Water Issues

Rodent issues can follow flooding. For lower lying urban areas, with rat issues nearby, rising water can force rats from burrows and into nearby homes and businesses. When cleaning up after flooding, try to keep basement and crawl space windows and doors closed as much as possible.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Spring Time Emergence

As the weather warms up, you may start to see a return visit from those fall occasional invaders. These include "stink bugs" or western conifer seed bugs, and lady bugs, or the ladybird beetle. These insects do not infest a structure, they simply overwinter inside, emerging, sometimes on the wrong side, when the weather is warms up. Traditional integrated pest management (IPM) practices like tight screening and caulking exterior openings will reduce the amount of overwintering occasional invaders. If they are inside, simply vacuum them up, no pesticide application is necessary.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Think about winter moth now

If you had winter moth damage last year, or noticed large numbers of the male winter moths around your lights this past winter, think about protecting your favorite decidous trees now. To be most effective, treatment must be done as early in spring as possible. This is because the early stage winter moth caterpillar will bore into the foliar buds PRIOR to the trees leafing out, consuming young leaves or leaving them damaged as they unfurl.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Bugs and Beetles, In February

We have had some occasional warm days, that have led to the appearance inside of bugs and beetles that are more often associated with outside activity. For example, when temperatures got a little higher than 40 degrees F, western conifer seed bugs and asian ladybird beetles (the official bug of Massachusetts), both of which will overwinter in attics, came down into living spaces. The combination of heat and light for those overwintering in certain areas, triggered the movement toward what the insects thought was the outside, leading to emergence in a living space. For those outside insects, ending up in a living space provides no resources to enable reproduction, so simply vacuum up (a favored Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technique) the ones you see, they will not infest your structure.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Rats, Again

Boston area rats have been a little more prevalent in residential areas. Making sure that the sewer lines that enter the home have concrete or gravel around the pipe's entry point. Rats need an entry hole the size of a quarter and like to burrow in dirt. Gravel and / or cement will reduce the ability of rats to burrow.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Site Sanitation

Pest control is sanitation. Effective pest control, whether structural pest control, or ornamentals and shrubs is based on site sanitation. Keeping debris properly disposed of will dramatically reduce and control pest populations. For exterior pest control, including reducing issues that affect plant health, clean up all limbs, leaves and debris. Site sanitation will reduce the chance of plant disease. In addition, debris that are cleaned up reduce harborages for other pests, both rodents and insects that if left unchecked may multiply and cause problems inside.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Low Power Idea

The light bulb went off, literally, and opened up an opportunity to save power and keep the environment clean. The new GEO 3 bulb from C. Crane, or any LED bulb from Sun and Moon Ecolight in California will drop your power usage, and do it without adding mercury landfills like compact flourescents (CFL). With a great 5 year warranty and exceptionally low power usage, the initially higher cost of the bulb will be reduced by it's cost savings.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

In greater Boston the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid has caused a great deal of stress on the hemlock stands often used to divide properties. These hemlock hedges are showing the signs of stress from adelgid infestation that can lead to the death of the tree. The infestation is characterized by the woolly masses on the twigs at the base of the needles. Take care of your hemlocks with the low impact GreenHow Tree Injection service, putting material in the tree to protect the plant.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Little Black Ants

This time of year, customers start to report sightings of little black ants inside their homes. The foraging ants are very small, and follow edges foraging for sweet and greasy food sources. Try to use baits that the ants will consume leading to colony elimination. Treating foraging trails is rarely successful. A good IPM technique is to clean up foraging trails by wiping trails with a light vinegar cleaning solution or plain warm water.

-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
http://www.greenhow.com/. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Angie's List Super Service Award

Thanks to our customers, GreenHow was awarded a Super Service Award for 2009 in the pest and termite control categories from Angie's List. Less than 5% of the companies on Angie's List are awarded with the Super Service Award. It is exciting to recieve recognition for great lawn care, pest control and termite control service.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Rejuvenation Pruning

The late winter and early spring time is a good time to look over and evaluate our landscape ornamental plants. Often there are plants which could use pruning to clean out diseased or damaged branches. When the foliage is off the plant and inactive, the quality and arrangement of branches is more visible.
Shrubs and ornamental trees need periodic pruning to promote healthy new growth, and to control the size, shape, and spacing of them. Some branching patterns can actually hinder future plant vigor by creating physical growth barriers or by creating areas of shade which may bring decline of parts of the plant. Any of these things could have a negative effect on the ornamental quality and aesthetic appeal of the landscape.
Gradual Rejuvenation pruning can clean out undesirable growth and correct problems of size and spacing in the landscape to encourage healthier new growth and vigor. See this link from the Virginia Cooperative Extension on rejuvenation pruning, and give it a try on your own. Correct pruning cuts can accomplish these goals and yield a healthier more attractive landscape to enjoy.
Call or email us if you would like a quote for rejuvenation pruning for your home or business.

-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Customer Portal

We are excited to announce that our customers are now able to view and self-manage key account information online. Sign in to our customer portal with your existing customer number and update your billing address, email addresses and phone numbers, as well as pay your bill online! Additionally, on our Customer Resources section of our website, you may access other important information, such as factsheets that help you prepare for a treatment, or coach you on watering schedules after a treatment.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Vermicomposting

Compost worms will eat your food scraps, and turn them into vermicompost, one of the richest soil amendments. Worms are also ideal in New England and can be stored inside, even in a kitchen below the sink, to make compost year-round or in homes with no yards.
Steps:
(1) A plastic container, sized based on what would fit under your sink, or in your pantry, or wherever you want to store this indoor composter. Starting about four inches up the side, add holes with a drill in the sides and top (air circulation is key to good compost, and no smell!).
(2) Biodegradable bedding material (think browns - newspapers, leaves, shredded top secret documents).
(3) Uncooked (or oiled or sugared) fruit and vegetable waste (greens), and coffee grounds.
(4) Worms! Try to buy them locally, from Cape Cod Worm Farm in Buzzards Bay.
For more information about indoor composting, review the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Webpage on Vermicomposting.

-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
http://www.greenhow.com/. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Rodents

Urban rodents, such as rats and mice, often seem more prevalent in the winter. Colder temperatures, fewer outdoor resources and other factors cause rodents to end up in our spaces. Within the 128 belt, rats are found even in nice homes in nice neighborhoods, as they will simply follow septic lines into a structure. Effective pest control depends on managing contributing factors. Minimize food and water, and clutter that acts as a harborage to reduce the chances of rodents setting up home in your home.

-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.