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Pest Prevention | A Green Pest Control System

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Pest Prevention | A Green Pest Control A System

Prevention, whether it is accident prevention, fire prevention, or disease prevention, is always better than trying to control the problem after the fact. We have sayings about it: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”, and “A stitch in time saves nine.” are commonly used prevention proverbs, and timelessly true, but unfortunately, they are not often followed.

Pest control is often approached in a less than systematic way. It should be obvious to even the most disinterested and casual observer that the best place to start is pest prevention. With the emphasis now being placed on green pest control, we sometimes see the same problem at work. What could be more green than pest prevention?

What we have done instead, is to focus on the pests we already have by using pesticides, the over use of which, may have less than desirable results on the pests, on the environment, and on our health, or by using green pest products which although they may be more safe, still fail to deal with the issue. What is that issue? The issue is that pests are symptoms of poor planning, or poor implementation, and can be stopped by proper planning and proper implementation. Certainly, we may need to sometimes resort to green pest control products, or even commercial pesticides, but most pests can be prevented.

Would you rather prevent forest fires, or control forest fires? Would you prefer to control Ebola, or prevent Ebola? The same is true of any disaster or disease. Control is what we do after the fact. It is the methodology we use to manage a problem we did not prevent, or to minimize the bad results of something for which we did not plan. The best control for any problem is not to stop it with the least toxic means, but, to stop it before it starts! The best pest control, the most green pest control, is pest prevention. That is, the least toxic means in every case.

A shift from pest control to pest prevention

It is time to take pest control back to the drawing board! If we continue to do the same things, in the same ways, we will get the same results! Pest prevention is more logical than even the natural, botanical pest control products. Why should we invest so much time and money to control or kill something we could have stopped to begin with?

Systematic green pest control

The goal of this site, is to provide a systematic, “green” approach to pest control using pest prevention, in a logical way, as the foundation for further pest control efforts. We think we have done this. There has been little written on this subject of pest prevention, and what is available is unorganized, and difficult to sort through. We have changed that!

This site is laid out in a logical, systematic way. One page automatically proceeds to the next. It is a step by step pest prevention “how to,” “Do it yourself” guide to working through the problem of pests in a proactive way. There are separate articles on various pest control and pest prevention related topics as well. Many of these will be linked from pages in the prevention program for further information if needed or desired.
The “greenest” green pest control

There is more to it! Pest prevention is also the “green,” eco smart,” “environmentally friendly” method of pest control! What could be a more eco friendly way to control and manage pests, and consequently the use of pesticides, than to prevent the pests to begin with?

For more information on how to follow our green pest control system see: How To Use This Pest Prevntion Site.

Filed in Green pest control, Pest control system, Pest prevention, Pest prevention system, Uncategorized, green pest control system | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Pest Control System

Monday, October 27, 2008

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Natural Pest Control System

The best pest control system, does not consist of misting systems, electronic devices, pesticides, or nuclear blasts! The systems technology is ancient, simple, and changes little over time. The philosophy behind it has existed since the dawn of time, and it is almost infinitely expandable. It will not harm your health, the health of your neighborhood, or the health of the planet, and with basic skills, you can operate this system on your own, with no special licenses or permits.

The best home pest control system does require some planning, some forethought, and a little manual labor at the beginning, and some maintenance as time goes on, but these are all things that normal home maintenance requires anyway.

This system for controlling pests involves three parts: Prevention, followed by natural biological controls, and finally botanical products.

You can begin to use this pest control system from either end, that is, you can begin inside your home, and work outward toward the outside of your property and beyond, or you can start your pest control system from the outer edges of your property and work from there to the inside of your home.

Prevention

Starting indoors

If you begin inside the home, you will be beginning with exclusion. That simply means, that you seal any internal openings inside the home, where pests might gain entry, such as around window frames, cable and pipe entries, and other such gateways into your living space. Then you work to do the same thing on the outside of your home, and include such things as window screens, door sweeps, and weather stripping.

Landscape

The next step in this pest control system is in the landscape immediately around your home. You should do such things as trim shrubs at least a foot away from the edge of the home. Remove the mulch to a distance of a foot away from the foundation, trim any vines that are attached to walls, and prune shrubs and trees so that they do not touch your home.

Any pest control system would be incomplete without some mention of dealing with trees. Tree limbs, should not be touching your home, or be overhanging your roof in such a way, that they provide access to squirrels and other such small animals. The trees should be properly pruned to prevent infestation by insects and diseases.

