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Blog of Pure Solutions

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Thankful It’s Finally Spring?  Not so fast…

Thankful It’s Finally Spring? Not so fast…

It's no secret – this winter has been THE worst on record in the greater Boston area. While we were tromping through ten feet of snow, we probably all had the same question running through our minds; “When will spring be here?!” A quick glance outside is enough to know that mean old Father Winter has finally gone away, and it's time to see Mother Nature’s more pleasant side.

With temperatures rising each week, the seemingly everlasting snow has finally met its match. However, with the rising temps and melting snow come the blacklegged ticks, aka deer ticks. Capable of surviving even the harshest of winters, deer ticks often become active in the first warm days of the spring season. Thriving in high moisture environments, ticks have a veritable field day between the melting snow and warmer temperatures associated with the changing of the seasons. This spring will inevitably be a very active season for these unwelcome pests.

When battling ticks, taking action sooner is always better. Beginning treatments as soon as warm weather arrives will help keep female adult deer ticks from wreaking havoc around your home by laying thousands of eggs to start a new generation of dangerous ticks. And while we encourage taking a stand against ticks as soon as possible, researching the product you are introducing into your yard is equally as important. When it comes to outdoor pest control, the motto “spray first, ask questions later” is definitely not your best bet!

There are many proven, effective solutions to tackling your tick problem. Many traditional solutions carry deadly consequences for ticks of all shapes and sizes; additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports possible human and environmental harm from their use as well. Fortunately, for those of us with concerns about harming our health and the environment, there are all-natural and National Organic Program (NOP) compliant solutions to control and prevent tick-borne illnesses in a manner that is safe for everyone but the ticks!

Protecting your family from harmful chemicals is as important as protecting them from harmful pests. Our goal is always to provide maximum protection with minimum environmental impact. We're committed to keeping you safe from tick-borne illnesses through the entire tick season, especially so you can truly enjoy the season before old man winter returns again!

When looking to defend yourself not only from ticks, but also from harmful synthetic insecticides, it's important to keep these 3 tips in mind:

1) Read the Label - The Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and product labels provide safety information and ingredients for all products used. These should be readily available from any company licensed to spray for ticks. Be sure to ask if the company mixes synthetic chemicals into their organic products!

2) Research the Ingredients - Products differ in their toxicity to humans, wildlife, aquatic organisms and beneficial insects. A simple Google search of ingredients will provide the environmental impact of the product used. Look for ingredients that are EPA FIFRA 25(b) exempt. This means the ingredients pose little-to-no risk to human health or the environment, so the EPA has exempted them from the registration requirement.

3) Be Wary of One Time Applications – When you buy fresh, organic food at the grocery store, you’ll notice it will turn rotten much more quickly than processed foods. The same concept works for natural and botanical spray products. While they can be just as effective as their chemically synthesized counterparts, they often require more frequent applications. If a company is advertising an “all-natural alternative” that requires less than 3 treatments for season-long protection, make sure you ask for the MSDS product label. Often, the “safe” solution is being supplemented with a synthetic chemical.

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5 Ways to Prepare Your Yard For Ticks This Spring

5 Ways to Prepare Your Yard For Ticks This Spring

After a long winter of shoveling, spring is finally here in New England. Along with flowers and rain showers, female adult deer ticks emerge to lay thousands of eggs that will hatch later this year. Once a a new female tick is born, they have a two-year life cycle ending after they lay thousands of eggs of their own. Combined with wildlife, the two-year life cycle explains why some experience ticks for the first time in a home they have lived in for years.

Controlling ticks with yard sprays that begin in the early spring is beneficial for the whole season. Tick yard sprays will kill ticks on contact and their eggs, thus reducing the population both this year and next year.

Here are 5 ways to prepare your yard for ticks this spring:

Schedule your first spray treatment as soon as the snow is gone and the ground is unfrozen. This will kill fall’s leftover deer ticks, along with adult American dog ticks and Lone Star ticks that will activate as temperatures begin to warm.

Remove leaf litter and brush from around the property once snow melts. This is the perfect home for ticks. After the clean-up, be sure to put your clothes in the dryer and run it on high for 10 minutes to kill ticks that were carried inside.

Treat all the areas in and around your property that you use, even paths and walkways. While deer ticks often stay in the brush perimeter of the property, other types of ticks may venture out further in the yard.

Control nymphal deer ticks that activate later in the spring around May. Tick treatments on the yard and the perimeter will control these tiny ticks, as they carry the Lyme disease bacteria and other tick-borne diseases.

Deter deer in early spring who come close to the home in search of food. These deer can carry ticks onto your property. Protecting your plants with a repellent or deer fencing will teach deer not to come onto your property in search of food.

We are starting spring tick spraying in Massachusetts and Connecticut the first week of April this season. Our recommendation to our clients and the community is to be aware of tick activity at this time too.

Happy Outdooring!

[purepest]

6 Interesting Facts About Daylight Saving Time.

6 Interesting Facts About Daylight Saving Time.

Daylight Saving Time begins tomorrow at 2:00 AM. Other than losing an hour of sleep and gaining some sunlight in the evenings, we didn't know much about this annual ritual we do in New England. After spending some time searching, we found some interesting facts we thought we'd share!

