Fertilizer Use Act of 2011

Gov. O'Malley, on May 19, 2011, signed into Maryland Law, the Fertilizer Use Act of 2011. The law is designed to reduce the amount of nutrients into the Chesapeake Bay from lawns, golf courses, parks, recreation areas and other non-agricultural sources. The law mandates several things: the amount of phosphorus contained in fertilizer sold to the public, establishes a training and certification process for persons who are hired for applying fertilizer, limits the amount of fertilizer applied to turf and implements a program to educate homeowners on best practices for fertilizer application... Read full article on Fertilizer Use Act of 2011 on our blog

Many of the provisions are already in place for commercial applicators. Homeowners will now be required to follow the guidelines established by the University of Maryland when fertilizing their lawns, gardens and landscaped areas. The guidelines will be promoted through a public education program that will include information on best management practices to follow when using fertilizers, soil testing information and how to read and follow a fertilizer label.

Specific guidelines for homeowners and do it yourselfers include:

• Prohibits use of lawn fertilizer on impervious areas
  Prohibits using fertilizer: Between November 15 and March 1
  When the ground is frozen
  Within 10-15 feet of waterways


• Restricts the amount of phosphorus applied to turf, with allowances when soil tests indicate low levels of phosphorus or when the homeowner is establishing a new lawn


• Establishes maximum application rates for total nitrogen and water soluble nitrogen


• Establishes maximum application rates for enhanced efficiency controlled-release products


• Authorizes county, municipality or the Maryland Department of Agriculture to enforce these requirements

Additionally, new training and licensing requirements have been established for professional fertilizer applicators. The law must be n place by October 1, 2013.

The changes have been put in place to help the state comply with the new requirements for the control of total maximum daily load of pollutants entering the Bay by 2020.

A word about "good bugs" - Ladybugs

Ladybugs, often called white waxy ladies:

When the waxy lady bug is in the larvae stage, the larvae will devour several thousand immature scale insects. As an adult lady bug, the bug will eat many other harmful insects. Sometimes we do get a bit carried away and will eliminate beneficial insects along with the harmful insects. Lady bugs are very
easy to identify: they are usually black with two red spots n the wing covers. Sometimes there will be yellowish spots or stripes on their backs. I the spring, the waxy bugs will return to devour scale.
Wintering over in leaves and beneath bark liter the lady bug will truly help you. Please do not destroy them; there is no danger to your home! We can all remember those winter days when we get several consecutive days of above average temperatures. The warmth of the sun on the house, especially the south west sides of the house, will often cause the waxy lady bug to suddenly appear in incredible
numbers. Again don’t worry; there will be no damage to your home.

Now an interesting question: just where were those lady bugs? If you want you could take the frames of your doors off on the south west side: guess where the bugs have been living? Good guess: behind the frame!

Beware winter is coming to your neighborhood!!!

Please, please, please DO NOT STORE FIREWOOD INSIDE OF YOUR HOME!! There is any number of insects in the firewood just waiting for a nice warm environment to live in for the winter. Theses insects include: ants, termites, stink bugs, and hornets to list a few. The insects are usually in or under the bark.
Try not to stack firewood next to the house. The best answer, of course, is a wood crib close to the house.

Most winter insects will not have to be sprayed and can be merely vacuumed up. Be on the lookout for ticks, at least until we have several hard freezes. Check the children out every day. Lyme disease is nothing to play with!

Check out the cupboard for meal moths. This is especially true if the meal or flour has been there a long period of time. The problem is often more prevalent with "off brand" products. Just discard the flour, meal, rice or pasta that is infected. Be sure to vacuum thoroughly.

Try to seal all entry points into your home to prevent insects from invading! Pesticides do not store well: check with your county to determine when / you can dispose of pesticides. Freezing weather will generally reduce the effectiveness of pesticides.

If you have a fresh cut Christmas tree be on the lookout for emerging insects. Just vacuum them insects. Many times you will bring spiders in with the tree.