The best pest control system for lawns

Regular mowing will help to keep the pest population down. Irregular mowing, will have the opposite effect. This is true of insect, and weed pests. Balance in irrigation, fertilization, and other cultural practices is important in any lawn care system, and proper lawn care, is important in any pest control system.

Clearing the edges

Clearing the edges of your property of brush and debris which feeds and harbors insects and rodents is an important part of this pest control system. Brush and debris is where your problem starts. If you don’t get rid of these problems, the other problems will grow, and the weeds, insects, and rodents will find a way to get into your lawn, landscape, and living space in time. This is one reason that we encourage people who use our pest control system to start with these areas first.

If you are ready to get started visit our pest control system pages.

Natural Biological pest control

The next step in our natural pest control system is the use of natural biological controls. I make a distinction between types of biological controls because some are a long way from being natural. The controls we use are those that are found as native controls in a given area. These will be encourage if your landscape is made as native to your area as possible. What we did in the first part of this system is pest prevention, and we accomplished this through modifying the habitat to make it less desirable to the pests. The second part, will make it more desirable to the predators of the pests that we are trying to get rid of.

Bats and birds consume many of the pests that we seek to be free of. Building a habitat suitable to these predators should cut down on the unwanted insect population. This involves finding out what native insect consumers exist in your area, and finding out how to welcome them to your home.

Such flying creatures as barn owls, will take care of the outdoor rodents, but what about the larger predators and critters? This goes back to the initial ideas of prevention by modifying our habits and habitats.

Botanical pest control

The third step in our pest control system is treatment. These treatment types begin with the least toxic treatments first. That is, botanical products used to get rid of remaining troublesome insects. There are some great products on the market.

We will provide more information on botanical pest control in a future post.

Filed in Landscape pest control, Natural pest control system, Non toxic pest control system, Pest control system, green pest control system, lawn pest control | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Natural Mosquito Control

Friday, October 24, 2008

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We all know that mosquitoes carry West Nile Virus, Malaria, and a variety of other diseases which can be passed on to humans and animals, besides that, they hurt when they bite, and they are a general nuisance. This page will provide some advice on natural mosquito control to help you keep you and your family safe.

What is natural mosquito control?

The most natural mosquito control is the same as the most natural control for any problem, that is, prevention! This is done by changing the habitat from a place that they can use for living and reproducing, to one that makes living and reproducing difficult for them by denying them what they need. Any mosquito control system should start with mosquito prevention. It should be the first line of defense, and without it, all other methods are doomed to failure. All other mosquito control methods are secondary. Sprays, nets, foggers, and even exclusion will fall short. All the flavor of the day, newfangled contraptions in the world will not solve your pest control problems! Sprays, electronic devices, potions and spells can’t help if prevention is not given it’s proper place at the beginning of the program.

Mosquito control using prevention

Mosquitoes, like any other type of pest, like certain habitats. In the case of the mosquito, they need:

  • Water for larvae to hatch and grow.
  • Cover to hide in.
  • Blood for the female to reproduce.

If you eliminate any of these, mosquitoes will not be able to reproduce in your area.

How to do it

Water:

If you have puddles of standing water, buckets, tubs, or any other receptacle for water on your property, mosquitoes can find it, and use it against you. If receptacles are the problems, dump them, and make sure that they can no longer hold water. If the problem is standing water in low spots or puddles, provide a way to drain the water either through surface drainage, that is, fill the low spots and holes, or sub surface drainage, such as a french drain, or a pipe drain with a catch box. If you use the catch box and pipe drain, make sure that the grade on the system is consistent, so that water doesn’t accumulate in the pipe. This could cause mosquitoes to use it as a basin, and become a home for other pests.

Don’t just look at the ground, there are other areas which might hold enough water to encourage mosquito populations such as home gutter systems, which should of course, be cleaned and maintained frequently.

If the water problem is a pond or lake on your property, the problem is not only water, but also cover. This is a problem I see on a regular basis. It has less to do with water, than with cover.

Cover:

If mosquitoes are exposed to natural predators, the predators work very well as a green mosquito control method. If the predators can’t get to them, they can’t eat them. If you have brush and weeds around your home, it gives mosquitoes a place to hide from the things that like to eat them. It also gives them a place to find small animals for the blood needed for reproduction. If you eliminate hiding places like brush, weeds and high grass, you will drastically lower the population by exposing them to predation by their natural enemies.

