It’s that time of the year! We love to make New Year’s Resolutions. Whether it’s going on a diet, spending more time with family, traveling, or something completely different, chances are you’ve at least thought about something you want to change for 2019! What about making one (or a few) resolutions for your lawn this coming year. Here are some ideas:
Focus on landscaping – Who doesn’t want the nicest looking yard on the block? That can be easier than you think. Landscaping is one of those things that gets ignored because it seems difficult and costly. Roll up your sleeves and do it yourself, or let us know if you’d like Nichols Lawn Services to give you a quote to fix some of your problem areas. Now is the time to get the ball rolling. Check out some ideas online or ask your lawn care technician what they would recommend. Resolve to make your yard look the best yet in 2019.
Plan on spending some time quality time outdoors this year – Endeavor to make your yard a place that’s peaceful and welcoming. Focus on creating your own little backyard retreat. There’s few things more enjoyable than relaxing in a beautiful yard!
Resolve to spend more time with family and friends and less time doing lawn maintenance – this is where Nichols Lawn Services can really help. Give us a call or send us a message and let us take over all your lawn care needs this year. Time is something that we can never get back. Spend it wisely with those that matter the most to you.
Try something new – have you always wanted to have a little vegetable garden in your back yard or try your hand at creating some pretty flower beds? Write down ideas of things you’ve always wanted to do in your yard, but never seem to get done and make it a priority to accomplish at least one of those things this year.
Once you’ve taken care of your gutter cleaning and are on top of leaf clean-up, consider having your lawn aerated in the fall. Here is some information about lawn aeration to consider.
Who doesn’t like looking at the beautiful contrast of fall leaves? The red, orange, and yellows make our ordinary commutes to work much more pleasurable. However, as those crisp leaves begin to fall, it creates a problem in our yards. What are we supposed to do with all of those leaves? If you do clean them up, then the wind blows and more fall to the ground. Here are some ideas for leaf clean-up.
Fall is a great time to have your gutters cleaned. Leaves begin falling, clogging the gutters. Debris from the summer builds-up, keeping rain water from running through freely. This can cause some big problems – both now and in the future.
Paper Wasps: Paper wasps can be red, brown, or black. They grow to about 3/4ths of an inch long and like to eat nectar and take caterpillars to feed their young. Paper Wasps form a papery nest that looks like an upside down umbrella. They are very protective of their nest and will attack if they feel it is being threatened. They often build their nests under the eaves of a building which can be dangerous to humans.
Yellow Jackets: Yellow jackets are yellow and black and have a very small waist. They also feed on nectar and fruit just like paper wasps but also hunt insects to feed the growing larvae. Many times they live in an abandoned rodent hole in the ground, but they may also hang their nests from trees, bushes, or under eaves. The nests can be the size of a basketball. Their stings are very painful and they can sting you multiple times. Although they don’t aggressively seek you out to sting you, they are very protective of their nest and are very sensitive to sound and vibrations so mowers or other loud equipment close to their home can upset them.
Bumble Bees: Bumble Bees almost always make their home in the ground, typically in an abandoned rodent hole. They are larger than the other bees and have a hairy belly. It is only the females that sting and since they aren’t that aggressive, unless you disturb their home you should get along fine with them in your yard. Unlike honey bees, they can sting you multiple times and if they are threatened they can chase you quite a ways, so if you find a nest in a high traffic area, it would be best to consult a pest control company to help you get rid of them. If their nest is no threat to you, leave them be!
places that honey bees may call home. They move in a way that looks like dancing to communicate to their fellow bees about where food is. Honey Bees produce honey as their name suggests, and store it in a structure of hexagonal cells of wax, called honeycomb. As with bumble bees, if a honey bee feels threatened, or something or someone gets too close to their nest, they will attack. Honey bees can only sting once and will die soon afterward.
Carpenter Bees: Carpenter Bees are different than honey or bumble bees in that they don’t live in a hive and are not social bees. Many people get them confused with bumble bees, but they are smaller and don’t have a hairy belly. The female bee bores a hole in wood to lay her eggs so they are typically found in trees or areas of a home or yard with untreated wood. The males don’t sting, and the females rarely do so they don’t pose much of a risk to humans. However, they can cause damage to buildings or wood structures over time. So for that reason, they may need to be removed from your property.
