Today Postbulletin.com published a short article with some tips to keep your lawn green, whether its is sunny or cloudy, dry or moist outside. A local lawn expert says you should water each section of your lawn for only 15 minutes each day. The soil can only absorb so much water and after 15 minutes, the water will just wash away the soils nutrients. The best time to water your lawn is between 6 am and 8 am. A common problem homeowners do is cut their lawn too short. Cutting your lawn too short will stress the grass. You should keep your lawn 3 to 4 inches tall. By keeping your grass at this height, it will shade the ground so it will not dry up. JP McHale is a New York lawn care company and for more information on how JP McHale can help you protect your lawn, visit our tree and turf department or contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, twitter, or facebook.
Today, BostonHerald.com posted an article that explains how many trees in the Boston area are in danger from Asian longhorn beetles. The beetles were first seen in Worchester, MA when an invasion caused the city millions of dollars to repair and over 20,000 trees to be cut down. The beetles now have been killing hundreds of trees around the Boston area after a recent invasion. The adults will lay their eggs inside of the tree, usually elm or maple trees, then the eggs will hatch and the babies will eat the wood to get out of the tree. Asian longhorn beetles are shiny and black, with white dots on them. They can grow up to an inch long. The beetles could potentially cause $41 billion dollars of damage nationwide. The beetles are not harmful to humans, but the lumber and maple syrup industries could be hit badly. This case is very similar to the Emerald Ash Borer found in New York, destroying trees here. JPMcHale is one of the leading pest control companies in Westchester, New York.
The New York Daily News published a breaking story today about the outbreak of the Emerald Ash Borer. The Emerald Ash Borer is only ½ inch long but can cause destruction to a whole forest. The Emerald Ash Borer is a small insect who feeds on the inside of ash trees, ultimately killing the trees. They appear to be a shiny green/blue and have a thin body. Emerald Ash Borers leave behind a D like hole in trees, but often hard to spot. There is said to be over 900 million ash trees in New York and the rise of these insects can cause a major problem. The feds decided once they realized 39 trees were already dead in Cattaraugus County that they need to act on this matter immediately. The feds decided to set up 9,800 traps to catch the insects throughout New York in 42 counties, but none in New York City. They want to kill the insects where they will be in large numbers. The Emerald Ash Borer was first discovered in Asia and seen in the United States in 2002. The insects are very hard to spot, however, so you cannot detect where they are until ash trees start to die. A big infestation of these insects can cost the government millions of dollars to treat, so the government is hoping they can solve this problem quickly. If you are concerned about your lawn and trees, contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, twitter, facebook, or live chat.
Yesterday President Obama gave a presidential address to try and solve an ongoing Wall Street battle. As he began to address the audience, a small rodent ran across in-front of the podium. Some photographers snapped a photo of it but questions of what kind of rodent it was began to be discussed. A wildlife biologist, Russell Link, identified the rodent as a vole, which is commonly referred to as a meadow mouse. The vole ran from one bush, across the steps where Obama was, and into another bush. It is not clear whether the president saw the rodent or not, but minutes later he went into his office without answering questions. Workers at the White House said this was not the first sighting of a rodent appearing at a president address; surprisingly the same rodent appeared the week before when camera crews were setting up for a previous presidential address. The White House was originally built on swamp, so there is no surprise that rodents are an issue. Voles are usually found in grassy areas and underground burrows. Voles rummage though the ground, uprooting grass, causing destruction to your lawn. If you have a vole problem or any other rodent problems contact JP McHale by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, facebook, twitter, or visit us on our website.
A local Fox news station, based in Milwaukee, WI, posted a segment on how the rainy May weather brings in unwanted Carpenter ants. The warm weather paired with rain triggers Carpenter ants to be active and start hollowing out wood. During the night are when most ants are active, but you will still see some during the day. Usually if you see one walking around in your house, there most likely is a colony somewhere else. Ants are known to travel up to 300 ft. away from their nest to find food, so if you see an ant walking around there are many possibilities where the nest is stationed. Carpenter ants usually come in through cracks in windows and doors, and nest around where water is near. Make sure none of your appliances (tubs, sinks, and dishwashers) are leaking and seal all doors and windows to prevent ants from nesting in your home. If it is rainy one day, the following few days are when you will find most Carpenter ants walking around. Surprisingly, Carpenter ants do not eat wood, but they hollow into the wet wood to nest and lay eggs. Be alarmed, especially in the rainy seasons, for Carpenter ants to be active. If you see them in your house make sure you take action because even though they are small, they can do major damage to your home. If you see Carpenter ants in or around your house, notify JP McHale Pest Management for ways to prevent Carpenter Ants or contact us at our phone 800-479-2284, email, twitter, live chat, facebook, or website. Make sure to remember an umbrella!