"Mosquitoes reign in region"

The above is the headline in the Evening Capital from October 3, 2011. The recent very heavy rains have resulted in a dire and dangerous situation.

We at BOG Pest Control have been very worried about the results of over 30" of rain in large parts of our service area. Yesterday one of techs came back to the shop with very disconcerting news: he had been bitten in mid-morning by mosquitoes while on his route. The troubling part: Asian Tiger mosquitoes bite in mid morning and continue all day long. Asian Tiger Mosquitoes carry the West Nile Virus.

To date there have been four reported cases of West Nile in Anne Arundel County alone. Mosquitoes are at very high levels in all parts of county. We also serve Montgomery, Howard, Calvert, Charles, Prince Georges and several counties on the Shore. We can't say which area has the most serious problem: all areas have very high levels of mosquitoes.

The situation is so dangerous the Public Works Department in Anne Arundel is starting a spraying regimen next week beginning in the Pasadena area. Those at most risk are the elderly over 50 and very young children.

We are advising our clients to check for standing water throughout their property. Look for mosquito larva in the standing water. A new brood will hatch daily from some parts of your property.

Do not hesitate to call for help. We many trained techs who specialize in mosquito control. We can be to your home this week. By Friday, October 7 the numbers of mosquitoes will be very high. Don't think for a minute that this will pass: the situation is very dangerous for you and your family.

Emerald Ash Borer - Now in Howard County, MD

The Emerald Ash Borer, as shown, has arrived into Howard County. This nasty pest is moving ever closer to Baltimore City. Baltimore City has approximately 300,000 Ash trees. The cost, just to remove a dead or dying tree is in the neighborhood of $500-1000. The Ash is planted in our cities since Ash trees are drought resistant and can tolerate adverse conditions.

The Emerald Ash borer is actually rather striking in appearance. From a bright glossy green on the wings to brilliant purple abdominal segments, you will be able to know immediately what you are seeing. Unfortunately, you may not see the borer! You will see, however, the damage caused by the insect. Very often the borers can be found in firewood. NEVER transport firewood from your home to a new location. The beetle will infest firewood. Transporting of firewood as of now is not permitted over
county lines in the state of Maryland.

It is just a matter of time before Anne Arundel County, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties will find the Emerald Ash Borer. If you are in doubt about the insect you have found please contact the county extension agent. As a society we need to do everything we can to prevent the spread of the beetle.

To make the situation worse there are other beetles that are somewhat similar in appearance to the Emerald variety. Most notably, the bronze birch borer, the six spotted tiger beetle and the two lined Chestnut borer are often mistaken for the Ash borer. The damage is caused by the small tunnels that are eaten into the tree just under the bark. These tunnels disrupt the flow of water and nutrients to the
tree. A tell tale sign is the dying off of the top of the canopy of the tree, the sudden growth of shoots at the base of the tree, severe splitting in the bark and a dramatic increase of wood pecker activity on the Ash tree.

Do not hesitate to CONTACT US, especially if you are a resident of Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Calvert or St. Mary’s counties, if you even suspect the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer.

BAGWORM ALERT, Anne Arundel County and Mid-Maryland

Now is the time to find bagworms! The bags start off as very small silken containers on the underside of the stems on the trees. Most often the bagworms infest Leyland Cypress, Japanese maple and spruce (all varieties). Good description; the bags look like small pine cones! The bags are very difficult to tear open: they are silk!

How do you deal with bagworms? Some people simply pull the bag off and drop
the bag into a container of soapy water. This is not the best way! When the bag
is pulled off, there is a thread of the silk that holds the bagworm on the branch
that is left behind. The silken thread will stay behind and will girdle the tip of the branch: this silk will cause the tip to die off! There are therefore two problems
caused by the bagworm: the foliage that is eaten by the worm (from now until
mid-August) and the silken thread that is left behind on the tip of the branch
that can girdle the tip and cause the tip to die off. If you are going to do the job
yourself you must cut the bag off with a knife or use shears. You should never
just pull the worm off of the branch. Then drop the bag into the soapy water!!
You will have to do this for several weeks as the bags will be of varying size and
will continue to increase in size. The best time to deal with bagworms has long
passed: a dormant oil spray applied in late winter or very early spring will keep
the worms at bay.

