Or What are these red bugs on my patio?

Clover mites are small red plant feeders that are active when temperatures above freezing. Easy to spot moving on dark surfaces. They will be on foundation walls, and can end up inside, but do not reproduce or feed indoors. A lush landscape with fertilized lawn and plants will result in a very large clover mite population. Even though they are red in color, they do not feed on blood. Many people report seeing them on stone and concrete surfaces. They are very visible against dark colored stone and concrete. In addition, the temperature and moisture on stone and concrete surfaces are attractive to these red mites.

Normally structural pest control service is not recommended to control clover mites. In the unusual case that clover mites are overwhelming the occupants of a structure a perimeter application of insecticide can be used to reduce the numbers getting inside. Keeping vegetation off the structure and maintaining a drip edge of gravel around the foundation perimeter helps reduce the number of clover mites getting inside.

A treatment for subterranean termites will cost between $500 and $3200 dollars. There are four primary factors which impact pricing. They are location of service, size of structure treated, type of material used, and the complexity of the application.

Where work is performed impacts price. Termite pricing varies by region. In New England termite pricing varies even from state to state. Eastern Massachusetts labor costs are higher than Rhode Island leading to higher prices for termite control.

Second factor, the size of the structure. Subterranean termite service prices are based on linear feet treated. Linear feet is the perimeter of the structure. For example, a 25 x 35 Cape Cod style home has a 120 linear foot perimeter. Termites enter the structure by moving up the foundation to the wood structure. Treating the perimeter (or foundation wall) controls termite activity. Interior cracks, concrete cold seams or walls attached to slabs are drilled and treated. Add the length of those cracks, seams or walls to the foundation perimeter. Not included in the perimeter measurement is the garage door. No wood permanently attached to the foundation at that location. Two houses with the same square footage, but different perimeters will not be the same. For example the 25 x 35 Cape Cod style mentioned earlier may have a 1500 square foot living area over one and a half floors. A 35 x 40 ranch with a similar square foot living area has a perimeter of 150 feet. The twenty five percent larger perimeter results in a higher price.

The material used is the third factor that impacts price. Material costs vary depending on the type utilized. Baits are more expensive than liquid treatments. Manufacturers of baits have different systems that have different wholesale cost. For example, a monitor only bait system (where bait is added when termites are active) is cheaper than a system where active ingredients are used in each monitor. Liquid materials vary by the age the material has been on the market. Chemicals off patent protection and have that have competition from generic brands are cheaper than materials still under patent protection.

Application complexity is the toughest one to understand. To explain this, I will describe a straightforward termite application. It has on site water and power available. Off street parking is also available. Hard surfaces limited to front and back stairs. Decks and porches are accessible underneath, without debris and stored items against the structure. Interior drilling is into concrete without oil or water lines below the slab. No heat ducts in the slab. No well inside the foundation or within twenty five feet of the foundation wall. There is no french drain or sump pump. If the structure has any of those elements described above or lacks parking, water and power, the price must be increased for the additional time to complete functions and tasks to apply the termiticide correctly.

In conclusion, the price per linear foot for treating subterranean varies in eastern Massachusetts, but is normally (in 2021) between $7 and $12 per foot, with a minimum for smaller structures. The result is typical termite pricing in our area for a 25 x 35 Cape Cod style home $1080 to $1200 or more.

Spring seeding is not something we normally do. It is a common request, homeowners love to seed in the spring and professionals want to seed in August. The reason is in our area summer annual weeds like crabgrass will outcompete the cool season grasses we have in our area. To reduce crabgrass we apply a preemergent for summer annual weeds now that will last until the mid summer. If we seed bare dirt, those areas cannot have traditional preemergent.

Now, mid May is the time to apply a seed and soil mix over any bare spots. First, use a wheelbarrow to mix your seed soil mix. Select untreated topsoil or buy top soil. Use perennial ryegrass species of grass here in metro Boston for quick germination. Perennial ryegrass should germinate within 7 days. Mix starter fertilizer right into your seed soil mix. A ratio we use is one 40 lb of soil, then 16 lbs of seed and 1/2 pound of starter fertilizer. Then lay a thin 1/2 to 1 inch layer of the seed soil mix over the damaged areas you want to repair before summer. Keep the seed wet for the next month and monitor on hot days.

We use snap traps in pairs.  We normally set them in cardboard boxes.  The boxes are inviting to rodents and lead to more trapped rodents.  They also contain the trapped rodents to protect sensitive eyes from seeing the trapped rodents.  This post contains images of trapped rodents if you are sensitive to those images.  This box trap caught three mice.  Two mice were trapped in the same snap trap.  The third mouse was trapped on the adjacent trap.

What is causing the yellow and brown spots in my lawn? It is unusual in eastern Massachusetts to see turf injury in November. My initial reaction was a fungal disease. Looking at the margins of the injured areas the blades show symptoms similar to a disease, but without any characteristics to identify the disease.

This is the result of Chilling Injury. The symptoms show up on areas where it is sunny in the afternoon and has excellent air movement. It showed up all over Concord, Sudbury and Framingham over the past week. Reports came in beginning on Wednesday, Nov 4th and getting worse each day. Similar to winter burn in ornamentals, the cause is rapid dessication due to excessive transpiration. It is a rare injury to have here in New England. Chilling Injury is a condition I have never seen or heard of it before. I would still be trying to identify the disease if I had not received the update from UMASS detailing Chilling Injury. The contributing factors are sudden onset of cold temperatures, dry air and dry wind, plus lots of sun.