DEAR SUN SPOTS: I’ve been told that this summer is a bad one for fleas and ticks. I need help. If there is anyone there who has ever had them in their bed and overstuffed chairs.

They say the chemistry in your body calls them. I would like to hear from anyone who has been bothered with them crawling over them at night. — No Name, No Town

ANSWER: Ticks are probably not your problem. They only crawl on you long enough to get a good bite, and then settle in to drink your blood.

You could have a flea problem, but if so and they are in your bed and chairs, then your entire home is most likely infested. Sun Spots has never heard of them being drawn to particular people by body chemistry the way mosquitoes are.

Do you have pets? If so, they will need to have flea treatments. The spot-on products work astonishingly well, but they must be used properly. Dog products used on cats can kill them. Ask your veterinarian for a recommondation.

Once pets are treated, it’s time to bring in the exterminator. You can buy flea bombs and do it yourself, but fleas are tough to get rid of and you will probably have to do it several times and even then not have the problem conquered.

Plus, if the problem is not fleas but bedbugs or some other pest, you will have wasted all that time, effort and money.

Sun Spots thinks you should call in a professional for a consultation and cost estimate.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I wrote about six weeks ago and did not get an answer. My questions were is Sharon Rose married to Chris Rose? If so, how many children do they have? — No Name, No Town

ANSWER: Sun Spots didn’t answer your question for two reasons. The first is that you failed to identify yourself. You must supply a name and address or email. Sun Spots will withhold those from the column if asked, but she has to have them.

The second reason is that she is no longer answering personal questions about local TV personalities. The last couple of times she asked those questions, the persons involved requested their personal information not be revealed in the newspaper. Any celebrity, even a local one, expects a certain loss of privacy, but one person had had a rather scary episode and said she didn’t want her name in the column.

All the local TV stations provide some basic information online about their newscasting teams, such as where they went to school and their work experience. If asked, Sun Spots will repeat that information or other information published online, but not more personal details about their families.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Is there a way I can go back over the years and find an obituary? I am trying to find some for a class reunion book I am making. Can I put in a name and come up with a date they passed? — Pam Peterson, frogger495@aol.com

ANSWER: That would depend largely on whether an obituary was run in the Sun Journal. Not every family decides to run one. If they did and the death was fairly recent (less than 10 years), you should be able to find it at sunjournal.com. There are some gaps, but most should be available.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: The Greater Androscoggin Humane Society and Alley Cats L/A will be having our third annual giant yard sale on Saturday, July 21, at 55 Strawberry Ave. in Lewiston. If you have good stuff you would like to donate, please call me. All proceeds will benefit the Humane Society’s spay/neuter programs. Thank you so much! — Melanie Bolduc, gerardbold@oxfordnetworks.net, 784-1553

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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