Is Green Pest Control Worth The Investment?

Is Green Pest Control Worth The Investment?

Green pest control provides an eco-conscious option to traditional pest control and is especially beneficial in homes and businesses that house the young, the elderly, pets, and those with compromised immune systems or allergies. But are they really effective?
The answer is yes. Green pest control typically utilizes botanical and/or earth-based pesticides and a targeted approach when applying them, focusing on eliminating and controlling pest populations through both preventative measures and purposeful product application, based on your specific pest issues.
One important component of any green pest control program is Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM doesn’t just focus on eliminating pest populations but also on identifying and getting rid of the environmental factors that are allowing the pests to procreate and thrive, as well as preventative measures to prevent re-entry. IPM can actually cut back significantly on the amount of pesticides used in treatments (by more than 90%!).
Once green pest control companies identify the problem pests and decide that action is required, there are several methods that are used to eliminate them:

  • Introduction of natural enemies to reduce or eliminate the population
  • Installing barriers to entry (such as screens)
  • Employing mechanical control techniques (like traps)
  • Using pesticides as a last resort (carefully applied to be as safe as possible)

Once you make the decision to invest in a green pest control program, contact an exterminator near you, and they will provide you with the following:

  • A customized plan: A customized pest control program using only the most innovative and advanced pest control products and equipment available
  • No harsh chemicals: Pest control products whose active ingredients are derived from flowers, plants, and natural elements from the earth
  • Service guarantee: Follow up visits in between regularly scheduled pest control services, if needed, at no additional cost to you
  • Integrated pest management: Plan, inspection, pest identification, ongoing perimeter protection, and continuous communication from your exterminator
  • Highly trained technicians: Exterminators who are experts in green pest control methods
  • Whole home pest protection: Pest protection that is environmentally friendly both inside your home and outside, that covers common household pests such as ants, spiders, roaches, mice, centipedes, millipedes, silverfish,  and earwigs

 

You May Also Be Interested In:

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Weather & Insects

Everyone knows that warmer weather, mixed with a little rain and lots of sunshine makes for a spring full of bloom and growth. However, it may not be as common knowledge that, just like plants, insect population growth responds to certain types of weather, while being discouraged by some other weather patterns. In particular, temperature and moisture have quite an effect, especially during the warm and dry weather months of April, May, and June.

Temperature has such a significant effect because insects are poikilothermic, which means cold-blooded. Cold-blooded animals are unable to regulate their body temperature, so the environmental temperature affects their internal temperature. Certain insects develop rapidly when environment temperatures are in the 85-90 degree range. Development alone is not the only aspect of insect life affected by temperature, but also insect behavior such as flight, movement, reproduction and feeding. Extreme temperatures, whether very hot (> 120 degrees Fahrenheit) or extremely cold (< 32 degrees Fahrenheit) makes insect growth and behavior restricted and is often deadly.

Moisture is important in a way that most people don’t expect. Humidity itself affects insect development, because low humidity can make it difficult for an insect to regulate it’s water loss. Alternatively, too much moisture, such as excessive rainfall or winter storms, can damage insects. The amount of moisture in an insect’s environment is particularly important for those who depend on crops as their food supply. Cold, wet moisture extremes can also lead to disease, slow growth rates and disturb feeding patterns.

Source

Melissa Brown
[email protected]

