With the abundant rain this winter, your house may have areas with wet and decaying wood that can become an ideal nesting site for carpenter ants. Even small amounts of damage from flying debris or trees that strike the siding, roof shingles, rain gutters or electrical meter bases can allow moisture to collect in wood, […]
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Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a process you can use to solve pest problems while minimizing risks to people and the environment. The definition of IPM is: IPM is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification
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As you drive through neighborhoods in mid-February, you may be delighted by the large trees clothed in puffy cloud looking blossoms of white. Common throughout Marin, ornamental pear trees, specifically ‘Bradford’ pears, put on a spectacular show. In the mid-1960’s landscapers and municipal planners planted lots of them – they grew fast, took any kind
Could it be Fire blight? Read More »
If you spot a small animal that looks like a mouse scurrying across the yard, it could be a vole, also known as a meadow mouse. But how can you be sure if it a mouse or a vole? Both of these rodents are five to eight inches long and have gray or brown fur.
In the mood to add some plants to the garden? One highlight of the winter nursery is the availability of bare root plants. Bare root plants are not actively growing plants. They’re usually dug when they’re dormant and then refrigerated until it is time to ship to the nursery or you. This system works well
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Winter rains are here, bringing with it a carpet of green blanketing our surroundings. Nature’s irrigation is encouraging many plants to grow, especially the ones you don’t want – the weeds in your garden. You know the saying – a weed is simply any plant in a place you don’t want it. Are you seeing
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Weather so far this season has been really really cold, and of late, nice, and wet. Not a great time to be outside wording in the yard. It IS, however, a great time to do some much-needed primping of your indoor plants. If you keep your plants clean and neat, they’re not only more attractive,
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The mere sound of their name produces the ewwww factor – cockroaches! These insects thrive in both indoor and outdoor environments where there is food, water, and shelter. During the day, roaches hide in dark, moist areas like cracks, water meter boxes, sewers, and crawl spaces. They come out at night to feed. Good sanitation
World Pollution Prevention Day is observed around the globe on December 2, a day created to instill awareness on environmental pollution and its negative impacts on our health and the planet. International organizations such as the United Nations (U.N.), the World Health Organization (WHO), Greenpeace, and others have been urging countries all over the world
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It’s likely you don’t need an introduction to snails and slugs, the bane to most gardeners. Loosely related to octopi and oysters, they glide along on their muscular foot, secreting mucus to facilitate movement, leaving their trademark glistening trail behind. With similar biology, the snail carries an external shell while slugs have evolved without one.
Creeping Garden Thugs do a lot of Damage Read More »
