Orlando Pest Control News

Friday, May 13, Heron celebrated Employee Appreciation Day at Westmonte Park at Altamonte Springs. Employees from all five branches came together for a great day filled with games, great food, a raffle and an awards ceremony to honor employees who achieved Bronze Level in Heron’s Employee Rewards Program. 

“Our employees are the heart of the business. We are blessed to have such a great team and we look forward to this day to show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication”.
-Rodney Lackey, Joe Patti, Steve Okros.

Award reflects company’s consistently high level of customer service

Heron Lawn and Pest Control has been awarded the prestigious 2010 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor bestowed annually on approximately 5 percent of all the companies rated on the nation’s leading provider of consumer reviews on local service companies.

“Our Super Service Award winners are the cream of the crop when it comes to providing consistently high quality customer service, as judged by the customers who hired them,” said Angie Hicks, founder of Angie’s List.

“We couldn’t be more proud of our team here at Heron. Winning the Super Service Award was a total team effort and an unwavering commitment from Heron employees to providing top notch customer service!” -Rodney Lackey, President

Angie’s List Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements including earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List, but members can find the 2010 Super Service Award logo next to company names in search results on AngiesList.com.

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Winter time means time to pull out jackets, scarfs and bundle up!!! But what does winter mean for your lawn?

Let’s take a look at what happens during the cold winter months with your lawn.  A common myth is that yourlawn stops growing during the winter.  That couldn’t be more false.  With the top growth, the leaf blades that we can see growth does slow down, however there are a lot of things going on with your lawn under the surface that you can’t see.  Below the surface, turf is actively growing.  It is growing laterally.  This lateral growth is crucial because lateral growth strengthens the turf’s root system.

One of the initiatives that Heron takes in the winter to promote this crucial lateral growth are winter treatments that include a double application of potash.  This double application of potash makes the winter treatments some of the most crucial of the year. Potash strengthens the root system, which helps lawn’s capacity to withstand drought, disease and pests in the onset of spring.  With all these natural stress inducers, a strong healthy root system can make the difference in having a healthy lawn that thrives in the spring or not.

The potash applications performed during the winter months are also critical in preparing your lawn to be able to withstand drought conditions during Spring.

Last winter, lawns throughout Central Florida experienced severe frost damage.  A strong root system makes the lawns less susceptible to frost damage and easier to recover and thrive in the spring.  Much like bears bulking up to hibernate for the winter, your lawn stores nutrients in the roots during winter to take full advantage of them in the spring.  As the lawn stores up these nutrients to use in the spring, Potash stimulates lateral growth under the ground making grass stronger and healthier.

Pre-emergents are another important ingredient in the winter treatments.  Pre emergent applications of herbicides are very important not only to prevent winter weeds from emerging but also to prevent the summer annual weeds and keep them from emerging on your lawn earlier.

The winter applications will protect your lawns and get it ready for the onset of spring. In short, winter applications can mean the difference between your lawn being severely compromised by cold weather, and your lawn suffering little or no stress and blossoming green & plush as the spring and summer arrive.

Some of the reasons for the increased infestations of these uninvited pests include increased international travel, incorrect identification during inspection and less use of residual pesticides.

Facts About Bed Bugs:

• Bed bugs are difficult to spot with the naked eye. Before they eat, they look like little tan specks of rice. After they feast on blood they turn red or dark brown in color and are easier to spot. They are approx. 3/16 inch, which is smaller than an apple seed. They are flat, long and oval in shape. They give off a sweet musty odor. Bed Bugs feed on the blood of humans, birds and rodents. Their bite is often times undetectable because proteins in their saliva cause a numbing sensation to the host as they bite. One disgusting reality is that as bedbugs bite a host they excrete blood from the previous victim on to your skin.

• At the site of a bite, a large oval shaped inflammation or swelling of the skin may occur followed by severe itching.

Signs that You May Have a Bed Bug Infestation:

Rusty red blood stains and dark spots from fecal matter on bedding, walls, mattresses, sheets and pillowcases are a sure sign of a bed bug infestation.

Bed bugs give off a sweet musty odor, which is another sign that you may have bed bugs.

Why are Bed Bugs Difficult to Control?

Bed Bugs are difficult to control because they often go undetected until a severe infestation has occurred. Because bed bugs are nocturnal only coming out at night, infestations can be difficult to detect. During the day, they hide in the tightest of spaces including cracks and crevices in the walls, bed frames, behind baseboards and mattress seams. Another reason that bed bugs often go undetected is because they can hibernate for months at a time going dormant and resurfacing months later. They are extremely resilient and can survive up to 1 year without food. Unreported bites give a false sense of control.

