (pinnate) compound leaves, or fronds. Palmate leaves—also known as fan palm leaves—have leaflets that radiate from the leaf’s base. More of the cold-hardy palms have palmate leaves. Pinnates, aka feather palm leaves, have two rows of leaflets on each side of a stem. We’ve researched palm trees to come up with some of the best ones for residential landscapes. One thing they have in common: they aren’t the giant palms that line boulevards or glamorize casino entrances....

Over the years particle board has gotten a pretty bad rap and in general, there is a negative connotation surrounding it because of how older cabinets turned to mush with when they got wet from leaky plumbing. Luckily particleboard has come a long way since the 60’s and 70’s. There are different grades of particleboard. The best is termed as furniture board because it is furniture grade. Fine and strong, particleboard holds a screw better than plywood because it is denser and the material is not as vulnerable to expansion and contraction....

Never ones to ignore an oncoming trend, we asked the experts how to incorporate this increasingly popular aesthetic into our own decor. Read on for their tips for trying pearlcore at home. Start Small As Sahar Saffari, interior designer at Hi-Spec Design, explains, this is a trend that works best in moderation. “Pearl detail works best as a minimal trend, and the biggest trick is to not overdo it,” she says....

There’s a lot to love about smart home products and accessories. Every year, there’s something new on that market that promises to make our home lives a little easier. Is the higher cost per lightbulb worth it for me to turn lights on and off with my phone or a voice command? I tested a four-pack of Philips Hue White LED Smart Bulbs to see if they are a worthy addition to my home....

It happens all the time—and it can be big business on the black market. Plants ripped from public land can sell for thousands of dollars on the open market. Let’s look at a few of the plants experts say are the most poached in the US, and what this plundering means for the world around us. Saguaro Cactus When people think of cacti, this is often the first one that comes to mind....

Contrary to its name, stainless steel will stain. Have you ever heard the saying about stainless steel sinks that goes: “It’s not stainless. It just stains less.” The bright side is that the stains can be scrubbed out. Gauge numbers in this guide (18-gauge, 22-gauges, etc.) refer to the thickness of the steel. Lower numbers mean thicker steel. You’ll find a few 16-gauge steel sinks (though this number is increasing as more people get on the stainless steel bandwagon)....

Shower doors are one of the toughest bathroom areas to keep clean. Eliminating hard water stains and soap residue takes muscle power and either a cadre of chemicals or abrasives to keep your shower doors sparkling and clear. Accordingly, there are a slew of cleaners that target these hard-to-clean stains. We picked up a bottle of Rain-X Shower Door X-treme Clean, a chemical cleaner with some serious muscle, to see if it could work some magic in our bathroom....

Goodyera plant appearance varies among the species, though they do share many traits in common. The elliptic, medium to dark green leaves of these perennial plants grow in a loose rosette at the orchid’s base. The leaves sometimes have white or light green markings. The flower stalk raises from that rosette and bears clusters of tiny, usually white (or white with some green or brown), often fragrant flowers. Fine, slightly sticky hairs cover the flower stalk....

Further, most of these species are primarily either lithophytic (growing on rocks) or epiphytic (growing on trees) rather than terrestrial plants that grow in soil. When grown as houseplants, however, they are usually grown indoors in a cactus potting mix as hanging or draping plants. It is rare to grow them as garden plants, though a potted Rhipsalis can be moved outdoors in summer to a patio or deck that’s out of the direct sunlight....

Floor sanders are special tools designed for floor use only. Most homeowners will not have these types of sanders in their workshops. However, it is not necessary to purchase these expensive pieces of equipment. Most of the sanders can be rented at a local tool rental yard or at some home centers that have a rental section. Drum Floor Sander A drum sander is a large, heavy belt sander. The user operates the drum sander while standing up....