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2 weeks ago | 
cottagelife.com | Jackie Davis
We got this weird green stuff in our lake this year. What is it?—Name Withheld, via emailWithout analyzing a sample under a microscope, it’s impossible to know for sure, but the experts we asked all believe that it’s likely filamentous green algae. Don’t panic: filamentous green algae—composed of hair-like strands that accumulate in floating “mats”—isn’t necessarily dangerous.
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3 weeks ago | 
cottagelife.com | Jackie Davis
Is it true that you should wear gloves when setting mouse traps? (Or the mice will smell you on the traps and therefore, avoid them?)—Wilhelmina Joseph, via emailIt’s at least half true. “Wearing gloves is important for hygiene reasons,” says Nate Robertson of Robertson Wildlife and Pest Control in Coldwater, Ont. Rodents carry disease. And if you’re reusing snap traps, your fingers could be getting up close and personal with their bodily fluids.
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3 weeks ago | 
cottagelife.com | Jackie Davis
I belong to a road association. We’ve been told that the group should have insurance. Is that a requirement in Ontario?—Francine St. Clair, via emailNo. But it’s a good idea. At the very least, “a road association really should have a general liability policy,” says Catherine Perkins, an insurance advisor with The Shepherd Group in Vaughan, Ont.
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1 month ago | 
cottagelife.com | Jackie Davis
We have a man-made frog pond at our cottage, which has been home to many frogs since we bought our place in 2007. This year, we arrived in the spring to find the water murky, with green slime floating on top. There are no frogs to be found. We have never done maintenance of any kind from year to year, but I did trim out some cedars that were filling in too close to the pond.
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2 months ago | 
cottagelife.com | Jackie Davis
How can you deter porcupines from eating siding? Is one material less attractive to them than another?—Mike D., Manitoulin Island, Ont. We can tell you which siding material is most attractive to them: plywood. “Porcupines are herbivores,” says Franco Mariotti, a biologist who worked for 32 years at Science North in Sudbury, Ont.
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2 months ago | 
cottagelife.com | Jackie Davis
When it comes to winter clothing, does the colour of the outer layer have any effect on heat emissivity? For example, is white a better colour than black?—George Waters, via emailWe understand why you’re asking the question. “Everyone knows that in the summer, wearing white is better than wearing black,” says Stephen Morris, a professor emeritus in the department of physics at the University of Toronto. But that’s because dark colours absorb more heat than light colours.
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2 months ago | 
cottagelife.com | Jackie Davis
We use solar power. One circuit appears to have become weather-sensitive. It works when the weather is warm, but conks out in the cold. What’s happening? Can I fix it?—Gerry Dust, via emailThere are a number of issues that could be causing the problem, but Francois Byrne, the CEO of Hybrid Power Solutions in Etobicoke, Ont., thinks that an increase in power demand is the culprit. Multiple heat sources are probably plugged into the same circuit.
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2 months ago | 
cottagelife.com | Jackie Davis
I own a cottage on Lake Nipissing and would prefer one closer to Ottawa, where I live. I would like to know if there are cottage owners in the Ottawa area who, like me, would prefer a cottage closer to their home or family in the North Bay/Sudbury area, and may be interested in a cottage trade. Do any real estate agencies offer this typeof service?—Jean-Guy Hardy, via email No real estate expert that we asked could give us any leads on an agency that specializes in such a service.
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Jan 18, 2025 | 
cottagelife.com | Jackie Davis
Why is it that when people come in from outside when it’s really cold out, they have that cold “smell”?—Edith Baker, via emailA: “That is a strange question,” says David Phillips, an emeritus climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. (Um, we’ve answered much stranger questions, David. You need to read more Cottage Q&A.) The smell of cold is actually more like the absence of smell. Why? Odour molecules travel faster and farther in warm air than they do in cold air.
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Jan 10, 2025 | 
cottagelife.com | Jackie Davis
It’s a question that’s puzzled amphibian enthusiasts for some time: why can certain species of frog appear to walk on water, or even leap from its surface as if jumping from land? New research published in The Journal of Experimental Biology may hold the answer.
