The Argentine Ant Invasion Continues in Georgia
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As you go about your day, you stop and notice you have a trail of ants in your kitchen or bathroom. The first thing you do is spray them with a household bug killer. A few days later, they are back with friends and maybe even on the other side of your home. You then notice that they are coming from the walls and maybe even from the cracks in the floor. What kind of ants are these? Where did they come from? Why are they in my walls? These are questions I receive daily. I have been working at Top Turf for over four years. My name is Troy Prescott and I am “Your Neighborhood Pest Control Expert.” Let me answer some of these questions.
If this sounds like a problem you are having, then your home is being invaded by Argentine ants. Argentine ants are about 3/16 of an inch long and dark honey brown, not black. They entered Louisiana from South America about 100 years ago and have spread throughout the southern region of the United States. They arrived in Atlanta twenty years ago through transportation of potted plants and food shipments. Argentine ants have been invading homes ever since. Although they are not a poisonous type of ant, Argentine ants are very aggressive. They can completely eliminate other types of ant colonies and other insects to use as a food source.
Argentine Ants are in your walls, because they are nesting and looking for a food source. The larger the colony, the bigger the appetite. Argentine ants will utilize just about any food source they can find. I have seen them in microwaves, dishwashers and even refrigerators. That’s not all, if they are in your walls, then they are coming from somewhere outside. Argentine ants are most commonly found outside in mulch, pine straw, under rocks, in potted plants or any place that retains moisture.
If you find the trail of Argentine ants that is terrorizing your home, that is not necessarily the end of it. One trail of Argentine ants in Georgia has measured over 350 feet long. Argentine ants are difficult to eliminate, because they consist of a over a million worker ants and hundreds of queens. They have the ability to combine with other Argentine ant colonies over the winter months to form “super colonies” that nest just about anywhere.
Controlling Argentine ants is a difficult task. It is a year round problem that requires a thorough, long-term program. This program consists of correcting Argentine ant’s living conditions or as pest control technicals like to say, “condusive conditions”.
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The drought is officially over!
This morning while listening to AM750 on my way to work, I heard that “after three years we are out of the drought”. We have received over 7″ of rain for the month of March and we are expecting more rain today.
The recent rainfall will strengthen your lawn’s root system and is great for the overall health and vigor of the grass. For the past three years we have not had significant weed pressure due to the drought. With all of the recent rain, weeds are now popping up everywhere. The wet conditions provide a prime environment for the proliferation of broad-leaf weeds in your lawn. These weeds grow vertically much faster than your grass and become very unsightly in your lawn. Broad-leaf weeds are easily controlled with a post-emergent weed control. The only way to eliminate these weeds is to treat them after they have germinated. That is one reason why our lawn care service is a ongoing service. If you notice weeds popping up in between your regular scheduled service, please contact our office and we will be happy to re-visit your property and take care of them. Nobody does weed control better than we do! That’s why we are called “Your Neighborhood Weed Control Experts”.
Prepare your lawn for spring
The cold snap and snow resulted in a couple of tough days in the lawn care business. As you probably guessed, we do not treat lawns in the snow or when there is snow on the ground. The first two applications of the year, we apply a liquid application. Liquid applications allow better coverage of the pre-emergent and we are able to mix fertilizer into the tank. With one swipe of the lawn you get crabgrass preventer and fertilizer. We believe so strongly that a liquid application is better for our customer’s lawns, that we invest around $50,000 per vehicle. It would be cheaper to buy vans and spread all granular applications like some of our friendly competitors. However, we believe that if we provide the best quality products and service, our customer’s lawns will reflect it and Top Turf will be rewarded by having our happy clients refer their friends and neighbors. You may find a cheaper price, but I am confident you will not find a greater value in lawn care. The challenge comes when the temperatures drop well below freezing and the liquid in the hoses freezes up. We must wait for the temperatures to warm up before we are able to service the lawns.