If ponds or lakes exist on your property, you obviously do not want to drain them to get rid of mosquitoes, but you can reduce the amount of cover available. High weeds, and shallow water around the shallow edges of a pond should be removed. If filamentous algae, or pond scum as it is commonly called cover a large part of the body of water, the mosquitoes have a perfect habitat. They have water easily available for producing young, they have blood available from the animals that come to the water to drink, and they have cover in the water for protection from the fish who would otherwise dine on them! Skimming off the algae, or otherwise eliminating it will remove the cover, and and allow the fish to do their job.

Blood:

The female needs a blood meal to produce offspring. That may often come from you! Sometimes it comes from small animals. Reducing the availability of water and cover, reduces the numbers of small animals present to feed the hungry female.

Off site mosquito problems

If you paid attention to the mosquito prevention information above, and followed the suggestions, most of your problem with mosquitoes is gone. There are however, other circumstances that can allow mosquitoes to be a problem for you and your family, and some of them may not be within your means to control. This could include such problems as swampy areas on adjacent properties, or ponds and lakes that exist nearby, and are not properly maintained.  Even if this is your situation, you should still do the work mentioned above, which will still eliminate most of the problem, and then concentrate on the things you can do about your off site problem.

Neighbors and Officials

Talk with the people who own the adjacent property about the problem. Do this before contacting public health officials. See if there is something that can be done by the owner before involving officialdom. If not, that is your next step. Encourage them to practice long term control rather than short term controls like pesticides. It will cost them less in the long run. If they are reluctant or obstinate, explain the health and public safety issues involved.

Prevention is the most natural of natural mosquito control methods because it denies them what they need to thrive and reproduce, and exposes them to natural predators like birds, bats, and fish. These natural predators are the next step in our mosquito control system, biological control.

Biological mosquito control

Biological mosquito control is the next best step in green mosquito control, after we have used the best prevention methods. You have modified the habitat to work against the mosquitoes, now, you should modify the habitat to work in favor of their predators. This can be done by providing shelter and other encouragements for such predators as birds and bats. This can mean providing food sources like natural, native plants that birds enjoy, and a source of clean water like a fountain, or a well maintained, non stagnant bird bath. Bats require the same things. Bird and bat houses differ, but are fairly easily attained.

Botanical, or organic mosquito control

Unfortunately, this is what most people think of when they think of natural mosquito control. Botanical, or organic products are a great addition to our green mosquito control arsenal, but they are not the main line of defense. Prevention is the first step, biological controls or predation is the second, and only after these methods are effectively used can you hope for success with botanical or organic mosquito control. The use of such things as citronella, or some of the commercial products designed for insect control has a place in the system. These products can be used in a couple of ways. They can be sprayed in areas where mosquitoes might have cover, and may have some preventative effects when used in outdoor living spaces, and they can be used in misting systems. Such misting systems are falling under more careful scrutiny these days, but when used in conjunction with botanical products other than pyrethrins, should pose little problem to your health, or the health of your soil. Still, with any system, there are costs, and possibly collateral damage.

Other natural mosquito control methods:

If you have followed the stages outlined above, you should not have any unmanageable mosquito problems at this point, however, if you have not followed them completely, or other extenuating circumstances exist, these tips will help.

  • If you have problems with mosquitoes inside your home, you should read the section of this site which deals with exclusion, and make sure all entryways for insects are sealed or screened.
  • If you have trouble in outdoor living spaces, mosquito netting for exclusion fans to improve airflow, and citronella torches will provide a degree of relief.
  • If you have standing water that cannot be drained immediately, some light mineral oil can be sprayed evenly over the standing water from a spray bottle to help break the reproductive cycle.

There are other natural mosquito control practices that can help you on this website. Most of the information that applies to other insects applies to mosquitoes as well, so have a look around.

If you have a problem with mosquitoes inside the home, this tutorial on how to prevent bugs at home might be helpful.

