Winter Ants

If you are noticing ants this time of year in the Boston area, then you probably have a nest on the inside of your insulation. Sometimes ants or ants with wings (swarmers) will show up in the coldest months, like now. It is a good sign that a nest exists on the interior side of the insulation, probably near a heating source. These ants will still be trailing in the usual places, looking for food and water. Water or wet food is especially important since in heated home, the relative humidity may be 28 to 32 percent.

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

New LED Bulb

We use, and are happy with, the C Crane GeoBulb 3 LED bulb discussed here in our blog last year. Great news on the bulb front, GE recently introduced an Energy Star LED bulb. This bulb is comparable ouput as the GeoBulb, both can replace a 40 watt bulb and are great to use in hall or bedside lamps. The GE bulb is sold online for around $50, which is a little less than the GeoBulb. Both offer long life and great light output. In one room we have the GE Led and the Crane GeoBulb in lamps separated by about 20 feet, a side by side comparison. Seeing more led bulbs replace incandescent and flourescent is great for consumers interested in switching to led bulbs by creating more choice in the market place.

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

Snack Attack

As a mom, I am looking for ways to reduce the amount of waste we produce as a family. One important area is to reduce the waste from carrying snacks and lunches. A key way for us is to use Snack Taxi's to carry lunch sandwiches and snacks without a bag to throw away. Keeping them clean is easy either by handwashing and drying in the dishrack, or machine washing.

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

Back to the blog...Super Service Award

Time has flown by, looking at the last posting in March just before the season exploded. Last year was filled with exciting challenges including a hot dry summer that reduced some pest and lawn issues and aggravated others. We start this year with exciting news. Thanks to our customers, GreenHow was awarded a Super Service Award for 2010 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.

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.