Another reason that bed bugs are hard to control is that they travel easily. They hitch a ride on backpacks, luggage and clothing from one place to the next. Once inside a home, bed bugs can travel through wall voids spreading the infestation from room to room making control extremely difficult.

They also reproduce rapidly. A female lays 10-50 eggs at a time laying up to 500 in her lifetime.

Treatment By a Trained Bed Bug Professional

Bed bugs are very difficult to treat, and effective treatment requires a pest control professional. Heron’s bed bug expert has been treating bed bugs for over 15 years and has treated over 1,000 bed bug cases in the U.S. If you have any questions or think your home may be infested with bed bugs, please call 1-800-81-HERON for immediate assistance.

What is Fast Growing?  Difficult to Control and Unpredictable?

No, not your teenager…crabgrass!

Crabgrass is a tenacious weed, however it can be controlled with the proper treatment.

Crabgrass is an aggressive fast growing weed that attacks St. Augustine and other turf grass with a vengence. Crabgrass grows laterally covering turf leaf blades starving it of sunlight needed to thrive. Crabgrass is extremely difficult to control because it grows 8 times faster than St. Augustine easily overwhelming a lawn in very little time.

Crabgrass seeds can remain dormant in the soil for years. With the proper conditions, moisture and humidity, dormant seeds will germinate and crabgrass spreads. A single crabgrass plant can produce up to 150,000 seeds that grow at a rapid pace.

Crabgrass thrives in sunlight & moisture, which is why it is such a recurring problem in Florida. The climate and conditions in Florida are the perfect setting for this pesky weed.

Homeowner, Lori of Oviedo writes:

“I’ve been with the same lawn company for years and been very happy with the service. However, when a large section of my lawn was taken over by crabgrass, I called them out to my home.  My technician told me that they do not treat for crabgrass & that I could try to treat it myself or I could pay for them to round it up and re-sod.  Needless to say, I’m extremely disappointed”.

Unfortunately, Lori’s story is common.

Most lawn companies do not treat for crabgrass for a couple of reasons:

1) Crabgrass is difficult to control. It takes multiple follow-up applications to control crabgrass once it’s germinated and actively growing.

2) Crabgrass is timely and expensive to treat. Treating crabgrass typically takes longer than a lawn without crabgrass. There are specific products in the industry that professionals use to control crabgrass. Most companies do not use these because of the cost factor.

A healthy lawn is the best prevention for crabgrass. This includes having the correct treatments at the correct times of year with proper watering and mowing.

Tips for maintaining a healthy lawn and preventing crabgrass:

Irrigation: Water your lawn less frequently but more deeply into the soil. Crabgrass thrives in shallowly watered lawns.

Mowing: Mow your lawn high ideally leaving 3.5” to 4” of turf.

Bare spots: Don’t leave bare areas of lawn. Re-sod bare areas quickly. Bare areas are an ideal place for crabgrass to spread into and thrive.

Proper Fertilization: Properly fertilize your lawn with a 2:1 ratio nitrogen and potassium in the spring and fall. Pre emergents are the best defense in preventing crabgrass seeds from germinating in the first place. These are best applied in late winter and early spring.

Heron is one of the very few companies in Central Florida who treat crabgrass. While crabgrass is an aggressive weed, it can be controlled with the proper care. If you have any questions, please call the Lawn Hotline at 1-800-81-HERON.

Owner Steve Okros, Mayor Fred Costello & the Ormond Beach team cut ribbon to commemorate Grand Opening of the Volusia County Office.

HERON ANNOUNCES THE GRAND OPENING OF THE NEW BRANCH IN ORMOND BEACH

For many years now, each time a referral came into the office for a potential customer just outside the “original” Heron service area, we took the request seriously, and were anxious to do the right thing. As time would soon make very clear, the good people in Volusia County were about to become a growing customer base for Heron.

Once we begin servicing these areas, we become very motivated to do more than just commute in and out of the county. We seek to employ people who live in Volusia County, support vendors who do business there and contribute to the local economy by establishing a presence in Volusia County.

On June 1, 2010 Heron Lawn and Pest Control proudly opened the doors to the new Ormond Beach facility. We held a grand opening celebration & ribbon cutting ceremony. Thank you to Mayor Fred Costello for attending! The Ormond Beach Pest Control branch, now fully staffed and functioning, covers our customers from Volusia & Flagler Counties including: Palm Coast, New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach, Flagler Beach, Daytona Beach and surrounding areas offering pest control, lawn fertilization, shrub care, palm care, termite control & sod installation.

The Ormond Beach team wishes to extend a heart-felt thank you to all our existing Volusia and Flagler County customers. You may rest assured we will continue to provide you with all the things you have come to expect from us, and we thank you for your many referrals and kind words of support.

