Friday, May 28, 2010

Fleas, fleas, and more fleas!

Christine's Corner
Fleas are out and they are meaner than ever it seems. Follow the 3 Steps to help eliminate your problem.
#1 Treat the animal: use Flea & Tick Shampoo, Mists or Dips
We have several Adam's Flea & Tick products, along with Magic Coat shampoos, and other products that are great for dipping.
#2 Maintenance of the animal: Use a Flea Collar or a monthly Spot-On Treatment such as Bio Spot, Frontline, or K9 Advantix
#3 Premise Control: Treat your home and yard.
For in the home we have Adams Carpet Powder or Carpet Spray, and foggers.
Spray your baseboards, window frames, doorways, etc inside and out with Tempo, Demon, Bifen, Cyonara, or Viper and for a better kill add IGR (insect growth regulator) to keep the flea eggs and larvae from developing into adults.
For your yard use Adams Yard Spray, Over 'N Out, Hi-Yield Bug Blaster, or Diatomaceous Earth

It takes all of these steps to control the problem. Don't think one time will fix your problem either, fleas have a quick life cycle and you have to treat at least every 5-7 days to get them under control and if they are extremely bad treat every 2-3 days until you gain some control. Just don't give up, they are small creatures but they are tough!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Butterfly Garden

Christine's Corner:
Create a butterfly garden to add color and fragrance to your yard!
  • Plant larval (caterpillar) and nectar plants
  • Provide "puddles" for butterflies to drink from, nothing to deep.
  • Provide some protection from the wind...this can be shrubs, trees or large rocks.
  • Some great plants to try are dill or fennel for the caterpillars (speaking from experience the Swallowtail caterpillars LOVE dill!)
  • Plants like lantana, echinacea, rudbeckia, butterfly bushes, and salvias are great plants for butterflies

Stop in any of our garden centers for some great butterfly attracting plants!