Are You Ready for Hurricane Season?

Hurricanes are dangerous. They can produce winds of up to 157 miles per hour and they can cause a loss of life and extensive damage to your home and other properties. The heavy rainfall and strong winds they carry can trigger storm surges, flash floods, landslides, and flying debris.

According to a study done by Colorado State University’s Department of Atmospheric Science, there is a 30% climatological probability that Louisiana will be hit by hurricanes this year, and a 12% probability that it will be hit by major hurricanes. With the Atlantic hurricane season (June 1, 2016 – November 30, 2016) fast approaching, it is best to always be prepared and keep yourself armed with the knowledge on what to do if a hurricane hits your area.

6 Things to You Need to Do to Prepare for a Hurricane

In order to prevent extensive loss during a hurricane, you need to have a safety plan in advance and in place. Disaster preparedness is key to surviving through a hurricane. You need to be prepared while the skies are still blue, instead of preparing while mere hours away from the hurricane’s expected landfall in your area.

Here are some of the things you need to do in order to keep your family and loved ones safe during hurricane season:

• Be informed. Keep yourself informed about the latest updates on the hurricane at all times. Know the meaning behind the watches and warnings being issued by the National Weather Service. Check if your place is at risk for storm surges and flooding.
• Keep a contact list on hand. Store it in a place that is easily accessible. Some of the contact numbers you need to have are the emergency management offices, police, local fire and rescue team, Red Cross, and local hospitals. Also include the contact number of your insurance agent and insurance company in case you need to file a report or a claim after the storm has passed.
• Make an emergency plan. If you have been ordered to evacuate your home, know where to go. You should know the evacuation route to take, as well as where you will be staying to take refuge. If you know in advance that your family will not be in one place once the hurricane lands, know how to get in touch with each family member in case phone lines and the internet are not working.
• Prepare a supply kit. Make sure you have at least 5 gallons of water for each person and a week’s supply of food that will not spoil right away. Pre-packaged meals, high-energy bars, and canned food are the best for this situation. And don’t you forget to store food for your pet, too! Stock up on your prescription medicines, and non-prescription ones (pain relievers, decongestant, antihistamine tablets, cough medicine, stomach remedies). You also need to have flashlights, a battery-operated radio, fresh batteries, can opener, and a first-aid kit on standby. Also include sleeping bags and water purification tablets in your list.
• Home preparations. Have a supply of plywood on hand and use them as storm shutters when boarding up windows and sliding glass doors. Make sure that your car has a full tank and your generator has enough gas to survive for a week. Check the yard and bring indoors any yard tools, equipment, potted plants, and other objects that could easily be tossed around by the wind. Clean up your roof gutters and downspouts to prevent flooding and water damage. To prevent debris from falling in your yard, make sure to keep shrubberies trimmed, and that any trees or branches that are in danger of falling have been secured. In this regard, Fischer Environmental can help you in making your lawn and landscape prepared for a hurricane.
• Stay tuned to emergency alerts. Aside from knowing when the hurricane is expected to come, you also need to make sure you are receiving alerts about any emergencies from your local government. Always check if your place is part of an evacuation area. Heed the call and immediately evacuate if you are ordered to do so.

Start early in your disaster-preparedness planning to keep yourself, your loved ones, and your home safe and secure during hurricane season.

Tips for growing a summer vegetable garden in Louisiana

If you are a health buff who enjoys farm-to-table goodness, then you will definitely enjoy growing vegetablesright in your own garden. You get to enjoy delicious, fresh-as-the-day-they-were-picked goodness that is completely incomparable to the ones you find in the grocery produce aisle. 
On the other hand, gardening is definitely not a random process where you can just plant a seedling on a soil bed and watch it grow into fruition. There is a lot of planning involved that will hopefully turn your useless yard into an attractive and functional landscape brimming with veggie crops.

Prepare Your Soil

The key to a successful vegetable garden is having a moist, well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. Before planting your vegetable seedlings, prepare the soil beds by digging it up to loosen the compacted soil and improve its drainage capability. Remove weed roots and rocks from the soil. This is also the perfect time to add organic material such as compost, mulch, or dehydrated cow manure to assure you will have a bountiful harvest.

Avoid Inhibiting Combinations

If you want to make the most out of your vegetable garden, then companion planting will be a necessity in order to achieve a higher garden yield. With so many types of vegetables to choose from, you cannot randomly plant two vegetables together. Some vegetables support each other while growing, while other plants simply don't get along with others and will only take more than their fair share of resources.

In order to ensure maximum growth, research what combinations grow well together before planting multiple vegetables.

• Cabbage and Brussels sprouts grow well when planted next to Swiss chard, lettuce, and spinach.
• Cucumber thrives when placed next to beans and cabbage.
• An eggplant won't mind growing next to beans and pepper.
• Tomatoes are good with having carrots and cucumbers as their next door neighbors.
• On the other hand, garlic and onion will only prevent the growth of peas, while potatoes will only stunt the growth of tomatoes and squash.

