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10 years ago · by · 0 comments

Summer is a Good Time to Evaluate Your Insurance Coverage

Scurich Insurance Services, CA, SummerPeople are more active when the weather gets warm. They participate in more sports and recreational activities. Do you have the right type and amount of insurance to be well protected against all of the things that can go wrong?

During the winter there are not as many boats out on the lakes and waterways. When summer comes around, the level of recreational boating increases exponentially. If you own a boat or a jet ski and are planning on taking it out of storage and into the water, you need to buy insurance. You pretty much have all of the same risks when you operate a boat as you have when you operate a car. If you run your boat into a pier, insurance can cover the repairs. If your boat is stolen you will not suffer a huge financial loss. Most importantly, a boat insurance policy can cover valid liability claims should you cause property damage or personal injury to another person while operating your boat.

When the weather is good and the kids are out of school, people tend to drive more. They go to amusement parks, the beach and on family vacations. The roads are more crowded and you may want to have more than your state’s minimum required amount of automobile insurance. If you don’t already have it, consider adding collision, comprehensive, roadside service, towing, and rental car reimbursement to your auto policy.

People get more active when the weather is warm. Whether you are out surfing, playing soccer, hiking, or riding a bike, you could fall and get injured. If you break an arm or need medical attention for some other reason, it is important to make sure that you are covered by medical insurance.

Most summer activities are just fun and work out just fine. However, for those cases when the unexpected happens, you will be glad you bought insurance.

Content provided by Transformer Marketing.

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10 years ago · by · 0 comments

10 Ways To Avoid Tick Bites This Summer

Scurich Insurance Services, CA, TicksIt’s summertime, which means outdoor play, hiking, gardening — and tick bites. The creepy crawlies tend to latch on during the summer months and these arachnids are ubiquitous throughout the U.S.

But tick bites are more than just an annoying spring and summer nuisance. Each year, about 300,000 people in the U.S. catch Lyme disease, which is caused by bacteria, from a tick bite, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. Thousands more develop tick-borne diseases such as the malarialike disease babesiosis, the flulike anaplasmosis and the Heartland virus infection.

But people can take steps to avoid the nasty critters, beyond the old-standby advice to cover up and avoid tall grass, experts say. From wood chips to a quick ride in the dryer, here are 10 ways to avoid tick bites.

1. Repel the bugs

Insecticides can be used to repel ticks, said Thomas Mather, a public health entomologist at the University of Rhode Island, and the director of tickencounter.org. 

Permethrin, the insecticide found in antimalarial bed nets, kills adult ticks as well as those in their larval stage, called nymphs, which are the likeliest to harbor Lyme disease.

Ideally, people should buy permethrin-treated clothing, socks and shoes, Mather said.

By contrast, evidence suggests that the more common bug spray chemical, N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), isn’t useful against ticks.

“It’s not toxic to the ticks,” Mather told Live Science. “They still can scurry across a DEET-treated surface, and get to places where the DEET is not,” such as a warm human leg, he said.

2. Be vigilant at home

Hiking and camping aren’t the most common ways to catch a tick-borne disease, said Kirby Stafford III, the state entomologist at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and the author of the “Tick Management Handbook.”

“We estimate three-fourths of people pick up the ticks in activities in and around the home,” with children’s play and gardening being some of the riskiest activities, Stafford told Live Science.

Parents should also make sure to do tick checks on children when they come in, he said.

3. Stay in the sun

Tick nymphs have leaky cuticles, or outer covers, that rapidly lose moisture. As a result, they can’t survive in environments with lower than 80 percent humidity for more than eight hours, Mather said.

As a result, nymphs congregate in leaf piles in shady, humid environments, so sticking to sunny areas can reduce tick exposure, he said.

4. Change the landscape

Most ticks around homes stay within a few yards of the interface between the yard and a wooded area, Stafford said.

To keep the yard tick-free, use landscaping that deters mice, deer, woodchucks and other rodents that carry ticks, he said. People should also remove tick habitat such as leaf piles, shrubs and groundcover near the house. Play sets should be kept in the sun, away from the shade, he added.

Ticks won’t cross a barrier of wood chips placed around the yard’s perimeter, perhaps because the dry material makes them dry out too much, he said.

Read the entire list here.

Content provided by http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/14/avoid-tick-bites-summer_n_5474567.html?ir=Healthy+Living

 

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10 years ago · by · 0 comments

12 Cheap and Easy Summer Home Projects

Scurich Insurance Services, CA, Remodeled kitchenHomes take a beating on the outside, from wind, rain, sun, insects and snow. Summer gives you a chance to repair damage, protect your home and keep its face to the world looking bright.

Home maintenance is like housework, flossing and exercise: You might as well work it into your routine, because the penalties are worse than the jobs themselves.

