Hemlock Woolly Adelgid - Preparing for a winter feast

This close up photo is to show the  presence of woolly adelgid on this hemlock.  The adelgid mass is the white cottony material at the base of the green hemlock leaf, visible at the top center of this picture.  Hemlock woolly adelgid is a winter feeder, so it is gearing up for activity from mid-October to feed on the hemlock by sucking plant sap from the tree.  On heavily infested plants it looks like snow or frost on the tree.  This insect has been in Massachusetts since 1988 and is fatal to hemlocks.  More information from UMASS is available here.  We treat them either with horticultural oil application or by injected the tree with the ArborJet Tree I.V. system.

-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.

Clothes Moths!

With cold weather, out comes our sweaters and jackets, and with them, the surprising finding of clothes moth or moth damage.  Clothes moths are not attracted to light like many other moths.  The best solution for moths is to vacuum all areas of the closet (or whatever is the clothing storage are).
In the spring, prior to putting your cool weather clothes away, clean them or have them cleaned, then store them in airtight storage.



WEBBING CLOTHES MOTH

For more information, this link to a great piece on clothes moths from Penn State is a good start.
-Lauren Greenhow Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc
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GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Winter Newsletter

Check out the latest Winter Newsletter, e-news.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc. GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.

Family Festival in Cambridge this weekend (3/9/2013)

This weekend is a great familiy event at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, several years ago the museum held the Insect Planet event, has changed into the Family Festival (which it was last year).  This Saturday, from 9 to 4 at the Museum located on 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge is the Family Festival, "Stories through Time."  Filled with activities the event is a great way to expose children to the fabulous Museum of Natural History with activities and games that they'll love.

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

Early Termite Swarms

In our area, interior termite swarms have shown up each week over the past several weeks as warm weather pops up.  The ground has plenty of moisture, which combined with warm weather and an enlcosed space, like a boiler room or near a furnace or hot water heater, will lead to a termite swarm.  Swarmers that land inside in New England have no chance to set up a colony and survive.  Outside, a swarm will result in the insects pairing up, mating, and the new kings and queens digging a small nest in the ground.  The king will search for a food source and the queen will lay eggs to grow the colony.

This time of year, swarmers are indicators of a colony with access inside a structure, but the swarms will not lead to more termite colonies inside.  For more information, check out this link from UMASS on Termites.

-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.

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.