Weather & Insects

Everyone knows that warmer weather, mixed with a little rain and lots of sunshine makes for a spring full of bloom and growth. However, it may not be as common knowledge that, just like plants, insect population growth responds to certain types of weather, while being discouraged by some other weather patterns. In particular, temperature and moisture have quite an effect, especially during the warm and dry weather months of April, May, and June.
Temperature has such a significant effect because insects are poikilothermic, which means cold-blooded. Cold-blooded animals are unable to regulate their body temperature, so the environmental temperature affects their internal temperature. Certain insects develop rapidly when environment temperatures are in the 85-90 degree range. Development alone is not the only aspect of insect life affected by temperature, but also insect behavior such as flight, movement, reproduction and feeding. Extreme temperatures, whether very hot (> 120 degrees Fahrenheit) or extremely cold (< 32 degrees Fahrenheit) makes insect growth and behavior restricted and is often deadly.
Moisture is important in a way that most people don’t expect. Humidity itself affects insect development, because low humidity can make it difficult for an insect to regulate it’s water loss. Alternatively, too much moisture, such as excessive rainfall or winter storms, can damage insects. The amount of moisture in an insect’s environment is particularly important for those who depend on crops as their food supply. Cold, wet moisture extremes can also lead to disease, slow growth rates and disturb feeding patterns.
Source
Melissa Brown
[email protected]

5 Tips to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

At Northwest, we are committed to creating healthier living and working environments. Below, we have some practical tips you can try at home to improve your carbon footprint!

1. Don’t drink bottled water

You may just be using one bottle of water a day whenever you head to the gym, but multiply that by a couple billion and you realize that all that plastic is a waste! Though recycling them is a great option, an even better one is to get a reusable bottle and an in-house filtration system to get water from the tap.

2. Unplug it!

We have habit of leaving electronics plugged in when we are at work or not using them. A great way to save energy would be to unplug our cellphone chargers, laptops, TVs and anything that won’t be in use. Using a power strip can make this process simpler for you – one flip and it’s on or off!

3. The Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Following these three steps can help you spend less money, make less of an impact on the environment and get creative! Reducing means using less wasteful products, reusing means making use of what you already have and recycling means making your old stuff into something brand new!

4. Cold water works wonders

You may not want to shiver when you shower, but when doing laundry, washing with cold water reduces energy output. Many laundry detergents nowadays are available just for the purpose of being used with cold water so don’t worry about not getting your clothes as clean. 

5. Use the microwave less

Using fresh foods or foods that don’t require microwaving eliminates waste in many ways. First, you don’t use the energy the microwave requires. Additionally, many microwaveable items come with packaging that uses paper products and plastic. Reducing how often you use the microwave ensures that you avoid using these products as well.

Hopefully these tips will get you motivated to go green! Aside from these tips, Northwest Exterminating offers many services that are environmentally and customer friendly! We want to protect your homes from pests, while keeping the environment healthy. Our Green Services include TAP Attic Insulation, Green Pest Control, Complete CrawlSpace, Green Mosquito, and Green Termite Solutions. If you want to know more, please visit www.callnorthwest.com/green-services

Melissa Brown
[email protected]

Sources:

http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumed/tips.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Reduce-Your-Carbon-Footprint-at-Home

Celebrate Earth Day, April 22!

This Sunday, April 22, is Earth Day!  As our customers and readers know, taking care of our environment is our mission and way of life at Northwest Exterminating.  We are the leader in Green pest control and take pride in our services and ways that we GO GREEN as a company.  We are constantly working to improve our green footprint over time.  Some of our efforts include reducing our power consumption, minimizing our use of paper, applying technology to reduce fuel costs, and many other techniques that will make our environment a healthier environment for generations to come.  We always keep in mind our 5 C’s: conserving, condensing, converting, controlling, and cutting.

Earth Day is a day to increase awareness and appreciation of our Earth and all it has to offer.  Earth Day is celebrated in over 175 countries.  We encourage you to participate in Earth Day this Sunday.  Ways to participate:

  • Join in an Earth Day event (For events in Atlanta, or other parts of Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina visit the EPA’s Earth Day page)
  • Plant a tree
  • Recycle
  • Help clean up public roads or parks from litter and other debris
  • Buy local, organic produce
  • Commit to making your home or business more Earth friendly
  • Ride your bike, carpool, or take mass transit instead of driving your car

Northwest Green Services:

If you are interested in helping Northwest in our mission to GO GREEN sign up for online bill pay.

What kinds of things do you do on a daily basis for the Earth?

Send us pictures of your Earth Day!

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