Local Home Features

• TIP: Be a (Killer) Bee Survivor

  In summer we're outdoors a lot -- in the yard, on picnics, hiking and camping. Places where it's easy to accidentally disturb a beehive. It can be serious when bees attack in numbers. And, a new, tougher bee has evolved. These killer bees are spreading fast. They anger quicker, will chase you farther and sting many more times per incident. You can spot, avoid and survive killer bees the same way you do less-violent common honeybees. Fill open cracks with steel wool or caulk. Cover larger holes with window screen. Expect to find bees in holes in trees or in wood or rock piles, under picnic tables, in drain pipes, sheds and water meters. Watch for bee activity and listen for buzzing that tells a hive is near. Watch children and keep pets on a leash. If you are attacked don't flail, run or hide in a bush. Outdoors be careful and be a bee survivor. And that's the On The House tip for today.

• Your home could be featured here

  Do you have a house that you would like to showcase or a room that you would like to display?

• James and Morris Carey: Simple trick can make help you master paint technique

  For a long time, we searched for ways to paint multiple colors onto a single surface without that bleeding effect that ordinarily occurs with even the best painter's tape is used to mask and separate the various colors.

• How-to workshops

  Here's a look at upcoming home improvement workshops and clinics.

• Q&A with the Carey Brothers: Household item can keep pesky ants at bay

  QUESTION: I heard that boric acid can be used in the home to keep away carpenter ants. How do I use it? Melanie, Olympia, Wash.

• Family transforms barn into all-purpose gathering spot for live music, reunions and more

  Play a little music, talk to your friends or drink a spirit or two. All of it can be done at Twin Creeks Farms family barn, near Proctorville, Ohio, for a price.

• How-to workshops

  Click here for a look at upcoming home improvement workshops and clinics.

• Butch Carico: Using the moon to help you plant your garden

  Planting by the moon is an idea as old as agriculture. It's based both in folklore and superstition, but there are scientific ideas to back it up. The Earth is in a large gravitational field, influenced by both the sun and moon. The tides are highest at the time of the new and the full moon, when sun and moon are lined up with Earth. Just as the moon pulls the tides in the oceans, it also pulls upon the subtle bodies of water, causing moisture to rise in the earth, which encourages growth. The highest amount of moisture is in the soil at this time, and tests have proven that seeds will absorb the most water at the time of the full moon.

• It's not too early to start prepping your home for winter

  HUNTINGTON -- For many folks, August and September are like the beginning of a new year.

• Visual tricks help create relaxing garden retreat

  BURLINGTON, Ohio -- Any outdoor space takes plotting and planning to achieve a person's vision.