Filed in Bats and birds, Biological pest control, Bugs and weeds, Exclusion, Green pest management, IPM, Insects, Landscape pest control, Mosquito control, Mosquito prevention, Natural mosquito control, Natural pest control, Natural pest control system, Non toxic pest control, Organic mosquito control, Organic pest control, Pest control, Pest management, Pest prevention, Prevent bugs, Prevent insects, Prevent pests, botanical pesticides, green pest control practices, green pest control system, lawn pest control, lawn pest prevention, native biological controls | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (4)

Backyard Wildlife Habitats | Choosing The Wildlife You Want

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

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Backyard Wildlife Habitats | Choosing The Wildlife You Want

Wildlife is not always predictable. That’s Why it’s called “wildlife”! The inhabitants of the great outdoors do act in fairly predictable patterns though.

They will almost always follow food, water and shelter. Like human beings, each species has one type of food it prefers over other types of food. If, on your property,  you offer the type of food that a particular type of bird likes, and the type of shelter it likes, with a safe source of water nearby, the chances are very high that you will have that type of bird either living in, or visiting your property on a regular bases.

The same is true for the creatures that you might not want on your property such as rodents, and snakes.

The way you choose your wildlife, is by making a habitat suitable to the wildlife you prefer, and making it unsuitable for the ones you prefer to keep out.

What about habitats adjacent to your habitat, which might be encouraging the wrong wildlife, over which you might have little control? In that case, you would practice exclusion, or predation. Exclusion would be such things as fences or other barriers. Predation would be creating a habitat that would encourage predators of whatever species that you are trying to keep out. There is no guarantee that everything will stay exactly within the property boundaries since animals do not understand property boundaries.  Before you get too exotic, you might want to talk it over with the neighbors.

Filed in Exclusion, Predation, Predator prevention, Wildlife, Wildlife habitats, backyard habitat | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Green Living | Saving Money on Pest Control In Hard Times

Friday, October 17, 2008

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Cheap Green Pest Control: Control Pest Control Costs

Even in hard times, mosquitoes sting, ants bite, weeds grow, and gophers will dig up your lawn!  Just because the economy is going sour, does not mean that bugs and weeds will give you a break, but, it does not mean that you have to put up with it either! We can help you control pest control costs!

Luckily, there is a lot that you can do to battle these problems, practice green living, and save money while doing so. The internet contains thousands of pages on doing just that, and there are many of them right here on this site!

The fact is, that pest control costs money. Sometimes, it can cost lots of money. By contrast, pest prevention costs little more than some light physical work, and and a tube or two of caulk and some weather stripping. It is also better for the environment, and  if you do everything right, there are many other rewards, like healthier living, and lower energy bills!

We tell you what to look for, and how to do it on pages like Prevent Bugs At Home, and almost every other page on this pest prevention site, and we have new information on pest prevention, exclusion, and green pest control served up often.

The fact is, that it is just cheaper to prevent bugs and weeds and other pests , than it is to treat them. You might just save some money during these hard times!

Filed in Cheap green pest control, Green pest control, Pest prevention, Saving money, Saving money on pest control | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Prevent Bugs At Home

Thursday, October 16, 2008

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How To Prevent Bugs At Home

Most of this sites pest prevention information focuses on the interaction of plant and animal life, how they work together, and how to prevent them from working together to prevent weeds and bugs at home and on your property. Sometimes it can be beneficial to break this down separately as well, so we want to talk about a single issue, how to prevent bugs at home. Our focus will narrow a little bit, but remember, that there is always interaction between bugs and weeds and brush and all the other factors on and adjacent to your home and property.

To prevent bugs at home, particularly to prevent bugs from coming into your home is a matter of exclusion. Making sure that they have no way to get inside is how it is done. We want to offer some suggestions on just how to do this.

Homes have openings.

Homes have openings. How well those openings are sealed, determines how well you can prevent bugs at home, and how many pests will get inside. This article will help you to find those week spots in your defenses, and strengthen your homes border against the invaders. The more attention to detail that you give at this stage, the less likely it will be that you have unwanted visitors!

It is a necessary fact of life. You have to breathe. Stop doing it for more than a couple of minutes, and you are a goner! Your home has to breathe too, and In order to breathe, in order to allow entry for pipes and cables, in order to vent heat and harmful gases, there have to be openings in a home.

The primary openings are:

Vents:

  • Attic Vents: For dissipating heat.
  • Soffit Vents: For dissipating heat.
  • Plumbing Vents: For dissipating fumes and allowing the air needed for proper function of drainage systems.
  • Range vents: For dissipating the heat and smoke from cooking.
  • Hot gas vents for ventilating the hot gasses from gas hot water heaters.
  • Dryer vents for dissipating the hot air from clothes dryers.
  • Fan vents, for removing nuisance odors from bathrooms.
  • Weep holes are small vents for allowing the drainage and drying of condensate from natural heating and cooling in the walls of your home, to prevent mold.