The following article is from Jim Beadman. Jim is the Managing Director of Construction Chemicals UK Ltd, who are experts in their field – from basement conversions for the serious renovator to DIY timber treatment products for protecting your home from insects and mold. With depots around the UK and an in-house chemistry specialist, they are the ideal partners for anyone wishing to undertake a renovation project, amateur or professional. When Jim isn’t working full-time helping people to transform their homes, he uses his experience to create articles which can be found around the Internet and organizes charity events from his home in Leicestershire, UK.
While looking at damage to wooden furniture, it may appear that wood has simply grown old and started to decay over time. Without proper maintenance of wooden furniture, this possibility is not unlikely, yet woodworm or other insect infestation may be the real cause of the damage. There are a number of ways to deal with a woodworm infestation, while the methods of prevention are just as easy to handle and will offer peace of mind to any homeowner. In addition, installing wood in any area of your home should be accompanied by certain measures.
Maintaining Furniture Will Help Prevent an Infestation
Most experts in the field point to maintenance as one of the best ways to avoid having a problem with wood-boring beetles like woodworm. For some types of insects, damp wood is the target, so it is important to keep on eye on furnishings and floors when maintaining a home in medium-to-damp climate. Finishing all types of wood in your home is a good way to keep the surfaces dry and woodworm and other beetles out. Homeowners have to be careful of rafters and older flooring, which is usually unfinished. Otherwise, when seeing a change in the color or texture of some piece of wooden furniture, the way to react is by re-finishing the surface as soon as possible.
Methods of Treatment upon Noticing an Infestation
Once you notice the deterioration of some piece of wooden furniture or flooring, the time to act has arrived. The process should begin by identifying the type of insect causing damage to the wood. Each different insect will have a specific treatment recommended. Sprays and coatings for the common furniture beetles are widely available, though removal of the wood pieces may be advisable as well. The decision to spray an insecticide fog into the exposed areas may also appeal to a homeowner, though this method will introduce a lot of chemical material into the home. To make sure the right plan of action is followed, a manual which helps identify the type of insect should be consulted. Once the infestation is properly identified, the timber treatment should begin immediately to avoid further damage.
Methods of Prevention when Starting from Scratch
Many homeowners will consider how to protect hard woods years into the future when installing flooring or shelves. The best way to avoid infestations is planning from the very beginning. Borates can be applied to wooden pieces to keep the surface protected and unappealing to wood-boring insects. Even unfinished pieces of wood will benefit now and in the future from a borate treatment.
The same approach can be taken to soft wood substances, including floor joists and the studs present in any wall. Once woodworm gets into wall studs, damage can turn from moderate to severe in a very short time. Replacing the pieces of damaged wood should be handled right away, while treatments of all other pieces of soft wood in the vicinity should be given a borate treatment. Check back on these areas shortly after applying treatment to see if the infestation has been properly addressed.
The Asian long-horned beetle, a species of beetles that originates from Asia, has made an appearance in Worcester, Massachusetts. The beetle was first sighted in the Massachusetts area back in 2008. However, despite this sighting, it is very rare for the beetle to be present in Massachusetts. It has been linked mostly to New York and the Chicago area. It is believed that the beetle made its way to America on a cargo shipment from China years ago. It was first spotted in New York in 1996. This isn’t the first time the beetle has been in Massachusetts before, it killed 18,000 trees in Worcester.
The beetle’s favorite type of tree is maple, however, it will go after hardwood trees including the birch and elm trees. The beetle is a huge threat to the nursery and development of these types of trees. Also, it can be a threat to ruin state forests, state parks and state trees. These beetles are usually seen from the late spring to the fall depending on what the weather is like. The problem with these beetles is that there is no chemical way to control these pests. They have very few natural predators in America, being indigenous to Asia. Officials are adamant that if you see this pest, to report it at once. Once they locate them, they will have to cut down all infected trees, chip them and burn them. This is a preventative way to stop the beetle. They are trying to prevent what happened in Worcester from happening in Bedford.
Q. I hear rodent activity spikes this time of the year, how do I protect my house from rodent activity?
Answer: As colder months come up on us, rodents will seek into warmer areas. It is important you examine potential avenues of entry around your house to exclude these commensal creatures. Openings around garage doors, pipe chasings and foundation cracks can provide access. Seal these openings! Establishing bird houses or feeding bread to birds within 25 feet of your home will attract rodent activity. Do not store bird feed, dry dog food or any other type of feed in bags. Transfer the contents of these products into plastic storage bins if kept under your sinks or in basement areas.
As winter nears, your home needs the protection of a full service pest solutions program.
