Rodent Control

As a company specializing in environmental services, there are several ways that Excellent Environmental Services can help protect homeowners from rats. Here are some potential strategies:

1. Inspection and Assessment: Excellent Environmental Services can conduct thorough inspections of homes to identify potential rat entry points, nesting sites, and food and water sources. This can include examining the exterior of the home, the roof, foundation, walls, and other vulnerable areas to identify gaps, cracks, or openings that rats could use to gain access.

2. Exclusion and Sealing: Once potential entry points are identified, Excellent Environmental Services can provide professional sealing services to close off those openings. This can include using materials such as steel wool, caulk, or metal mesh to effectively seal gaps and cracks, preventing rats from entering the home.

3. Sanitation and Cleanup: Excellent Environmental Services can provide sanitation and cleanup services to eliminate potential food and water sources for rats. This can involve proper disposal of garbage, removing debris, and cleaning up spills or messes that may attract rats.

4. Habitat Modification: Excellent Environmental Services can recommend and implement habitat modification measures to make the home and its surroundings less conducive to rat habitation. This can include trimming vegetation away from the home, clearing clutter, and removing potential nesting sites such as woodpiles or overgrown shrubs.

5. Education and Awareness: Excellent Environmental Services can educate homeowners on rat prevention measures and provide guidance on how to maintain a rat-free environment. This can include educating homeowners about rat behavior, signs of rat activity, and best practices for rat-proofing their homes.

6. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Strategies: Excellent Environmental Services can implement Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies, which are environmentally-friendly and sustainable approaches to pest control. This can involve using techniques such as trapping, exclusion, and habitat modification, with minimal use of chemical pesticides.

7. Ongoing Monitoring and Maintenance: Excellent Environmental Services can provide ongoing monitoring and maintenance services to ensure that rat prevention measures are effective and to address any new rat activity that may arise. This can include regular inspections, resealing of entry points, and providing recommendations for continued rat-proofing efforts.

By employing a comprehensive and proactive approach to rat prevention, Excellent Environmental Services can help homeowners protect their homes from rat infestations and create a safer and healthier living environment.

Sugarcane Mosaic Virus

What if I told you there is a virus right now spreading through Palm Beach County that can destroy your St. Augustine lawn. Given all the crazy things we have dealt with in the past 3 years you would be inclined to believe me, and rightfully so. Sugarcane Mosaic Virus (SCMV) has actually been in the US since 1920’s, and now its spreading faster and further than ever before…but why and why is it so bad?

It always comes down to sanitation! The disease is spread through sap containing the virus and can be transferred to other areas mostly by mechanical means such as lawn mowers and other equipment. To minimize spread of sugarcane mosaic virus all equipment used should be sanitized. This can be done easily just by washing your equipment after each cut, preferably with soap. No fancy chemicals are needed to accomplish this, the soap will break down the virus just like washing your hands. In the recent years and specifically this year (2022) we have seen a housing boom like no other. With this boom we have increased our need for several services including mowing! Now ask yourself HONESTLY how many times after your lawn being cut do you see the guys wash their equipment. The answer is ZERO! This lack of care has resulted in boom of SCMV. I know what you are thinking “I mow my own lawn, so this doesn’t affect me”. Sadly, unless you mow your neighbors’ lawns as well you can still get it, just from being neighbors.

Now you are thinking “Well if I do get it, I can always spread some dieses X or whatever home remedy is online to control it.” This thinking would be wrong. It’s a virus and because of that there is no cure; YUP you just read that correctly. Go ahead and cross check with everyone and any peer reviewed publication and you will quickly find out it is correct. THERE IS NO CURE FOR SCMV. Once you have it, you have it. Early signs can be spotted on the leaves, streaking can be seen and in the cooler weather the problem can be seen more clearly. The leaves will appear to be green, but they will almost have a paint splatter effect with different shades of green. Over time the lawn will get worse and worse as the virus disease eventually leads to necrosis (Death).

