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Your Advice for Pests This Winter
Winter is the time of year when family and friends get together for the holidays. No one likes unwelcome guests during this time of year so it is imperative to keep an eye out for particular pest problems that may arise.
Pest Control
Keep An Eye Out For Rodents!
Pests such as rodents, ticks, Ghost ants, Carpenter ants, silverfish, and cockroaches are common at this time of year.
Rodents are looking for a warm place to have their offspring, and your home is the perfect place. If you are up in the attic getting holiday decorations you may notice you have an unwelcome guest in the house. Small droppings that are black to brown and noises in the ceiling at night are signs of a rodent problem.
Rodents can get into your home from an opening as small as a quarter. They also tend to travel along tree limbs to and from your home, so trimming trees away from the roof and walls will help. Hulett can rodent-proof your home as well as take care of an existing rodent problem.
Other pests common at this time of year are silverfish, cockroaches, and ticks. Silverfish like warm areas and feed off insulation, boxes, and material. They can be a real nuisance once inside your home. Cockroaches like to hide in dark areas and will sometimes get into boxes. Ticks are normally brought in on plants or trees that are placed inside of the home.
Termite Control
Protect Your Home!
Though termite activity tends to be lower during winter months, termites are active year-round in South Florida. Cooler temperatures provide an excellent chance for a thorough inspection of the attics and crawl spaces of your home.
Did you know that termites cause over a billion dollars in damage to homes each year? Don’t let your home be unprotected! Hulett offers various types of preventative termite treatments with a $1,000,000 subterranean termite damage warranty.
Lawn Care
Watch Out For Brown Patch Fungus!
Winter is the time where the growth and metabolism is reduced on most plants and grass. Bahia, Bermuda, and St. Augustine grass may actually turn brown and go dormant if the weather gets unusually cold, but dormancy is a natural state which protects the grasses until the warm weather returns.
There are various things you can do to minimize winter stress. Infrequent watering (watering less times, but a bit longer at each watering) often allows the roots to grow deeper and are therefore able to handle more stress.
Frequent mowing is also not recommended at this time of year since you will remove essential nutrients from the plant and further stress the grass. In the winter, every 2 weeks or so is usually sufficient. Be sure to run your irrigation system in the morning hours so the moisture on the leaves will evaporate and fungal problems can be avoided.
Where you are in South Florida will dictate how much and how often you should fertilize.
Due to the cooler temperatures, various diseases such as brown patch fungus may be a problem. This disease lies in the leaf tissue and interrupts growth as well as causing brown circles to appear in your grass. However, there are treatments for this problem. Hulett’s trained professionals can help design a customized program that keeps your lawn green and healthy!
Just Call Hulett
Hulett Environmental Services is a full service pest control company that has been serving South Florida for more than 50 years! Our trained professionals will perform a thorough inspection of your home or office, and then recommend the treatment type that is best for you!