Here’s just one example: Cleaning the gutters costs nothing if you do it yourself, and roughly $100 to $200 if you hire a service. Ignore the job, though, and a ruined roof or damaged foundation could cost you thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to repair. Here’s why:

Leaky or overflowing gutters can rot fascia boards (the roof edge under the gutters), soffits and rafters.
Water may drip onto window trim, rotting it.
Leaky gutters let water pool at the foundation, causing basement leaks, mold and even foundation damage.

1. Paint

Fresh paint doesn’t just make your home look great. It’s a protective skin against UV light and moisture.

Earth911 tells where to get free paint:

Many household hazardous waste (HHW) facilities around the country have product exchange rooms, sometimes called swap rooms or swap shops. These rooms offer safe, unopened HHW items for public consumption, keeping them out of the landfill and letting you save some money.

Call your city to ask about your local HHW facility. Other sources for cheap paint:

  • Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores (find one near you) sell “gently used” tools and supplies for home projects at low cost.
  • See EcoBusinessLinks’ national directory of recycled and surplus building materials and suppliers.
  • Search online for a city’s name and “salvaged building supplies” or “recycled building materials.”

2. Mulch

Laying a 1- to 3-inch layer of mulch on garden beds spares a lot of weeding. Mulch smothers weeds by depriving them of oxygen and light and it holds moisture in the soil, saving water and giving plants a consistent source of moisture.

Mulch includes many materials placed on the ground to prevent weeds from growing, including rocks, gravel and plastic. Leaves, grass clippings and tree bark are organic materials most often used on garden beds. Hay and straw also are used in vegetable gardens. Organic mulch breaks down into nutrients that feed plants.

Be careful in vegetable gardens to avoid mulch with pesticides, herbicides or other garden chemicals. Also, used incorrectly, mulch can damage or kill trees and ornamental plants by depriving them of oxygen, so leave a 3- to 5-inch space around stems of younger plants and give mature tree trunks eight to 12 inches. North Carolina State University’s Cooperative Extension Service explains how to safely use mulch.

Free or cheap sources of mulch:

  • Grass clippings. Let them cool down before mulching.
  • Raked leaves. Shred first with a shredder or lawn mower so air and moisture can reach the soil beneath.
  • Shredded wood or bark. Electric utility companies and tree services may have cheap or free wood chips or shredded bark. Also, some cities collect leaves and branches, chipping them for use by local residents.
  • Cardboard. Ask recycling centers and appliance stores for free cardboard. Wet it down, cut it to fit and place it around plants, covering with soil or bark mulch. This is best in wet climates where cardboard breaks down into the soil. WikiHow gives instructions on using cardboard and has more ideas for cheap mulch.

3. Seal wood decks

The cheap way to approach this job is to do it yourself. It’s not difficult, although it’s nice to have help. You’ll spend a couple hundred dollars on supplies and rented tools. Do it annually or every two to three years, depending where you live. Ignore the job long enough and you’ll need to replace the deck, at a cost of thousands of dollars.

Read the entire article here.

Read more at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2014/06/02/12-cheap-and-easy-summer-home-projects/#4f2LmYs5xjDE2Rbw.99

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10 years ago · by · 0 comments

Summer Party Liability Concerns

Scurich Insurance Services, CA, BackyardSummer is right around the corner, and with it comes a parade of graduations, barbecues, holidays and other gatherings with family and friends. Although summer parties are a source of excitement for most people, these get-togethers can also raise the risk of expensive liability claims.  Whether you are throwing a birthday party or hosting a Father’s Day picnic at your home, you never know when an accident could occur. As more people enter your home, the risk of someone sustaining an injury on your property increases dramatically. For example, if you are operating a grill during a summer barbecue, your guests could be burnt accidentally. Likewise, if you own a pool, guests could injure themselves diving in, or they could slip and fall on the wet ground next to the pool. If someone sustains an injury on your property, they may file a lawsuit against you in order to recover medical expenses and/or lost wages related to the injury. If you don’t have enough homeowners insurance coverage to pay the damages awarded to the individual in court, you will be forced to come up with the money on your own, which can lead to serious financial problems. In some cases, a large liability settlement could even require you to file bankruptcy or sell your home and other valuable assets in order to pay the amount you owe. If you are planning to host any parties this summer, review your homeowners insurance policy before you send out the invitations to ensure that you have the proper amount of liability coverage. If you discover that your coverage is lacking, consider investing in additional coverage to protect yourself against loss. If you aren’t sure whether your policy provides sufficient coverage, consult our office for guidance.

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Scurich Insurance Services
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Aptos, Ca 95003-4700

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Watsonville, CA 95077-1170

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