Watering

Make sure to water your vegetables consistently to produce bountiful results. Give your vegetables at least one inch of water a week, but if you live in a dry, hot weather, they need more than double the amount. If you have sandy soil, you will need to water more frequently. If you have clay soil, your veggies will need less watering.

Infrequent watering leads to stunted growth and poor yield. On the other hand, overwatering is bad for the vegetables, too. If the soil is continuously waterlogged, the veggies’ roots will not have room to breathe freely, and will not be able to absorb much-needed nutrients. If you have a large vegetable garden, consider getting a soaker hose, which is an efficient way to water your veggies without wasting a lot of water.

Louisiana Planting Guide

Here are the vegetables that thrive well under the Louisiana weather, and in what particular month you should plant them:

• January – broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Irish potatoes, kale, leeks, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnips.
• February – beets, broccoli, collards, lettuce, mustard, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard, radishes, spinach, turnips, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants
• March – corn, bell peppers, cucumbers, snap beans, tomatoes, mirliton and squash.
• April – eggplants, corn, cucuzzi, cushaw, lima beans, okra, peppers peanuts, pumpkins, sweet potato
• May – collards, cushaw, cucuzzi, eggplant, hot pepper, luffa gourd, lima beans, Malabar spinach, mirliton, okra, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, tomatoes.
• June – eggplant, collards, cucuzzi, Swiss chard, sweet potato  heat tolerant tomatoes.
• July – collards, cucumbers, luffa, okra, hot pepper, luffa, Malabar spinach, mirliton, okra, pumpkin, Southern peas, sweet potato, pumpkins, Southern peas, shallots, and squash.
• August – broccoli, bunching onions, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumbers, lima beans, Swiss chard, mustard, snap beans, turnips, shallots, and squash.
• September – beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, Chinese cabbage, collards, English and snow peas, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, onion, radish, rutabagas, snap beans, Swiss chard, turnips
• October – beets, Brussels sprouts, snow peas, cabbage, carrots, celery, collards, endive, garlic, green peas, kohlrabi, lettuce, leeks, mustard, rutabaga, shallots, radishes, parsley, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, and turnips.
• November – leek, beets, cabbage, celery, carrot, kale, collard, garlic, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onion, shallot, rutabaga, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnip.
• December – beets, carrots, cabbage, celery, collards, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, mustard, radish, rutabaga, spinach, shallots, Swiss chard and turnips.

Know Your Local Planting Dates

There are vegetables that prefer warm weather while others thrive in cool weather. Vegetable crops fall under two major categories: cool season vegetables and warm season vegetables. Achieving a bountiful harvest requires planting your vegetables in the dates and seasons which they prefer. You can consult with a local almanac to know the perfect dates to plant your vegetables.

Growing your favorite vegetables right in your backyard bring a lot of benefits. You no longer have to deal with bruised and limp produce; instead, you get fresh, crisp vegetables every single time at a much lesser price!  If you need any help, contact us today!

How to Prep Your Home for Mosquito Season

The tiny mosquito is one of the deadliest animals in the world. It can be difficult to comprehend how something as tiny as this nasty insect can wipe out millions of people in its wake. The WHO has reported that mosquito bites result in about one million deaths annually, with the majority of these deaths caused by malaria. The mosquito by itself is not the one that kills people; but rather, it is the disease that the mosquito carries and transfers to a host body that is considered deadly.

Things to Do to Prevent Mosquitos from Invading Your Home

Now that the summer months are fast approaching, you need to prep your home and yard in order to ensure that mosquitos don’t choose them as breeding grounds. Here are a couple of things you can do:

• Remove all standing water- Standing water in your home and yard is a health hazard, as it can harbor mosquito eggs and larvae. It can collect in birdbaths and pet water bowls, so regularly clean them. Dry down muddy ditches and puddles in your yard and toss out old tires. Also, remove leaves and twigs from roof gutters and empty the water out of gardening tools and equipment. Inside the home, check if there is water in flower vases and flip over empty bottles and jars to prevent water from penetrating.    
• Use natural pest control- Having ducks, chickens, and turkeys scurrying all over your yard can help control mosquitos, as poultry and waterfowl absolutely love to eat mosquitos.
• Certain plants can help-Citronella grass (lemongrass) gives off a lemon-scented smell that is effective at repulsing mosquitos. It is a low-maintenance plant that is very easy to grow. Having a herb garden will also come in handy as the woodsy scent of rosemary and the pungent smell of basil will help to mosquitos away. Catnip—also known as catmint—is also an effective natural mosquito repellant, but you might have to think twice about planting this in your garden if you have cats as domestic pets.
• Light citronella candles- Citronella oil comes from the stems and leaves of citronella and repels mosquitos. If you are fond of DIY projects, you can make homemade citronella candles in order to achieve a mosquito-free summer. Simply add several drops of essential citronella oil into the melted wax to make the candles.
• Check screens for tears- Screen doors and windows can take a beating from pets and children, resulting in small holes and tears that allow pesky mosquitos inside the home. Make sure to fix your screens before the start of the mosquito season.
• Level your yard- Uneven lawn spots can collect standing water, so if you have a lawn that is full of puddles, consider leveling up the soil. Use your wheelbarrow and shovel to collect top soil from a higher spot in the yard, then dump it into the low spots to even it out.
• Keep trash cans closed-Remember that mosquitos love to breed in moist places, and uncovered trash bins can easily collect water after a rainy afternoon or a morning dew. You have to either keep them tightly covered, or drill small holes in the bottom for water to drain.
• Keep grass and shrubs maintained.- Aside from standing water, mosquitos also thrive on grass and shrubs because they feed on plant nectar. Regularly prune your shrubs and keep the grasses mowed and cut short to keep the mosquitos away.
• Contact a professional pest control companies-If you feel that you have already done everything you can to keep mosquitos away, and they still continue to plague your home, then now is the time to call in the experts. Fischer Environmental is one of Louisiana’s leading pest control companies and will be able to wipe out the mosquitos in your home in a safe and efficient way.

