Healthy Green Beings November 2014
Welcome to the final edition of Healthy Green Beings for 2014. This edition will be focusing
on different ways of keeping safe in the heat. On behalf of the Community Health Team we
would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!
Food safety in the heat
With the weather warming up and the Christmas festivities almost here, ensure the food you
cook and serve to your family and friends this Christmas is safe and free from any
contamination.
Food poisoning is very common but can easily be prevented by storing, handling, and
cooking food properly. Some foods do carry a higher risk for contamination and some people
are more susceptible to food poisoning, like the elderly, young children or babies, pregnant
women and anyone with a pre-existing illness. It is important to recognise the higher risk
foods, and ways in which to properly store, handle and cook your food.
Foods that are contaminated may actually look, smell and taste perfectly normal but they in
fact contain pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter. It can take as
little as a half an hour to a few hours for sufficient amounts of these pathogens to breed and
cause food poisoning.
High-risk foods can include the following:
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Meat
Poultry- chicken and turkey
Dairy products
Eggs
Smallgoods such as salami and other cured meats including your Christmas ham
Seafood
Cooked rice
Cooked pasta
Prepared salads such as coleslaw, pasta salads and rice salads
Prepared fruit salads
If any of these foods are contaminated it can cause an individual to suffer mild or severe
nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, fever and/or headaches. In the case of
vulnerable people, some pathogens can potentially cause miscarriages or other serious
illnesses.
Keep stored food out of harm’s way by ensuring your fridge and freezer are at appropriate
temperatures.
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Separate raw food from cooked food, and store raw food at the bottom of the fridge
to avoid juices dripping onto and contaminating other food
Check your fridge temperature is below 5°C and your freezer temperature is below
-15°C
Allow cooked foods to cool to room temperature (about 21oC) before storing in the
refrigerator. (This should not take more than 2 hours –cooling will be quicker if you
put the hot food into a number of smaller containers rather than leaving it in one large
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one.) This prevents the refrigerator temperature from rising and reduces the risk of
bacterial growth in all food stored in the fridge
Cover all food with lids, tin foil or plastic wrap
Don’t store food in opened tin cans
Thoroughly wash your hands by using warm water, liquid antibacterial soap and
paper towels
Use separate utensils for raw foods and ready-to-eat foods
Do not purchase foods past their use by date
If in doubt, throw it out!
The Victorian Department of Health has developed a short video about safe food practices in
the home: http://www.health.vic.gov.au/foodsafety/eat-safe.htm
For for any other information on food safety in the home visit
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/foodsafety/home/athome.htm
Bee on the look out!
As it warms up, you will probably start noticing the insects coming out to play, in particular
bees!
With spring in full swing, plant flowering will begin, and you may see the bees take wing!
Spring brings an abundance of flowers and after the cold hard months of winter, the
industrious honey bees will make the most of the opportunity and produce more honey.
More flowers mean more honey, and more honey means more bees.
Overcrowding in bee hives triggers drone bees to choose a couple of larvae to become new
queens. At the same time the drones stop feeding the queen and she beings to lose weight.
That weight loss helps her out when a few days later she flies off in search for a new home
(and no doubt a decent feed!).
When a queen leaves she usually takes about 60% of the bee colony with her. This is called
a swarm and swarms are very common at this time of the year.
Swarms are made of clusters of bees and range in size from a cricket ball to a football. They
are usually found within a couple of metres of the original hive and move on as soon as the
scout bees find a new, suitable home.
While swarming, bees use their body-heat to keep the queen warm. This means a swarm
will be smaller and huddled closer for warmth on cold days and larger on hot days when they
use their wings to move cool air past the queen. Staying close also helps protect the queen
from predators.
Bees are an important part of Australia’s ecosystem. With that it in mind the Council will
investigate reports of hives on Council land to determine whether they might pose a risk to
public health.
If they do, Council will contact an apiarist (bee keeper) to attempt to relocate them. Please
keep in mind that Council will not displace bees on private land.