You will also need to clean up the area under the infected trees and dispose of
the debris. Well, just what do you do if the tree is large and heavily infected or
there are just too many trees for you to deal with? There are sprays available,
most use Bt, a bacteria spray harmless to pets and children. Tall trees or too
many infected trees to deal with? No sprayer? Or no sprayer strong enough?
Contact us for assistance, we can spray now and offer you a tree and shrub plan to prevent future problems.

Moss in Anne Arundel County Maryland

We do get calls frequently in regards to the presence of moss. We suppose there are choices: learn to love the moss, after all moss doesn’t need to be cut, trimmed, poisoned or even fertilized, hate the moss and try to rid the property of moss, or simply put sell the home and move. However, most of us want to be rid of the moss!

Trying to remove moss from the property is something like trying to catch a pound of smoke. Just where does one start? Let’s take a look at the property. Is the property low and wet, shaded, and has a pH level on the low end of 5? If the former is true then your property is a prime area for moss. Can moss be found out in the open? Yes, but it is not likely. Mosses, like most everything else, have many varieties; there are over 15,000 species in the world. Moss does not have a vascular system or traditional roots but do have rhizoids.

Enough of the minutiae on moss! What do you do to rid the property of moss? First, get a soil test professionally done. Second, address the moisture issues. Third, reduce the amount of shade and fourth, add lime to the soil to increase the pH to create a soil type conducive to grass growth.

Sounds like more trouble than it is worth. To most of us, yes it is a lot of trouble. There is a much better method available. If you have a moss issue and want help: contact us at BOG Lawn care and we will come out to your property and do a free analysis of the situation and begin you on the way to a beautiful lawn.

WEEDS!!!! WEEDS!!!! WEEDS!!!! WEEDS!!!!

Want to have some fun? Look at the names of the following: Giant Foxtail, Creeping Bentgrass, Goosegrass, Green Foxtail, Large Crabgrass, Smooth crabgrass (oh, come on!), Nimbleweed (kidding right!?), Quackgrass (my favorite!), Yellow foxtail, and the grand daddy of them all: annual bluegrass. Annual Bluegrass is found in every country ! Talk about tough!

The message, rather subtle: all of these are weeds, all are ugly, all are uneven in growth and all of them are very difficult to get out of the lawn once they are established. The names just are so melodic that it just stirs the imagination. Who comes up with these? Guess what PhD's are earned on the knowledge of just one of the weeds! The researcher who comes up with a cure all for just one of the list will be working for Bayer in a flash!

What do we as homeowners do? Well one choice is just let the weeds win! Not a very
intelligent choice, but a choice nonetheless. Why do we even care about having a lawn of just tall fescue? Guess what tall fescue is technically a weed! We care because the lawn just plain looks better! Selfish, maybe..but not really. Tall fescues produce oxygen the other weeds do not. Tall fescues hold the soil nicely, the others are clumpy. Have you ever cut a "lawn" of just weeds? Well the aroma of Goosegrass, crabgrass, Quackgrass and Nimbleweed is just not pleasant! Those of you who are just tired of the Quackgrass, orchard grass, goose grass and gosh knows what else…Contact us! Our company, BOG, Lawn Care, can and will get your lawn to be tall fescue (may take a bit of time! But it took a bit of time to develop that good old Quackgrass!) Oops, we forgot about crabgrass, wire grass and Mr. Ugly: creeping Bentgrass! Oh
well another time...

Maryland Invaders of the Spring

Very often anglers will arrive back at the dock, clean the fish that have been caught, hose off the boat, clean up the equipment and then make a potential very big error: dump the leftover bait into the dock area or even worse the angler will dump the bait bucket with live bait or worms into the bay as "chum". Why could this be a bad practice?

