The Last Straw of Georgia Lawn Care Services
Pest Control
What would we do without termites? Without termites and other wood destroying organisms, the world would be covered with fallen, diseased trees. Termites are an important part of a healthy ecosystem.
Mankind’s problems with termites have everything to do with termites’ inability to know when to stop, to distinguish between what we want them to eat, and what we want them to stay away from: our homes.
But don’t blame the termite for doing what comes naturally. Consider our contribution to the problem:
We love to plant gardens around the foundations of our homes. To suppress weeds in the garden and retain moisture, folks add various kinds of mulch to the beds, the most popular of which are pine straw and wood chips, pine bark, and shredded cypress.
These decompose over time, and additional mulch material is added. Over time, a thick blanket of decomposed cellulosic thatch forms, which absorbs moisture and chemicals, and provides an insulating blanket of darkness and warmth.
These three elements of cellulosic food source, darkness and moisture are what termite monitors are made from! Folks have unwittingly been turning their most valuable asset – their home – into a giant termite monitor. For more information, please go to http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef639.asp
It’s not just termites that are attracted to this environment, either. Consider this: Roaches, spiders, ants, mold, mildew, fungus… they all thrive in the warm, moist, darkness we create for them. It’s only a matter of time before they cross the threshold into the house and we, taking notice, begin to bomb them with chemicals.
Prevention beats chemical cures. Natural pine straw breaks down into a damp, organic layer where insects like to nest. The Last Straw doesn't break down or hold moisture, so pests have no reason to move in. The green solution to pest control starts right outside your door.
Installing it yourself? Strip your beds down to bare soil first. For the best weed control, spread a pre-emergent such as Preen before you lay the straw, so weed seeds in the soil don't sprout.