Spring Newsletter – Print (PDF)
Spring 2020 Newsletter:
Flea and tick warning for 2020
We had such a lovely warm winter this year! No snow, no extended cold spells… it was great. Unfortunately, it was also a really great winter for fleas and ticks. Ticks overwinter by going dormant in leaf litter or by latching on to a host. Fleas can be inactive for months in their pupal cocoon phase. A nice long, deep freeze will kill off a significant portion of the parasite population but we didn’t get that this year.
In fact, 2020 is going to be a banner year for fleas and ticks. Our warm winter was easy for parasites to survive. But worse than that, our warm fall meant that fleas and ticks had a much longer active season too. They had more time to find hosts and more time to breed. We can expect a population boom in this year’s warm season. This means more bites, and more exposure to tick-borne diseases for you, your family and pets.
Lyme disease isn’t the only worry. East coast species of ticks can carry a variety of different diseases, including: Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Ehrlichiosis. Because of our warm winters the Lonestar tick is now prevalent on the east coast. As crazy as it sounds, their bites can bring Alpha-gal Syndrome, a permanent allergy to red meat.
They say you have nothing if you don’t have your health. But hiding inside to avoid ticks is no way to live, so we recommend taking sensible precautions. 1) Continue treating your family pets with veterinary advised products. 2) While in the woods, wear high coverage clothing and deep woods bug repellent. 3) Consider having us treat the high-risk areas of your lawn and landscape with environmentally safe products.
Our Flea & Tick Program is a separate service from the Regular Turf Care Program that you currently receive. It is a 5 application service (beginning in May and ending in September) that specifically targets fleas and ticks in your lawn and landscape. We use a granular product with the same active ingredients as the products applied directly to pets. However, because we are controlling the parasites precisely where they live, in your lawn and landscape, we can use a lower active rate. A lower active rate is even safer for you and your pets. It’s more environmentally friendly and gentle on the beneficial insects in your landscape.
If you are interested in this extra program or have extra questions, please let us know. We have officially started our regular turf care rounds and you can expect to see us in your neighborhood soon.
Also a reminder: There’s still time to pay your annual service cost in advance! In the Spring and Fall, extra work is performed on an as needed basis. Our service technicians evaluate the lawn during the regular service and perform the additional work immediately. Since we have all of the equipment and materials already on the job, this allows us to cut expenses and provide the work at a reduced price. For customers who pay the annual service cost in advance, we discount on-the-job extra work by 50%.
Paying the annual service cost in advance has several major benefits. In addition to on-the-job extra work being discounted, paying in advance means you’ll never have to worry about accidentally missing an invoice. Your lawn service will stay on the ideal service schedule and you can rest easy knowing that there won’t be any service delays or late fees. Sit back and enjoy your beautiful lawn!
We presently have a few openings in our schedule for new customers. If you know anyone who may be interested in our service, we would appreciate your recommending us.
Have a wonderful Spring!
Gabriel L. Clouser, President
Eric M. Plummer, Vice President