Other openings:

Power, communication, and transmission lines and pipes:

  • Air Conditioning Condensate drains: Very often, these are small copper pipes through the walls of the home. These allow the removal of moisture from air conditioning units.
  • Plumbing pipe openings: Allowing plumbing into your home; In most cases today, this is done through the floor of the concrete slab, but sometimes in other areas for homes on blocks or pier and beam construction.
  • Electrical lines. To allow electricity transmission: These are most often at the upper portion of an outside wall.
  • Cable communications lines: For satellite or cable line entry: The location can vary.

A home with out some forms of ventilation would soon destroy itself. A home without electricity, plumbing and communication would not be much fun!

So, how do we accommodate all these holes in our homes, and still keep little critters out? Well, that is what this is about.

How To Close The Border:

  • Vents:

Before central heat and air, there were devices in homes to allow for the adjustment of temperature through the use of ventilation. We still have them in most homes today where they often serve as nothing more than vestiges of the ancient past. These were known as windows. Often the doors were used for the same purpose in the summer.

How did they manage to open these ventilation devices without allowing bugs in? This was accomplished through window and door screens. Taking a lesson from the past, we might consider the use of screens over the vents. Most home builders now screen vents, but there is always a chance, and you should check yours. Sometimes some are omitted by accident. I have seen a number of cases where rodents gained entry through dryer vents, and then chewed through the vent hose to get to the cheese and crackers. Write yourself a note to periodically check these vent screens for clogging.

  • Other openings:

For other entry routes into the home, pipes and cables, will need to be sealed using another ancient technology: Caulk. A tube of high quality caulk is one of the best tools in home pest prevention. Seal around those entries on the outside of your home. Even the very small cracks and holes. You might be surprised just how small an insect or a rodent can become when it is hungry, thirsty, hot dry, wet or cold. When you are done with the outside of your home, you are not done!

On the inside of your house, you should do the same thing. Give special attention to plumbing drains. Very often a box was used to to form around the bathroom piping for the plumbers to make all the connections. If this area is not filled before the walls are completed, there will be exposed soil on the inside of the wall. Most pretreatments for termites will lower the chances of anything coming into the home through these openings, but occasionally some do. If you have easy access to these areas through a pipe chase, filling the area with mortar or some other hardening substance is a good option, if not, the first time that a repair is made to your plumbing requiring a plumber to open up a wall, you might be able to do it. Otherwise, make sure that the inside wall is sealed well.

  • Caulking around doors and windows, inside and out should be checked, and resealed if needed.
  • Door sweeps should be checked and replaced if they do not reach the floor, or do not go all the way to the edges of the door.
  • All weather-stripping around doors and windows should be checked.
  • All screen doors should be in good order with no holes. The same is true of window screens. Look for a good fit. Check the window surface to surface seals where they open, make sure the seal is tight enough that the bugs can’t crawl between.

OK, now you know how to prevent bugs at home, what else can you do? A lot! The more pests you stop from coming into your lawn, the more you can stop from coming into your home. If you stop them before they get to your lawn, you raise your chances of winning even more. Check out Prevention Starts Outdoors to get started, and don’t let pests get your best!

Filed in Bugs and weeds, Insects, Pest control, Pest management, Pest prevention, Prevent bugs, Prevent bugs at home, Prevent insects, Prevent pests | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)

Predator and Critter Prevention

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

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Predator and Critter Prevention

Weeds, and Animals, including bugs, reptiles, and rodents all have certain types of habitats they prefer. Most of the time, that does not include places that are frequented by human beings, unless one of two things happens:

  • We move into the territory that they occupy, and occupy it ourselves, thereby displacing them.
  • We do something that attracts them to our territory.

In reality, it is always both of these things. They had the area first, we moved in, they, for the most part, move away, until we do something to invite them back.

How do we invite them back?

The invitation is usually in the form of offering them something that they really like, such as food, water, or shelter. The same basic things that human critters like.

  • In the case of predatory animals like wolves, or coyotes, it may be a pet like little Fluffy, or some pet rabbits we keep. More than likely though, it is trash. They can smell last nights meatloaf or pork roast leftovers that were tossed into the trash can. They may not be able to reach the food, but they will prowl around and cause nervousness, hoping for an opportunity.