Mosquitos pose a serious health threat to you and your family. Keep your loved ones safe by implementing precautions that will deter mosquitos from breeding and biting in your home and yard. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry.

What You Need to Know about Formosan Termites

Termites can strike fear into the hearts of homeowners, and with good reason. They are one of the most destructive pests a homeowner can encounter in a lifetime. The damage caused by Formosan subterranean termites are nothing to sniff at. They cost damages in the country that are valued at around $1 billion annually, and in Louisiana alone, the estimated damage they do is valued at $500 million per year.

What is the Formosan Termite?

Formosan termites have oval heads that are orange-brown in color, which is different when compared to the native termites’ flat heads. These termites originated from China and were introduced to the continental US through military ships that returned homeland after World War II. Classified as a subterranean termite, they live in the underground soil and love moisture. Compared to their dry wood termite counterparts, their colonies can have millions of workers, making it all the more dangerous once they invade a home. Formosan termites can wreak havoc at a rate of 5 times faster than native termites. Although subterranean termites can be found everywhere, they are more active in the southern states because of the warmer climate.

Behavior, Habits, and Diet

The Formosan termites love cellulose, above all, which is the building block of wood. They love to feed on both living trees and dead structural wood. They will eat anything, even if it only contains a small degree of cellulose, so cloth and paper products are at risk from these termites. They also have the ability to eat through obstacles, which is why foam insulation and sheet metals that are used to protect a structural foundation can be penetrated by Formosan termites, they do so to get to the food source.

The termites’ swarming season starts in April and continues through July. The winged reproductive termites, called alates, will swarm in the air. Once they find a partner to pair up with, they lose their wings, burrow into some wet wood to mate, and hatch their eggs. The female alate will then become the queen of the newly-formed colony.

Signs of Infestations

• Swarming-If you see a group of alates swarming during spring and summer evenings, this could be an indication that a nest or a colony is nearby.
• Mud tubes-Their presence on the walls of your home is a clear indication of infestation. These termites don’t like to be exposed, so they build mud tubes when traveling from their nest to food sources.
• Carton nests-Nests are usually underground so that termites have access to moisture. Formosan termites create carton nests made from saliva, excrement, and wood so they can get the moisture they need even if they are situated above ground. This way there is no need for them to go back to the ground. As a result, they can do more structural damage to a building within a shorter amount of time.
• Wood damage-Formosan termites will eat along (instead of across) the wood grain. The wood grain left behind after feeding is usually packed with mud.
• Soft wood-Tap on the wooden parts of your home and feel for any wood that is soft or hollow to the touch. Bulges and depressions in wood can be a sign. Chipped paint and moist patches in wallpaper may also indicate a full-blown termite activity underneath.

How Much Damage Do They Do?

The damage that a Formosan colony can cause is massive. Because there are millions of members in a colony, they can cover one acre of land or eat through 13 ounces of wood in just 24 hours. At this dizzyingly fast rate, it is entirely possible that a colony can destroy a wooden structure within three to four months.

Prevention of Formosan Termites 

In order to prevent a termite infestation, you need to cut off the termites’ access to food and water sources. Prevent water accumulation in your home’s foundation by making sure your roof gutters and downspouts are functioning properly. You can also improve the ventilation in your attics and crawl spaces. Furthermore, ensure that any wooden part of the home is never in contact with the soil.

If termites are already inside your house, you have two ways to go about this:

• Treatment options-If you are going to treat the termites on your own, you can buy termiticides and bait kits to get rid of the Formosan termites.
• Contact a professional-Termite treatment is best left to the professionals, who will properly use and implement chemical treatments. Make sure the pest control company you choose to hire has a lot of experience and expertise when it comes to dealing with Formosan termites, such as the experts at Fischer Environmental who have dealt with many Formosan termite infestations.

The home is often the biggest investment in a lifetime. Protect it to the best of your ability by keeping it termite-free.