If you see a bee swarm, don’t panic! Even when swarming, honey bees are quite placid and
even though they might be alarming, they are very rarely aggressive.
Bee careful though! The European wasp is an introduced species that looks quite similar to
the honey bee except it is quieter and usually a brighter yellow.
Unlike bees, wasps only swarm in defence of their hive and are quite dangerous when they
do so as they can sting repeatedly. If you find a wasp nest on Council land keep your
distance and report it so Council can engage the services of a qualified Pest Control
Operator.
Here are some handy tips to prevent and reduce bees and wasps from bothering you this
summer:
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Seal entry points. Searching for and sealing off their point of entry is the best line of
defence to prevent them from entering your home. Check your home for unsealed
vents, torn screens, cracks around windows and door frames. Observing the flight
path of the bee/wasp, especially in the morning can reveal the entry/exit point.
Remove food sources. Any food that is left outdoors, including pet food, open
garbage bins or uncovered compost piles should be removed or covered. Open cans
of soft drink, fruit juice, fallen apples beneath fruit trees and other sweet food sources
will attract bees/wasps. Ensure you cover drinks and open food containers, keep a lid
on the compost, avoid walking barefoot near fruit trees and remove any fallen fruit
rotting on the ground.
Avoid swatting. Swatting and squashing wasps is counterproductive. When a wasp is
squashed, a chemical (pheromone) is released which attracts and incites other
nearby wasps. Instead, walk away from a hovering wasp.
Avoid bright wearing bright colours. Bright or floral pattered clothing attracts bees
and wasps
Minimise strong scents. Bees and wasps are attracted to sweet smells, so if you’re
going to be at an outdoor function, its best to not wear perfume
Rake sand boxes. Sand boxes, when used infrequently, provide the loose, welldrained area that ground-nesting bees and wasps prefer. Thoroughly disturbing the
sand every couple of weeks should make the area unsuitable for tunnelling insects.
For further information visit http://www.amcoranger.com/avoid-getting-stung-bees-waspssummer/ and http://eartheasy.com/live_natwasp_control.htm
Keeping cool this summer
It’s been predicted that this coming summer is going to be a scorcher!
Here are some handy tips on how to keep yourself, your family, your home and your pets
cool this summer:
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Prevention is better than cure. Keep curtains and blinds closed during the day to
block the heat and direct sunlight
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Halogen lights, dishwashers, cooking appliances and dryers all produce heat. Avoid
using them during the hottest part of the day. Halogen lights are also worth replacing
to save energy
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Keep the family cool and hydrated by always keeping a jug of drinking water in the
fridge.
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Stay cool from the inside out. For cooling snacks, make yoghurt, juice or pureed fruit
icy-poles. Or put an icy pole stick into a fresh, ripe banana and freeze it.
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Soak your feet in cold water. Add some grated ginger and bicarb soda for extra
pampering
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Cool your caffeine. Try iced tea or an affogato, instead of hot tea or coffee.
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Electric fans create cooling air movement using minimal electricity. For extra cooling,
keep a spray bottle handy and regularly mist yourself with water.
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It's the best excuse you'll get to skip your lunchtime jog. Avoid excessive activity or
switch to exercising very early in the day or very late in the evening, when it is cooler.
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Make sure pets have adequate shade, ventilation and water. You might have to bring
them indoors for the day.
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If you have to venture outdoors, protect yourself from the sun's harmful UV rays by
covering up with light, loose clothing, a hat and sunscreen
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Escape the heat at air-conditioned cinemas, art galleries, libraries and other public
buildings.
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Some members of the public are more vulnerable to heat stress, including the elderly
and children. Always keep an eye on elderly family members and neighbours during
heatwaves.
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Never leave anything that has a heartbeat (animals, children) in a locked car, even
with the windows down. Temperatures inside cars can be as much as 20 to 30
degrees hotter than the outside temperature.
For further information visit,
http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2014/01/15/3925541.htm