Winter Moth's are out now.

You may have noticed either driving home at night, or outside your home or business in the lights, a number of brown moths. These adult winter moths you see will mate, then lay eggs in the bark of host trees such as maples, oak, apple, crabapple, ash, fringetree and blueberry. In the spring, these eggs will hatch and the larval stage will climb to the branches and feed on the leaves, dropping to the ground in late spring to continue the life cycle through the summer in the soil, where they will pupate to emerge as adult moths next November and December. Treatment strategies include early spring horticultural oil on the trunks of host plants to suffocate the eggs, and/or a systemic treatment, such as the Tree Injection Service we provide, to protect susceptible trees. The University of Massachusetts has a great information sheet on winter moth, click here to link to it.
-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.

Recycling Batteries

As we approach the holiday shopping season, plan ahead for your battery needs for camera and gifts. Reduce your battery waste by choosing batteries carefully that will last longer or are recyclable. If you have older batteries, such as those from cell phones or computers, use the Call2Recycle website to locate recycling centers for your batteries. According to Call2Recycle, the average consumer can generate up to 6 rechargeable batteries and 1 cell phone that needs to be recycled every 2 years. By recycling that waste, we protect our environment.
-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.

Spiders!

These spider webs were spotted this past week as signs of a spider infestation taking over greater Boston. It appears these webs are thick and can capture ghosts, skeletons, eyeballs and other strange objects. As with any spider infestation, management is achieved by removing the spider and its web with either a broom or a vacuum. A thorough vacuuming of the infested area to remove any other spiders and eggs will yield the best results.
-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.

Occasional Invaders: Western Conifer Seed Bug (Stinkbug)

The cool weather brings the occasional invaders to our homes and businesses looking for overwintering sites. Besides the Asian Ladybird beetle, another fall pest to arrive on the side of our structures is the Western Conifer Seed Bug. This bug only uses structures for overwintering sites. A complete exclusion service from an integrated pest management professional is the key to keeping this bug from becoming a nuisance. The next time they are spotted at a home or business is late February or early March when they come out from overwintering sites in walls or attics.
-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.

Yesterday's sunny warm fall weather led to large congregations of ladybugs, order Coleoptera, family Coccinellidae (and the official bug of Massachusetts), on businessess and homes in eastern Massachusetts. This activity is likely to continue over the next few weeks continuing to drive calls to pest control companies and news stories like this one on WCVB-TV yesterday. They will enter wall voids or attics to hibernate over the winter. They feed on plant feeding insects such as scale insects, aphids, and others. They are a beneficial insect that is only an annoyance inside with no damage to either a structure or contents. They will congregate together, so if control is needed, some specific sites in the attics where they are located can be treated. The appropriate integrated pest management (and green pest control) technique for lady bugs in office or living spaces is to remove them with a vacuum, there is no need to spray them with an insecticide.
-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.

As leaves start to fall, consider composting them

In small urban lots, it can be difficult, but try to compost as many leaves as possible. Two primary ways to compost is either pile composting at a composter or for leaves on the lawn area, mow the leaves every few days to keep up with them and mulch the leaves into the lawn. This mowing, combined with fall fertilization will have the benefits of adding organic matter to your lawn. Michigan State has great information on mulching leaves, available online here.
-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.

Keeping your eye out for hemlock woolly adelgid

As you clean out your garden this fall, inspect your hemlocks for signs of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an insect that causes severe damage to hemlocks. Signs of infestation include woolly masses around the base of the needles. These obvious indicators are combined with a loss of needle foliage in the hemlock.
-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.