The mud dauber is a solitary wasp that builds tubes or tunnels of mud in which to lay eggs. These mud tubes or tunnels may be located anywhere on a structure, but are usually either on the foundation or inside the attic, or at the soffit. Generally stone, cement and unpainted wood are preferred surfaces […]
Octopamine is a neurotransmitter that is found in insects and crustaceans. The botanical oil products we use for pest control act by focusing on and interrupting the octopamine neurotransmitter receptors in insects. This leads to a breakdown in the insects central nervous system. These botanical oils are beneficial to our service because when used properly […]
For quality lawn care, as summer begins, finally, it is time to raise mowing heights to 3″ or higher, and try to leave the clippings on the lawn or turf. It is important to leave the clippings to reduce fertilizer use by returning nitrogen back to the soil. Leaving clippings can add as much as […]
We are in June, and starting to spend time maintaining our gardens. Moisture around a home is a sure way to attract insects. Integrated pest management and green pest management rely on making changes to the physical environment to reduce pest populations. Pruning vegetation off a structure is a great way to start. Try to […]
If you have been in your Boston area yard over the past week, you may have seen very, very small red insects on your home and plants. These are red clover mites, and may leave a small red mark when crushed. Clover mites do not infest homes, but can use structures to overwinter or avoid […]
Many Boston Area lawns have brown or yellow splotches and circles on them, after a week of mostly wet weather including rain days and cool nights in the upper 40’s and low 50’s. The suspects? Many customers rightly say the grass looks stressed or burned but they know water is not the issue. Other customers […]
To the left and right you see conical piles of sawdust and carpenter ant body parts (carpenter ants are cannibals) that piled on folding tables below a pair of skylights and outside a garage. This sawdust material with ant parts in it is called “frass” and when falling continuously from the same spot forms conical […]
In Watertown, this maple tree is covered in poison ivy. If you look at the green foliage in the photo, it is the poison ivy facing the sidewalk growing up the tree bark. If you are allergic, keep your eyes open, poison ivy is out and doing well. Remember the old saying, “Leaves of three, […]
You may have noticed Carpenter Ant foragers returning to the exterior of your home. Look out for foraging trails to see what lines the ants are using. This is useful for you or us to apply baits and other materials to the active areas. Carpenter Ants are most active after dusk, so inspecting at the […]
Mosquitoes and biting flies such as the small, but painful biter called the no-see-um, will soon be here, usually arriving in late June as we begin to enjoy the warm dusk outside. Reduce wet vegetative matter is critical to mosquito and biting fly control, that means treating with dunks catch basins on your property and […]