Suggestions: Freeze the leftovers, until the morning of trash pickup, or the night before. Double bag, and tightly seal both bags before putting it outdoors, sometimes squirting a little ammonia into the bag before sealing will help as well.

  • In the case of Possums and Raccoons, the same truths about the trash apply. They may smell something they like and the little bandits could try to get it. In most cases that is not what they are after. They don’t want to eat Fluffy either, but they do want Fluffy’s food! Most of the cases of invasion by these critters, is for a nice meal of dog or cat food!

Suggestions: To avoid this problem, feed your pets only the amount they will eat at a given time. If you leave a two day serving for Fluffy or Fido, they may have visitors for dinner.

  • Armadillos. Armadillos are omnivores, but by far, the favorite food for the Armadillo, is the white Grub. The Grub is the larvae stage of the June bug.

Suggestions: To get rid of the Armadillos, all you have to do is get rid of the Grubs. To get rid of the Grubs, you need to get rid of the June bugs, to get rid of the June bugs, you need to get rid of your outdoor lighting. Now, we all know, that we can’t get rid of outdoor lighting, but, we can change the type of lighting we use. Some types of light, like the incandescent light bulbs attract all manner of flying bugs, even with these, simply buying yellow ones for outdoor use, will discourage most bugs. Most other forms of outdoor lighting have similar options. In some cases, simply re orienting the light’s focus will do the same thing.

  • Moles. See Armadillos. They are there for the same reason.
  • Rats and field mice. If you have these in your home, you should check all your weather-stripping, door to floor sweeps, dryer vents, the sealant around all outdoor openings such as plumbing, electrical, and communications lines. That is how they are getting inside. A field mouse can get through a hole 1 quarter of an inch wide. A rat, can do it with on half of an inch. We are talking about holes the size of a regular pencil! For outdoor rodent populations the same things that have been mentioned so far, plus this: Rodents love heavy cover like brushy weedy areas. This attracts bugs which live off the weeds. This encourages the mice and rats that eat the weed seeds and the bugs as well. During the approach of very hot dry times, or very cold wet times, they look for better cover, like under your kitchen sink, or other places near the cover of your home.

Suggestions: Clear, the brushy weedy areas surrounding your property. We are not talking about natural wooded areas, we are talking about cleared territory that is allowed to grow back into high grass and weeds, and low growing shrubby brush.

  • Snakes. See rodents above. snakes like rodents, rodents like bugs and weeds, therefore, snakes like bugs and weeds as well.
  • Skunks. See Armadillos above.
Filed in Armadillos, Coyotes, Critter prevention, Mice, Moles, Possums, Predator prevention, Raccoons, Rats, Snakes, Wolves | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Green Living | Going Green and Saving Green

Friday, October 10, 2008

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Green Living | Going Green and Saving Green

Going green doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, if you do it right, going green can save you some green. There are some great  green ways of cutting down on expenses.

The economic times may be getting tough, so we decided to do our part for your personal economy by taking a little detour from our normally pest control oriented blog, to provide some tips on going green and saving money at the same time. There is some pest prevention related information here as well.

Reducing lawn expenses. Reduce your lawn space.

Lawns take up a lot of resources, and that costs a lot of money.

  • Reduce your lawns size.
  • Lawns eat up the majority of your home water resources, reducing the size of your lawn will reduce your water bill.
  • Lawns Consume the majority of fertilizers used in home landscapes, reducing the size will reduce your fertilizer bill.
  • Lawns are the major consumers of insecticides and herbicides, reducing the size will reduce the need for them and cost a lot less in the long run.
  • The reduced lawn space will cost less, and be good for the environment.
  • Make that extra space pay off.  Plant a garden! The garden will provide a source of safe nutritious food to cut down on the supermarket costs.
  • Even if you don’t want to get rid of part of your lawn, you should consider using part of your landscape area as a garden space. Just get rid of some of those exotic plants, and replace them with edible plants. Even in the winter you can grow such things as salad greens and cole crops like kale. In the summer, you can use sweet potatoes, which have a natural insect and weed repelling quality to them. There are hundreds of other garden plants that do well as ornamental plants as well.
  • Plant some native fruiting trees and vines instead of those care intensive, and resource hungry exotic ornamental plants. The plants you use will also require some care, but at least you get to eat the fruit of your labor!
  • Consider composting lawn and kitchen waste for fertilization instead of buying expensive commercial fertilizers.