Simply put this is the most common way for species not native to our waters to get into the bay and then become a potential danger to the eco-system of the bay. If the live bait is a species not native there is a very good chance that that species will survive and multiply. Without a counter enemy in our eco-system the unwanted species will become an invader species. This is exactly how we got flathead minnows, the rusty crayfish, goldfish, red swamp crayfish, rainbow darters and many other non-native species into the bay. Some of the invaders have been totally harmless but others have brought related diseases to the water.

Once introduced into the streams, rivers or the bay, the non-native species can overpopulate an area at the expense of driving out the native species. What may seem like an act of kindness can turn out to be very harmful to the environment. Hard to believe, but common bait earthworms are causing eco-system changes to our forests and wooded areas. The species are from Europe and dramatically change the eco-system. Simply put, these worms change the soil chemistry, reduce the diversity of other worms and can help spread invasive plants.

We at BOG, love the bay and the rivers feeding into the Bay. We do not work in this field but we do wish to protect the water. So we recommend strongly that you think twice before you toss left over live bait, as an act of kindness or laziness, into the water.

Ode to the joys of spring... Ants!

Look around at the splendor of your world. Surrounded by the blooms, new leaves and fresh mowed grass; what else could you ask for? Of course there are other things that come with the territory called spring. New hope, abundance, fragrance, the great outdoors and last but not least: ants, ants and still more ants! Whoa here fella, what do you mean an abundance of ants? Don’t we just have about enough of our friends the mighty ant?

Well the answer is actually the other way; ants, pre-date us, outnumber us and out weight us! Additionally, if we are not clean in our living areas our dear friends, the ant, will outlast us! Here are a few ideas: ladies start your engines: clean all of your counters including the range! After you have finished do it again! Ants must have something to eat and the mighty ant will travel great lengths to get that needed food. Please don’t feed the lions, tigers, gorillas or ants!!! They outnumber us, outweigh us and have been around much longer than us!

Spring time is time for romance. When you see swarming ants a mating ritual older than time itself has begun. The males seek out the females within the swarm. After the mating has occurred the males begin the death ritual: they have done their duty and will be dead very soon. The fertilized female will find a tiny crevice or other hiding place. She will discard her wings, form a small cell and will lay a few eggs.
The eggs will hatch and ah Ha; white grubs appear (very small by the way). The queen will feed the grubs and as the grubs begin to grow the grub morphs into a worker ant. The worker ant forages for food (these are the ones in your home!)As the workers develop and more ants are hatched there will be new females and additional males: ah ha again: the swarm appears and off we go again. Good old queen will live 10-20 years on average producing eggs the entire time.

Please be careful in the treatment of ant invasions! Residential products may not be the best for you to use. Contact us for professional guidance!!

White Tail Deer and Ticks

Ticks in our area generally involve white tail deer. We are aware that the deer population is a burden to the environment and presents a variety of challenges. One of the more serious challenges is the proliferation of Lyme disease. Lyme disease has more than doubled in the last decade.

The tick in question is tiny and is transmitted by white tailed deer. Not sure about you but in my neighborhood the deer roam about as though they were curious children. Problem is however, that these children cause havoc to the landscaping and have the additional prize of carrying ticks. The ticks are very small and do fall off of the deer into the environment. Just walking through the area gives the tick the opportunity to latch onto a blood source: you or a pet, your children.

Just what do you do to help prevent the disease? One easy thing is to keep weeds and brush at an absolute minimum in height. Don’t provide a place for the tick to wait for its next meal.

Carefully inspect your clothing when you come inside. Check for ticks on your person. Obviously wear long sleeves and a hat. If bitten by a Lyme carrier the bite area will develop a circular rash that will continue to grow. Best advice: go to the Doctor and get a diagnosis. Treated early there will be little chance for developing Lyme’s. Do not be stubborn and presume the rash will go away. The resulting
disease is not pleasant. Long term debilitating issues can develop. Why take a chance? Contact us, we will get someone over to your home and deal with the tick situation.

