Clothes Moths

Clothes Moth Pupae Casing

Frass on floor

You can see the white pupa casing on the back of this oriental rug.  This site had clothes moths, and of 8 oriental rugs, 6 had readily visible evidence of activity.  These photos are all from the rear of the rugs or the floors beneath them.  The next photo is the hardwood floor and the grainy frass left by the larval stage feeding on the rug.

White line highlights the line the larval stage ate from the rug.

Winter Moth-Active Last Night



Winter Moth

 The moth surrounding your outside lights last night was the winter moth.  They have been active over the past few weeks and will continue to be active.  These adults are emerging from pupae casings in the soil.  The winter moth male and female will mate on a tree trunk, where the female will lay her eggs on the bark.  To protect landscape plants, including trees and shrubs, a variety of options exist, from late winter and early spring horticultural oil sprays to suffocate the eggs, to injection of a tree to kill the feeding larva, to spraying the foliage to kill the feeding larva.  For more winter moth information, contact us, or check out the Winter Moth web page at UMass.

-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.

Split Stem - Tree Repair

Here is an interesting case from two years ago, a heavy wet snow split the stem of a yew.  We cleared off the snow, drilled holes in the stem and bolted the tree back together upright.  Two years later, the tree  is healing around the bolts and doing great.



Winter 2009-2010



Fall 2012

Fall 2012

 -Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.

GreenHow.com. Effective Organic and Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control and Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

A Dog on a Mission

Pets will often use their great sense of smell and hearing to locate visitors to your home.  Customers often point to an area that a dog or cat will stare at indicating an animal, such as a mouse, in the area.  I was just reading the Fall/Winter Issue of Sanctuary, published by the Mass Audobon Society.  THe issue is title, "All Through the House," and is about how our homes exist in the landscape both using resources and providing resources to wildlife.  The entire magazine is full of great articles, as always, but the one titled, "A Dog of Singular Intent," (link to it provided) is an entertaining story about a dog obsessed with the rodents at the house.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager,
GreenHow, Inc. GreenHow.com.
Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston

Ants of New England-Booksigning

At the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Thursday, November 29th at 6 pm, ecologist and author  Aaron Ellison will give a lecture and have a booksigning for the new regional ant guide, Ants of New England.  This event is free with free parking at the 52 Oxford St Garage. 

-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.

GreenHow.com. Effective Organic and Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control and Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Lost Ladybug Project

In the fall, many customers call in about ladybugs swarming the sides of the house or infesting the windows.  If you happen to see ladybugs, don't be too alarmed, they won't infest a structure, they are more of a nuisance and can be simply vaccuumed up if they are causing an issuing.  If you notice a ladybug, consider sparking your child's interest in biology by having them take a picture and sending it to the Lost Ladybug Project.  The Lost Ladybug Project is a program that encourages kids to look for, identify (if possible) and take pictures of ladybugs they find.

-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.

GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Rodent Rub Marks

To the left in the photo taken by one of our technicians you can see a joist inset in a foundation wall, with a

sharp grease line that goes under it. That is a classic rodent rub mark, from years of rodents running along the sill, encountering the joist, and running quickly down the wall, under the joist and back up. Rodents can easily run sideways on any porous surface, as illustrated by this rub mark.

-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.