Going green and saving money in your home

  • Replace worn weather striping.
  • Replace worn door sweeps.
  • Caulk around the door frames and windows of your home.
  • Check and caulk all plumbing, electrical, and communications lines entering your home, both inside and outside.

This will make the home both more energy efficient, and pest resistant, requiring less energy, and less pesticide, both of which cost you money, and have environmental impact. going green by using pest prevention is not only the greenest form of pest control, it is also the most economical form of pest control.

I am sure that there are thousands of other ways you can think of to go green and save green. If you have some things in mind, don’t be stingy, share them with others. That’s what our comment section is for! You can find a comment box at the bottom of each post.

Filed in Going green, Green living, Green pest control, Landscape, Landscape pest control, Lawn care, Pest prevention, Saving green, lawn pest control | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Green Living | Real Estate Green Guide Pest Control

Thursday, October 9, 2008

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Green Living | Real Estate Buyers Green Guide Pest Control

If you are one of the fortunate people who had all your money in a safe place, and find yourself with the cash flow to work with, and the need for a home, you can find some great bargains now. Just remember to check out a few pest related details before you buy, or your dream home could be more like a nightmare!

As we always say, pest prevention is the greenest form of pest control. If you are buying or building a home, that is the perfect time to insure that your green living space has pest prevention built in. If you are building, we recommend that you review all the pest prevention information available on this site and others before you even choose a location. If you are buying, we recommend the same, or, at least read the information on this page beforehand. Consider it to be your green guide to pest prevention when buying real estate.

Homes are generally inspected for termites and termite damage, but there is a lot more to getting that great, bug free home than just termite inspection. There are thousands of other insects and other pests that can ruin the experience of home ownership. If you need a guide for what to look for, and how to check, you have come to the right place! When you buy a home, it has probably been inspected at each stage of its development. It may have even had an environmental inspection, but has it been inspected for potential pest problems, both in and out of doors?

Preventing pests is always better than controlling pests, in the same way that preventing house fires is better than controlling house fires. You will have fire insurance, but will you have pest insurance? This is about preventing pests, before they start. It is a list of things for you to check before you sign on the dotted line.

Of course, we can’t stop them all, but we can go a lot further than we are now. Don’t let bugs and weeds suck all the joy out of owning a home. Read this, and take action!

This is a checklist for the potential home buyer. It might even convince you that the home you are considering is not for you! If that happens, it is better to know that now, before the mortgage papers are signed and the mosquitoes return.