The next part is usually hard to swallow and always results in a form of the blame game. In the early stages landscapers may tell their homeowners the lawn has (Grubs, Chinch bugs, Fungus, Lack of Water…. you name it we have heard it). This is where it gets interesting, when we determine that the lawn indeed has SCMV the homeowners first instinct is overreact and demand that we fix it. We kindly explain it’s not a fungus or anything that can be treated; it is a virus which more often than not results in the customer canceling the pest control companies contract or even better threating us to resod their property because WE didn’t prevent it (Yet we don’t cut the grass and can’t spread it). After the homeowner is done burning their bridges, they reach out to other firms which simply tell them the same thing. So, the best advice I can give is never overreact. Take a moment to breathe and do some research, get second opinions or even reach out to your local Agriculture Extension office. Once you officially have accepted your outcome the next step is replacement. Yes, you read that correctly replacement is the only option once your lawn has been diagnosed with it unfortunately. This is often a huge financial burden to most homeowners (Hence blame game, and pass the buck mentality) since a simple resodding will not suffice you will need to do a complete removal of lawn.

So, what does a complete removal constitute as. To put it simply you need to use nonselective herbicide (Round up or other brand or home brew). Now apply it to your entire lawn (If the problem is only in the front, then you can do it in stages so it’s not a massive financial burden). After your lawn has died you can then rake it back to bare dirt, this is crucial that you remove it all. The use of a tiller after is encouraged and you can rent one from Home Depot. You don’t need to put new soil in, you can if you want but it’s not necessary. Next you will want to put in new sod, it is strongly recommended you get a sod that is SCMV resistant. Examples of this would be CitraBlue, Palmetto, Bermuda, Bahia. Resistant does not mean immune, but these grasses do not show the damage as much or if any. We still encourage home owners to consider if they are going down this road to expand their gardens and plant with Native Florida plants that are pest and drought tolerant. By doing this you will be reducing your amount of sod required and enhancing your home with a new garden that encourages local wildlife. A great resource for you as a home owner would be THIS WEBSITE.

If you have questions about your lawn, feel free to ask us.

Mosquito Control

Welcome to Florida! I'm sure by now you have met our state bird…We're not talking about the northern mockingbird either. Florida's unofficial state bird is in fact the mosquito. Globally there are 3500 different species of mosquitoes, Florida is fortunate enough to have 80 of them. Thats 80 too many!

Mosquitoes are one of the most troublesome insects in Florida because they carry serious diseases. The mosquitoes that are generally considered the most serious threats are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, both of which are vectors of Zika virus. In 2016, the following mosquito-borne diseases were reported in the state:

Zika, Dengue, Malaria, West Nile Virus, and Eastern equine encephalitis.

That's pretty intimidating; kind of makes you want to stay indoors for the rest of your life. But, realistically you don't have to. You should be free to enjoy your backyards spend countless hours at the pool, cook up some burgers with your friends family while enjoying the outdoors.

Technology everyday around us continues to improve and this does not only apply to the phone in your hands. Mosquito control use to be a white truck driving down the road with a thermal fogger spraying the entire Street. Just one massive cloud killing mosquitoes and beneficial insects at the same time.

Luckily like I said technology keeps on improving and we as an industry developed microencapsulated pesticides. These are pesticides that are able to withstand the sun's rays and provide short-term control for mosquitoes. This is great for thoes special events! It provides a quick knock down and all night comfort for up to 72 hours. Now if you want month long control pair this up with our in2care mosquito stations. The In2Care Mosquito Trap effectively attracts and kills Aedes mosquitoes with novel and green ingredients that target both larvae and adults. Trap activity is not limited to the trap itself, but extends to the surrounding area.

As a homeowner there are simple things you can do to reduce the presence of mosquitoes without any pesticides. Mosquitoes need water to reproduce, and they find water in various places such as: pet dishes, fishponds, old tires, planters, drainage ditches, and more This is why removing standing water is your first defense against these pests. Female mosquitoes lay their eggs on the surface of the water — the eggs feed on bacteria in the water.

If you have a mosquito problem we would love to meet with you and discuss if this will work for you.