West Nile Virus

The reality of the West Nile Virus (WNV) is that the disease was first found in the United States in 1992 and since that date horses, birds and humans have been infected sometimes with catastrophic results. While the first outbreak was in New York City, the disease has spread to 40 or more of the states. Approximately 5% of those infected have died. Over 15,000 cases in horses have been confirmed and over 4300 horses have been euthanized.

Mosquitoes are the carriers with four species been the most prevalent carriers. The common horse mosquito (c.pipens) is the mosquito that transmits the disease to horses. The mosquitoes bite infected birds and can carry the disease for upwards of ten days. Infected mosquitoes, as all mosquitoes do, bite multiple times; each and every time they bite they leave potentially infected salvia behind.

There are four phases of life for the mosquito. All mosquito eggs are deposited on water or in places likely to be flooded with water. The key to mosquito control is to eliminate as much standing water as you can. The first phase of the mosquito life is an egg, followed by larva, pupa and adult. The eggs generally hatch within 48 hours, enter the pupa stage, have the exoskeleton harden and then fly. Only the female mosquito can bite since they require a blood meal to be able to lay eggs. A typical female mosquito will live several weeks. The reproductive cycle is very fast and if standing water is left alone the quantity of mosquitoes present will be very high in quantity.

If you see dead birds, especially crows, report this information immediately to the health department.

If you have a mosquito problem or are very concerned contact us and we can provide the professional service you expect from BOG Pest Control.

Gypsy Moths

Early spring through mid to late May is the time frame for Gypsy moths. The moths emerge as caterpillars and feed on the tender leaves of hardwood trees. Severe infestations can and often do result in complete defoliation of trees, sometimes conifers. Trees can usually survive a defoliation of one season while conifers seldom survive defoliation.

Gypsy moths are very close to being the number one pest for leaf defoliation in the United States, costing in the area of $50 million per year in the eastern United States into Canada. We are right in the affected area. The caterpillars feed at night and start at the top of the trees and work downward.

The moths are very light and move easily in the air. However, female GM’s cannot fly. The caterpillars will continue to feed for about 8-12 weeks going through a molting phase 5 or 6 times. Be aware that a mature caterpillar can eat 1 square foot of leaves per day. At the conclusion of the feeding stage in late
June to early July the caterpillar will pupate into moths by late July. As moths the Gypsy moth does not eat but searches for a mate. Each female will lay a single buff colored egg mass consisting of 100-1000 eggs. The female cannot fly in spite of having large well developed wings.

Identifying the moths is relatively easy. As larvae, or caterpillars, the Gm is rather large with distinctive markings. At a size of 2 ½" with yellow marked black heads and having 5 pairs of blue bumps followed by 6 pair of red bumps down the back the moth is easy to identify as a caterpillar. The pupa of the moth will be found hanging upside down motionless, suspended in place with a few strands of silk.

Be on the lookout, especially if you have oak or ash trees. Contact us if you thing you have found the distinctive caterpillars on your trees. The next 6-12 weeks are critical. We can determine the type and will notify the appropriate agency. We can and do take corrective action.

Army Ants

Sometimes it is just plain interesting to find learn about some of the more exotic insects in the world. This is especially true if the insect is not in the area where you live.

We have recently been seeing a lot about army ants. Ants, ants and more ants: key term as it is estimated that there are 10,000 trillion ants worldwide, weighing more than all mankind. Ants are the number one predator of other insects and are the principal scavengers of small dead animal bodies.

Just what makes army ants so interesting? To start with the army ant travels in very large numbers. Many colonies of these ants have around 1,000,000 in the colony. A good analogy of the method of attack is very similar to what mankind has done for centuries: a direct front movement using very large numbers. It is not uncommon for an attack of army ants to use over 200,000 in the attack. The best bet for anything in the path of the army ant attack is to get out of the way. Small animals do not have a chance. The perimeter of the army attack contains the specialists: the larger soldiers that have pinchers and will protect the flanks of the advancing army. Birds will actually follow behind the army and pick off insects as they attempt to get out the way. This army will kill small lizards, snakes and frogs if they fail to
move out of the way. Small ponds and streams are not a problem: the army will morph into a large ball and cross the water.