Fresh Healthy Sod cut daily! Delivered to your home & installed by a professional sod installer.

Why is Heron’s Sod the best? It’s all in the health of the soil & growing conditions of the sod before it ever reaches your lawn. Heron sod is grown in healthy soil that is high in nutrient concentration. The soil has been pretreated for fungus, insects, mold, has the proper PH & nutrient concentration. Quality growing conditions produce top quality sod right off the sod farm using muck a based process.

Heron’s sod is superior quality!

All Sod is NOT Created Equal! We see it time & time again where homeowner’s have bought sod only to see it die within weeks. Often times in these cases, the sod hasn’t had proper pretreatment or healthy growing conditions. We’ve seen numerous cases where the new sod is untreated and arrives to your home with brown patch fungus, pythium root rot & sod web worms. After the sod is laid, these damaging insects, fungus & diseases spread infecting the rest of your lawn. You may save some money on the front end by purchasing cheaper sod but lose thousands by having to replace your entire lawn. Be sure to ask how your sod has been treated prior to it arriving at your home.

What type of sod does Heron offer? The most common sod is St. Augustine including shade varieties & Floratam. We also have Zoysia and Bermuda. If you have a special request, we can typically meet your needs.

How does Heron’s sod cutting & delivery process yield thriving sod with best results? Heron is one of few companies that cut the sod at night, completely cover it & deliver the next morning. This ensures the least amount of time from when the sod is cut until being installed. This is key to keeping the sod fresh & moist so it’s in the healthiest condition upon arrival. After the sod is cut, it never sees sunlight before it’s laid in your lawn. This gives your sod the healthiest start & best opportunity to thrive.

It is common practice in the sod industry to cut sod in the mornings, load it on a truck & deliver the next day. This is not ideal because the sod has set in the sun often times for 24 hours or more to wilt, dehydrate all day long & endure immense stress. It’s difficult for distressed sod to take root & thrive.

Why is muck based sod more resilient than sand or loam based sod? Heron uses muck grown sod as opposed to sand or loam grown sod which is an unparallel difference in quality. Muck based sod refers to the type of soil the sod is grown in. Muck based soil holds water & nutrients better yielding the healthiest sod as opposed to sand or loam grown sod. Because sand is so porous, it lets both water & nutrients flow out. Sod grown in sand doesn’t maintain the proper hydration or nutrients. Muck based sod is grown in nutrient rich soil with a healthy organic makeup and tends to take root better when laid giving your sod the healthiest start & best results.

How is muck based sod more economical? Because muck based sod holds in water better than sand or loam based sod, it requires less watering costing you less to irrigate.

When do I water my sod? Before sod is even laid, soil should be moist. It is crucial that your new sod gets watered immediately after installation. Note there are no watering restrictions on newly laid sod. New sod should be watered at least twice a day receiving ¼ to ½” of water each time. For the best accuracy, set out cups & measure the amount of water hitting the sod to ensure your sod is receiving proper amount of water. This is critical and often overlooked. Improper watering can result in your sod deteriorating.

Why is a locate service prior to sod installation important? Heron arranges a locate service before installation. This ensures that we are aware of cable & internet lines running underground in your lawn. If you are using another sod company, request that they use a locate service because if they cut a line, the cost incurred for repairs typically falls on the homeowner.

Call today for your free lawn analysis & sod estimate!

Put away your shotguns & machetes, step out of the bomb shelter. This army is not wearing fatigues or carrying machine guns, they are however lethal when they launch an attack on your lawn.

What army is invading Florida you ask?  Army worms!

Many pests that attack turf grass are predictable like chinch bugs, mole crickets and crabgrass. We see these pests often and know what to expect. Other pests that are less predictable can be the biggest challenge. Army worms fall into this category.

Army worms get their name because they often travel in groups. They attack by chewing on the leaf blades of grass decimating large areas at a time. Their meals of preference are St. Augustine & Burmuda Grass. An infestation of army worms can destroy a lawn in days.

“We’re receiving an influx of calls from homeowner’s in Orlando and throughout Central Florida who have army worms in their lawns.  If treated right away, we stop the army worms before they cause much destruction.  If left untreated, the result can be devastating and end with a lawn needing a full sod replacement.  A proactive approach is the best defense, treating the lawn to protect it from army worms to begin with. –Steve Okros, Entomologist.

Some signs to look for are areas of grass that look like they have been mowed too short or you may even see brown patches. When an infestation is extreme, the lawn can even appear as though it is moving. You may also see birds flocking to the lawn to feast on the army worms. Like many pests, often times when you see the signs, extensive damage has already been done.

