Month: October 2018

 

Let’s Talk Pests

The bane of many a gardener, landscaper, and homeowner – Florida is home to a plethora of garden pests. Their presence is virtually impossible to prevent (even more difficult to remove) and can range from mild nuisances to some downright destructive bugs. Harsh chemicals and pesticides are often viewed as the only way to deter these pests despite being potentially harmful to the very plants you’re trying to protect. Fortunately, eco-friendly gardening solutions for dealing with pests do exist. Here are four effective natural repellents that you can safely use for your Florida garden or lawn.

Effective Natural Repellents

Neem Oil

This natural ingredient can be found in many commercially-sold pesticides and is highly effective when used on its own. An ancient ingredient used for centuries in Southern Asia and India, neem oil is derived from the Azadirachta Indica tree.

With both pesticidal and anti-fungal properties, a neem oil-based homemade pesticide is effective at removing over 200 species of leaf-chewing garden pests such as mites, aphids, mealybugs, and whiteflies, while preventing common garden fungi such as root rot, black spot, mildew, and more. To use: mix one teaspoon of neem oilwith a one-third teaspoon of a mild soap with one quart of water.

Herbs

These pretty-smelling (and often delicious) plants are good for far more than lawn decoration. Many of the herbs that can be commonly found in the kitchen are noted to be effective natural repellents.

Why? Bugs can’t stand the smell.

Keeping lavender as a houseplant or in your lawn will naturally deter mosquitoes, moths, flies, and fleas. Some other strong smelling plants like basil, thyme, and garlic are great options as well. The delightfully pungent rosemary herb will keep those dreaded slugs, snails, and cabbage moths from munching on leaves of lower hanging plants.

Caffeine

Put your coffee habit to good use by saving used coffee grounds to use as a natural pesticide. As a central nervous system stimulant, when taken in small doses, caffeine is the energy-giving substance we’ve come to know and love; however, caffeine is fatal for insects.

Caffeine causes over stimulation of their nervous systems and resulting in paralysis and death, shortly after that. To use as a pesticide, simply add used coffee grounds into your soil or create a mixture with water that can be sprayed to deter snails, slugs, cats and even deer effectively!

Chrysanthemums

These flowers provide beautiful bursts of colors in flower beds, so it can be hard to imagine that such pretty florals could be such effective bug killers. The key ingredient that acts as a natural pesticide is pyrethrum, which works wonders against many common garden pests: Japanese beetles, root-knot nematodes, spider mites, harlequin bugs, ants, roaches, ticks, lice, fleas, bedbugs, and silverfish. Incidentally, a biodegradable Chrysanthemum-based spray is what SWAT Mosquito Systems®️ uses for our mosquito repellent systems.

We firmly believe in family-friendly and eco-friendly methods of insect repellents that are just as effective as artificial counterparts.

With our one-of-a-kind mosquito misting system, we have been effectively eliminating mosquitoes, no-see-ums, flies and other pesky insects that bother South Florida residents for years. Give us a call today to learn what SWAT Mosquito Systems®️ can do for you and your home – when we move in, bugs move out!

 

We Love Fall in South Florida!

While the snowbirds are waiting for winter to hit before making their trek to the Sunshine State, we locals know that they’re missing out by waiting until December to visit. Autumn is indubitably the best time to live in South Florida. We may not get to experience the changing of the leaves, the donning of coats, boots, and earmuffs, or the picking of crunchy ripe apples right off the branch – but in lieu of those traditional rites of Fall’s arrival, South Florida in autumn becomes a balmy paradise like someplace straight out of a movie scene. If you’re wondering why the country’s tropical playground loves autumn, read on for a countdown of the four reasons why autumn is the best time to live in South Florida.

Reason #4: It’s Less Crowded

The majority of South Florida visitors arrive during the early months of the year (2018 shattered previous records, welcoming 33.2 million tourists during the first quarter.) But autumn in South Florida offers a glorious respite from vacationers as summer ends and school rings back in session. This break from visitors gives locals a time to reclaim their usual haunts as South Florida hotspots such as Miami Beach, or Fort Lauderdale are less congested with tourists. Although South Florida never really slows down, autumn gives Miami, Broward, and Palm Beach residents a bit more breathing room (at least, until January comes around.)

Reason #3: Food Festivals

We’re not sure who arranged for all these South Florida food festivals to line up in autumn, but we’re not complaining. September – November finds South Florida playing a host to a number of coveted food-related events. There’s the famous Miami Spice Month which runs from August to September, two seafood festivals (one in South Beach and another in Key Biscayne, both in October), a number of beer block parties like Wynwood’s Octoberfest or Coral Gables’ Grovetoberfest, and all sorts of delicious goings-on that only happen in South Florida during the Fall.

Reason #2: Autumn Brings the Best Beach Days

It is no secret that Florida is home to many of the best beaches in the country but what might surprise you is that the best time of year to visit them may not be during the summer.  September in South Florida marks the beginning of lower temperatures with seasonal highs in the mid to low eighties, decreasing chances of rain, and lower humidity levels.  This makes for delightful beachgoing weather with fewer worries of succumbing to heat stroke and more time spent enjoying the coast.

Reason #1: Great Weather Means Fewer Mosquitos

Florida is infamous for aggressive mosquitoes, in fact, two South Florida cities took the top spots in a national ranking of the cities with the worst mosquitoes. This distinction highlights an ongoing battle between local residents and bugs that our tropical climate doesn’t help. However, fall in South Florida means decreased rainfall, which does more than provide South Florida residents with fewer bad hair days. Lower likelihoods of precipitation give pesky mosquitos (and other biting insects like no-see-ums) fewer opportunities to breed. Additionally, some mosquito species go into hiding when colder temperatures ( 50°F) arise. Some will die off as temperatures being to cool, while others will go into hibernation – leaving a few glorious months of almost mosquito-free days.

Wish South Florida could be in autumn year-round? While you can’t prevent the temperatures from spiking or the tourists from visiting, you can control bugs and prevent them from biting year round. SWAT Mosquito Systems®️ provides state-of-the-art mosquito misting systems to keep the biters at bay all year long.  Call them today at 1-866-900-SWAT 1-866-900-SWAT for a personalized consultation on how to keep mosquitos, no-see-ums, and other pests away from your family.