Being on earth for over 140 million years one thing is certain: they outlasted dinosaurs and if we as humans fail the army ant will be here for many millions of years. I for one am happy that the army ant is not in the United States. Good thing: the army ant will move its nest in the never ending quest for food.

When the nest is not moving: watch out the queen is very busy laying eggs around the clock and when those eggs morph into soldiers and infertile workers the army will go in search of food.

Pest Alert: Indianmeal Moth!

Have you ever opened the pantry, picked up a bag of flour and seen moths scatter? Or worse yet have you opened a box from the pantry and found what looks like maggots in the product?

If you have found this you probably have an infestation of the Indianmeal moth. These pests can and will infest a variety of dry foods. The foodstuffs are vegetable in origin from sunflower seeds, cereal, rice, flour, rice and pasta. Sometime these moths will be found in cocoa beans, coffee, and chocolate. It is not a pretty sight as the food infested will look like it has been webbed together.

Well if you find evidence of an infestation, you now have two opportunities: a wonderful time to clean out the pantry or an OMG moment. Now, after the throw away of everything, just what do you do? All of the aforementioned foodstuffs need to be stored in tightly sealed containers. Why do this? Simple: these critters are hard to get rid of! If you see the moths flying around the entire pantry will need to be emptied because they can infest other places in the house.

With vacations looming, and the temperatures rising you could easily place your home at risk. This is especially true if your foodstuffs are not in sealed containers. High temperatures, high humidity are perfect for the Indianmeal moth. If you need help - contact us, we can help find where the moths are and we have the expertise to control the situation.

ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! Tent caterpillars

Have you noticed the caterpillars? They are Eastern Tent Caterpillars. On the plus side the tent caterpillars will help you to identify wild cherry trees. Wild cherry trees are the preferred targets of the tent caterpillars. Initially you will notice the silk webs (yes, silk!). You also will see the tents on crab-apple and apple trees. There are thousands of the caterpillars in the tent; they will emerge and feed on the new buds and leaves. What can you do?

Well, May is the month of highest activity. Best management practices are to prune out the egg masses in the fall or early spring and destroy them. All you need do, is to pull the egg masses off of the tree and drop the entire mass into a bucket of soapy water. Unfortunately, the best predator for the egg masses, birds, cannot penetrate the mass. Do this in the evenings during the month of April. If the tents cannot be reached, give us a call.

If the situation with the tent caterpillars is beyond your control, contact us, we will be happy to take appropriate action with the correct product for the job.

Stink Bugs

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB). They are a nuisance, they smell horribly and there are many, many of them. Where did these bugs come from? What do I do? Will they cause any damage? Will they bite or sting? Are my children and pets safe?

All very relevant questions! The stink bug is a relative newcomer to the United States. The first ones found in the US were discovered in 2001 in Allentown, Pa. Last year, with all of the snow followed by a hot and dry summer presented ideal conditions for the stink bug to really increase in numbers. Large numbers of the stink bugs have been found in Washington County in Western Maryland. Right now
the entire state of Maryland has large numbers of stink bugs. Next fall it looks like the stink bug will exponentially increase. The stink bug came to us via Asia. The threat that stink bugs presents are tocrops, plant leaves, buds and fruits.

The stink bug will not: bite, sting, suck blood, bore into or eat wood. In the spring the stink bugs want to get out of your home where they have overwintered. Once out of your home they will mate. What do you do, as a homeowner? Find and seal all possible entry sites into your home (always the best bet for keeping most insects out of the house). Torn screens need to be repaired or replaced. All obvious entry points need to be sealed especially around entry points for power, phone and cable lines.

Contact us, we can begin getting all entry points sealed and we will take other preventive measures to reduce the problem next fall. The BMSB problem will go away from the inside of your home very soon, but trust us the stink bugs will return next fall as the nights begin to cool. These critters do not like any temperatures below 40 degrees. The stink bug got here from Asia and we have to cope and deal with

them. BOG Pest Control uses an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) approach to controlling all insects.

Let BOG Pest Control "Protect Your Pad".