Pre-emergent forms a barrier at the soil line to prevent summer grassy weeds from invading your lawn. The most notorious and by far the most important of which is crabgrass. The only effective way to stop crabgrass is before it comes up. If you do not stop it before it starts to germinate you will be fighting a losing battle all summer long. Post-emergent products are made to control existing crabgrass plants, however, one crabgrass plant can emit 10,000 seeds. As fast as you can knock one plant out, another one is popping up in it’s place. So get your crabgrass barrier down now. Here at Top Turf our clients receive pre-emergent with the first two applications of the year. The fertilizer is important to help promote a dense, healthy root system, which will also help to minimize weeds in the lawn. Be sure to water in your application. Please refer to watering section of our website for up to date watering information.
As you know you reap what you sow, so our clients will have great looking lawns this year!
Kevin
Frozen Bermuda Turf
I routinely hit the road to visit our clients and insure our company is providing metro Atlanta with the ultimate lawn care service. I look at weed populations, turf density, color of the turf and the overall quality of the turf. On Tuesday, 2/17 I spent the day in the Southern Atlanta suburbs. I was particularly troubled by one Bermuda lawn that I visited in Fayetteville. As I pulled up to the lawn I noticed that the Bermuda was a very dull brown color. Healthy dormant Bermuda is usually more of a golden color. The grass was mowed much too low for this time of the year. The turf was thin and there was a layer of thatch about a half inch thick covering the ground. Keep in mind that we provide the nutrition / fertilizer, weed control, lime and insecticide to the lawn. We do not provide any landscaping services including mowing. As I stepped onto the lawn the grass felt brittle and crunchy under my feet. Not a good sign. I noticed that the Bermuda on the sides of the home was much higher than the low cut Bermuda in the front of the House. There was a distinct line caused by the difference in the height of the turf. The Bermuda on the sides displayed the usual golden color and it was soft and pliable under my feet. Why was the Bermuda in the front of the house in such poor shape? The lawn was scalped and the mulch was not bagged. A hard freeze hit and the Bermuda did not have it’s winter coat on. The Bermuda was freeze dried. This lawn definitely has winter kill. The lawn is severely damaged and it will take a lot of work to get it green this summer. The thick layer of thatch will provide a perfect breeding environment for the germination of an array of pesky, broad leaf weeds.
The recommended mowing height for Bermuda during the GROWING SEASON is 1 inch to 1.5 inches. As winter approaches, Bermuda should be allowed to grow to a height of at least two inches. This height should be maintained throughout the winter months. The average last freeze date in Atlanta is around March 25th and has occurred as late as April 6th. Please DO NOT make the mistake of attempting to bring Bermuda out of dormancy too quick! If you want to ensure your Bermuda or Zoysia will be healthy this year and free of winter damage, wait until about April 1st to scalp it. Your neighbors may be scalping their lawns in early March. They may get lucky and have a bright green lawn before you mow for the first time of the year… but the odds are in your favor. And, don’t listen to the superintendent at the golf course. You have a residential lawn not a putting green. Follow the mowing and watering instructions under the “Tips” section of our website, have us provide your lawn care for the year and you will have a lawn you will be proud of. Guaranteed!
Kevin Bryan
Where it all began
It was 1991 when the first discussion came up, between my brother (Scott) and I, about starting Top Turf lawn care service. Scott had worked for a couple of lawn care companies and we both wanted to be in business for ourselves. It is cliche to say as a company we wanted to provide the highest quality fertilizers and exceptional lawn care service. Specifically we set out to do the best weed contol in the city. That meant treating all the weeds every time. If the lawn needs additional care between the paid applications then we will revisit the property and provide that extra service at no charge. A truely proactive service. We waited until 1993 to start the business because Scott got married in 1991 and had his first child in 1992. And, yes, it was more than 9 months later.
In September 1993 we set up office in the shed behin Scott’s father in laws house. The structure had enough storage space to park a vehicle in it and enough office space to squeeze two desks into. The building had electricity running to it but that was about it. We had no heating, no air conditioning and no plumbing. Most every winter night that year we were there until 10pm making phone calls to prospective clients and tending to all of the other issues that come along with starting a business. A space heater and some warm clothing were all the tools we needed to get us through those sub freezing nights.
Have a good week!