Q. How do I best prepare my plants, arbors and shrubs for the blustery winter months ahead?
Answer: Winter temperatures and weather can wreak havoc on your arbors. Deep root fertilization aerates the soil and constructs a pathway of vitamins and nutrients directly to your arbor’s root system. Your trees and shrubs will retain these essential nutrients in its root system, pulling it from them when required, for early spring growth.
Q .What are the benefits of lime applications to my lawn?
Answer: Weeds grow best in acidic soil while grass benefits from a neutral base. Lime neutralizes the soil ph and mitigates any adverse reactions to organic fertilizer. Making a long story short, healthy soil leads to healthy grass. Healthy grass combats weed development. You cannot get any greener than that!
“There’s no weapon like experience.” JP McHale Pest Management Inc. is a family owned and operated pest management company since 1971, we are one of the top 50 largest pest control companies in the United States. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about the services we offer.
Alberta, one of the ten provinces in Canada, is receiving $10 million from the federal government in order to help contain the outbreak of mountain pine beetles. The beetle’s carry a fungus that causes the pine trees to turn red and eventually kills them. The province has already committed $25 million on the problem in the past year and $200 million since 2006.
According to Conservative MP Rob Merrifield, the outbreak “came in on a thermal or in the jet streams in July, which infested our forests in a way in these last 90 days that was unexpected. It has thrown urgency into … the issue of the pine beetle in Alberta, and because of that, we have to accelerate what we do to be able to deal with it.” Merrifield also explained that the outbreak is threatening Alberta’s $9 billion forest industry and the 38,000 jobs in it.
The mountain pine beetles have already harmed thousands of acres of forest in British Columbia. According to Ted Morton, minister of sustainable resource development for Alberta, “British Columbia has lost half of its marketable pine.”
1. Why should I aerate my lawn at this time of the year?
This is the optimum time to set your lawn up for success next spring. Aerating your lawnscape will relieve soil compaction and break down the barrier of thatch resting between soil and new grass seedlings. This exercise will make soil more receptive to water, and essential nutrients, simultaneously expanding root growth.
2. What is the most effective way to prevent wind burn or halt winter damage to my evergreen trees?
Applying an anti-dessicant application to your conifer trees will give the needles a healthy shine, while assisting your arbors in retaining important moisture levels. This environmentally sound, wax based product, seamlessly melts off in spring when your plants are ready to commence the growing season.
3. How do I best prepare my plants, arbors and shrubs for the blistering winter months ahead?
Winter temperatures and weather can wreak havoc on your arbors. Deep root fertilization aerates the soil and constructs a pathway of vitamins and nutrients directly to your arbor’s root system. Your trees and shrubs will retain these essential nutrients, in its root system, pulling from them when required, for early spring growth.
4. Describe the benefits associated with Lime applications to my lawn.
Weeds grow best in acidic soil while grass benefits from a neutral base. Lime neutralizes the soil ph and mitigates any adverse reactions to organic fertilizer applications. Neutral soil optimizes the effects of organic fertilizer. Making a long story short, healthy soil leads to healthy grass. Health grass combats weed development. You cannot get any greener than that!
5. I hear rodent activity spikes this time of the year. How do I protect my house from rodent activity?
As cooler months come upon us rodents will seek entry into warmer areas. It is important you examine potential avenues of entry around your house to exclude these commensal creatures. Openings around garage doors, pipe chasings and foundation cracks can provide access. Seal these openings! Establishing bird houses or feeding bread to birds within 25 feet of your home will attract rodent activity. Do not store bird feed, dry dog food or any other type of feed in bags. Transfer the contents of these products into plastic storage bins if kept under your sink or in basement areas.
Please contact us if you are interested in any of our services. We service New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
The soil can only absorb so much water and after 15 minutes, the water will just wash away the soils nutrients. The best time to water your lawn is between 6 am and 8 am. A common problem homeowners do is cut their lawn too short. Cutting your lawn too short will stress the grass. You should keep your lawn 3 to 4 inches tall. By keeping your grass at this height, it will shade the ground so it will not dry up. JP McHale is a New York lawn care company and for more information on how JP McHale can help you protect your lawn, visit our tree and turf department or contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, twitter, or facebook.
Q. I hear rodent activity spikes this time of the year, how do I protect my house from rodent activity?
Alberta, one of the ten provinces in Canada, is receiving $10 million from the federal government in order to help contain the outbreak of mountain pine beetles. The beetle’s carry a fungus that causes the pine trees to turn red and eventually kills them. The province has already committed $25 million on the problem in the past year and $200 million since 2006.
1. Why should I aerate my lawn at this time of the year?
5. I hear rodent activity spikes this time of the year. How do I protect my house from rodent activity?