  • For starters, when you find a home that you want to consider, drive through the neighborhood and the adjoining areas a few times before ever meeting with the agent. It would be good to do this at different times during the day. A little reconnaissance can go a long way in avoiding areas where problems might exist. If you drive slowly through the area on a warm afternoon with windows down, you can detect sights, sounds and smells, that will give you a better idea of what the area is really like. If you have to swat mosquitoes as you go, that tells you that something might be wrong.
  • If the home or home site is close to a mosquito infested swamp, it might be a good idea to get out before the wife sees the granite counter-tops. There are some things that you can’t do much about, and draining the swamp is probably one of them. The same is true for other areas, that you would probably stay clear of for other reasons. Sewer treatment plants, slaughterhouses and various other places. Live to fight another day, and see what else there is on the market.
  • What are the immediate surroundings like. Is the property flanked by overgrown, or freshly mowed, but obviously once overgrown land. Get the impression that it was mowed solely for this showing? Weeds hide vermin and bugs, plus, they are “weeds.” Will the owner of the adjoining property be willing to keep it up to the standards that you require? If not, you will have a constant, almost unseen struggle with field mice, and insects, and they will eventually, find a way inside. Weeds migrate as well, and they will make their way into your nice new lawn.
  • In the wider area, is there anything that would be likely to breed or feed an infestation of any unwanted critters. Vermin and insects will travel, and they might just travel to your place for a vacation from the elements.
  • Look at the lawn area, are there low spots which show evidence that the area holds water, and might make a fine breeding ground for mosquitoes? If so, is it something you can deal with, is there a way to drain or fill the area, will you need professional assistance?
  • Are there piles of debris, dead trees, brush piles nearby? They will be hiding places for bugs.
  • Are there screens over eve vents, soffit vents and other vent areas to prevent invaders from making their way inside?
  • Are doors and windows properly sealed? Is the weather striping in good condition? Are the door sweeps completely to the floor and the sides of the doors? Are all pipes, conduits, cable and electrical entries well sealed? Look at both the inside and the outside of the home with these things in mind.
  • Are the shrubs against the side of the home? They should be at least a foot away. So should any mulch. How about the trees, are they well trimmed and far enough away from the roof to prevent damage and the occasional squirrel from the roof?
  • Does the yard have weeds, or sand burs? This is a sign of poor soil, and bad cultural practices. There is a good chance that this might be the tip of the iceberg. If so, can it be taken care of, how, and by whom?
  • You will want to check out the conditions of your streets, and drives. If they are not well maintained, there is a chance that they never will be. Weeds growing through concrete and asphalt, are a very destructive. They should be stopped , and prevented from returning, or they can eat a driveway in just a few years.
  • Trees growing into power lines and communications lines will have to be pruned, and if the electric company or cable company have the work done, it will most likely be done improperly from the tree and homeowners perspective. This will lead to disease and pests. If this situation exists, it will need to be solved by removing the tree and planting replacements well away from the lines, or the trees pruned by a skillful arborist to provide clearance without damage to the trees.
  • Check trees near the house. Are roots rising from the ground? Are they growing toward the home? Are there any minor cracks or loose mortar joints nearby? This could be a signal that the tree is tearing down the house a little at a time.
  • Erosion. Check for it, if it is there, can it be stopped? If it can be stopped, will the methods used produce more problems with bugs and weeds? Eroded areas rarely have good soil conditions for growing anything but weeds, and if they are washing out now, it will be difficult to keep them from washing away the re-constructed lawn.
  • Weep holes. Are there vines growing into them, or vines that could grow into them? Are they clear of debris and dirt. Blocked weep holes won’t let the condensate out of your wall cavities, and air into them. I have seen mold problems develop from this. This is usually accompanied by insect problems.
  • Are there existing “problem plants?” If there is kudzu growing along the creek bank behind the homes wooden fence, it is only a matter of time before it grows into the fence and into your lawn and landscape!

Knowing the facts before you buy is much better than having to constantly call the pest control company to rescue you from spiders and scorpions in your bedroom, which would make your green living experience a lot more costly, and a lot less green! Insist on checking these items before you buy, it could keep a lot of little things from bugging you!

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Green Living | Landscaping Landscape Pest Control

Monday, October 6, 2008

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Green Living | Landscaping Landscape Pest Control

If you are already practicing green living, or just now going green, there is one singularly important aspect to creating and maintaining a green landscape, and practicing green landscape pest control. That is, the use of native plants in your landscape. Many people or moving away from the traditionally exotic laden landscaping practices of the recent past, and toward a more economical and earth friendly landscape using native plants in native habitats.

Environment and Economy

Why is it more economical and earth friendly? Well, it takes less water, fewer herbicides and insecticides, and less fertilizer, to keep native landscapes healthy, and that is better for everyone. It also requires less work!

Green native economics

There are a lot of other reasons that this is a great idea. On a practical level, your native habitat, or backyard habitat, as they are often called, if properly planted and maintained, will probably make your lawn space smaller, and lawns eat the lions share of your outdoor maintenance budget. Lawns consume more water, fertilizers, and require more pesticides than natural, native habitats. It saves you money.

Green native environment

With less fertilizer and pesticide needed, you will cut down the size of your carbon footprint, cause less environmental contamination, and preserve water, 3 things that are great for the health and safety of your family, and the health and safety of the environment.

Extra landscape pest control

By using plants native to your area in your landscape, you will also get an extra boost in pest control. You see, native wildlife, particularly native birds, love the plants of your area, and will want to spend more time in your new green living habitat, and the will want to eat a lot of unwanted insects while they are there.

These are just a few of the many reason that native plant landscaping is one of the best ways of going green in your outdoor environment. There are other green living tips on this site as well. Most of these tips deal with pest prevention which we consider to be the most environmentally correct way of dealing with pests. Our Main Directory is a great place to get started, we even have a complete, step by step Pest prevention Program for you, at no cost!

Filed in Going green, Green living, Green pest control, Landscape, Landscape pest control, Landscaping, backyard habitat, lawn pest control, native habitats, native plants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)