What do these fierce soldiers look like? Army worms are hairless caterpillars. They can range in color from tan to olive green with yellow stripes running down the body. Dark circles are present on the midsection & a recognizable inverted yellow or white Y is present on the head.

Army worms have 3 life cycles: Female moths lay eggs in clusters of 50-150 laying up to 2,000 eggs in her lifespan. The female moth covers the egg mass with hair which looks like felt. The eggs hatch into caterpillars. Fully grown army worms are approx. 1.5 inches long. Grown army worms burrow themselves into the soil. After about two weeks, they emerge as moths. Then the lifecycle repeats itself.

You can’t assume that spraying one application of insecticides will alleviate army worms. They have multiple generations and often times the first generation is eliminated and the second is not. Another rising problem in Florida is that army worms becoming resistant to insecticides.

Think you may have army worms? While it is always best to have a licensed pest control professional perform an inspection, there is a simple test you can do on your own… a soapy water flush. Mix a bucket of water with 2 tablespoons of dishwashing detergent. Pour the mixture over 1 square yard of

Even superman himself can’t save the day from these villains. Resistant chinch bugs wreak havoc on Central Florida lawns. These pesky invaders have become resistant to every major chemical used against them, leaving St. Augustine lawns destroyed throughout the state of Florida.

Chinch bugs are the most common threat to St. Augustine lawns in Florida and by far the most difficult insect-pest to control. Chinch bugs attack grass by sucking out the nutrients from the leaf blades & regurgitating poisonous chemicals back into the plant killing the grass. When chinch bugs attack a lawn, the only choices are to treat with insecticides or to watch the lawn die.

Though an adult female chinch bug only live 2 months, they lay up 300 eggs in this short life span. Because of this rapid population growth, a small area of chinch bug damage can quickly overtake a lawn if left untreated. Even worse, chinch bug populations, known as super chinch bugs or resistant chinch bugs, have become immune to pesticides. An integrated pest management program must be implemented to control a chinch bug infestation.

Only the newer classification of insecticides called Neonicotinoids will control these “bugs of steel”. These newer insecticides cost 10 times more on average than traditional insecticides so make sure your lawn spray company uses them.

If you have any questions about resistant chinch bugs, email cvandergriff@heronlawnandpest.com. An expert entomologist will answer your questions.

Green pest control…A Responsible solution that is effective in fighting the toughest of pests in Central Florida!

Heron Lawn & Pest control is proud to be a green company! “Now more than ever it is the responsibility of everyone to take the right steps today to give our environment a greener healthier future & we couldn’t be prouder to play a part.”-Rodney Lackey, CEO

Heron Lawn & Pest Control is committed to being environmentally responsible in all its practices. Heron provides its customers with green friendly pest prevention services as well as lawn fertilization & termite control & prevention.

Here are some of the ways Heron is green!

1. Heron’s Proactive Approach through Integrated Pest Management. Technicians thoroughly inspect, assess, & then treat.

2. Custom Applications: Heron applies appropriate products as they are needed. No pre mixed products! Each application is custom blended for the property’s needs.

3. Heron uses Environmentally Favorable Products

4. Heron’s Unwavering Commitment on Research & Investing in the Best Products

5. GPS Monitored Vehicles: Creates less fuel consumption, emissions & more efficient routing.

6. Sales fleet of eco friendly vehicles: Averaging 36 mpg.

7. We RECYCLE!

8. Led by expert Entomologists: Florida conditions change as pests become immune to products. Our entomologists stay current on the on local conditions & implement the most environmentally conscious ways to treat problems with most effective products. Heron’s entomologists conduct ongoing training to service consultants & technicians and conduct ongoing research of new products.

9. BMP Certified: Green Industries Best Management Practices certified with an in-house BMP instructor. Certification is achieved through extensive education & BMP course completion. With BMP knowledge & implementation, Heron practices best methods to protect water resources in Florida and increase environmental knowledge & awareness throughout the pest control industry.

10. Lawn Programs are lake friendly allowing buffer zone and phosphorus free fertilizers.

Heron offers green pest control to the following areas: Orlando, Winter Park, Altamonte Springs, Apopka, Lake Mary, Heathrow, Oviedo, Longwood, Winter Springs, Maitland, Casselberry, Sanford, Chuluota, Dr. Phillips, Windermere, Clermont, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Celebration, Lake Nona, Kissimmee, Hunter’s Creek, St. Cloud, Haines City, Leesburg, Lady Lake, Villages, Mt. Dora, Groveland, Ocala, Deland, Deltona, Debary, Orange City, Flagler Beach, Ormond Beach, New Smyrna Beach & more.