The first American to advocate for daylight saving was Benjamin Franklin. He realized in 1784 that many people burned candles at night yet slept past dawn in the summer, wasting early-morning sunlight. (Source)

Daylight saving time got its first widespread use during World War I. In 1916, Germany put itself on daylight saving time to save energy for the war effort. Britain quickly followed.  When the United States joined the war in 1918, it instituted daylight saving time. (Source)

Most of the country and its territories observe DST. However, DST is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the state of Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Indian Reservation, which does observe DST). (Source)

While twins born at 11:55 p.m. and 12:05 a.m. may have different birthdays, Daylight Saving Time can change birth order -- on paper, anyway. During the time change in the fall, one baby could be born at 1:55 a.m. and the sibling born ten minutes later, at 1:05 a.m. In the spring, there is a gap when no babies are born at all: from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. (Source)

Daylight saving time has mixed effects on people's health. Transitions into and out of DST can disturb people's sleeping patterns, for example, and make them more restless at night. Night owls tend to be more bothered by the time changes than people who like mornings, Finnish researchers concluded in 2008. (Source)

Research shows that given an extra hour of evening daylight, many Americans use the time to go out and do things rather than watch the television shows they'd normally view at that time. Nielsen ratings during the hours impacted by the change show large declines during the first week of DST—as much as 10 to 15 percent, even for popular shows. (Source)

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Snow is not a Deer Deterrent

Over the course of the past month a large amount of snow has accumulated in New England towns. We don't know about you- but we are ready for spring! Although many plantings on properties are now buried under feet of snow, those planted investments are still at risk of being ruined by deer. Continuous, deep snow cover during late winter will cause deer, already with depleted fat reserves, to go into survival mode. This means that the need to survive will override the deer's natural instinct of being afraid of humans. 

By Mid-February most of the deer's naturally occurring food supply has been depleted and deer will be more likely to search for food on residential properties. Deer will start their feeding by browsing onplants that are above the surface of the snow and will browse up to six feet above the ground. When above surface resources are gone deer will resort to digging through the snow in search of more plantings to consume. The best way to deter deer from digging up plantings under the snow cover is to treat any trees or plants above the snow in the areawith deer deterrent. This will stop the deer from wanting to come and look for food sources in that area.

Photo Source: Nick's Nature Pics

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Family Recipe / Trevor Nelson

As co-founder of Pure Solutions, the team looks to Trevor for support in many different areas- especially in the kitchen! When you are tired of leftover turkey and stuffing, try this recipe over the weekend. It makes the perfect snack for watching a football game.

Trevor's Favorite Flatbread Appetizer

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon dry yeast

31/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon kosher salt

11/2 teaspoon Nigella Seed or 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

8 ounces plus 2 tablespoons water

4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Method:

Whisk together the water and yeast in a small bowl

Combine the flour, salt, and seeds ina large bowl

Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Mix together until combined then add the butter. Knead the a smooth and elastic dough and let rise, covered, for 1 hour until doubled

Preheat overn to 500 degrees F. Sprinkle four sheet pans with cornmeal

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Rool each round of dough as thinly as possible into a long oval and place them on sheet pans. Let rise covered 10 min. then prick with fork

Distribute toppings bake for 10 to 12 min.

Topping Suggestions:

Caramelized Onion, Creme Fraiche, and Bacon

Zucchini (sliced paper thin), sweet onion, and Parmesan

Nicoise Olive, Goat Cheese, and Thyme

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Family Recipe / Kyle LaCroix

Owner and General Manager of our Vermont and New Hampshire locations is getting the colder weather New England has for us this holiday season so far. Luckily, his family will be enjoying this Thanksgiving together bringing plenty of warmth and love to the holiday.

"Turkey is my favorite part of Thanksgiving, and then there is the maple syrup! I am thankful for my healthy loving family on Thanksgiving!" -Kyle

Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage, Smoked Bacon, and Cornbread Stuffing

Photo Source: FoodNetwork.com

And to really have a special holiday, Kyle produces authentic Vermont maple syrup from tree to bottle. Call for order information and availability:

Evergreen Glen Maple Syrup

37 Maxham Rd. Woodstock, VT 05091

[phone]

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Family Recipe / Molly Paul

Molly is our Director of Client Experience and also tends to be the go-to source for delicious, homemade dishes.

"Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday of the year.  Having moved to New England for college, I look forward to going home to New Jersey for Thanksgiving dinner all year long. My families’ Thanksgiving feast is compilation of every single one of my favorite foods (well, minus the guacamole, unfortunately) all on one table. I could go on and on about the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, or the tart cranberry sauce all day but there is one item that reigns supreme in my heart. Pumpkin. Cheese. Cake. While your family might be enjoying the traditional slice of pumpkin pie, my mom does the classic dessert a little differently.  But of course her pumpkin cheesecake recipe is a family secret so instead here is a delicious alternative from my favorite food blog: smitten kitchen. What am I thankful for this year? Other than of course being tick-free, I am truly thankful for the addition of three incredible animals in my life: Chatham, Buddy, and Precious (the cat who made me realize all cats are not evil)!" -Molly

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake

Photo Source: SmittenKitchen.com

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Family Recipe / Dino Bastianelli

Dino is a new addition to our Field Specialist team this year. As a father of twins, the holidays are a fun time to build new memories. We've heard SO much about his famous Friendship Bread, and we are excited to share it with the Pure family!

Dino's Friendship Bread

(Photo Source: http://yellowrosesbydeb.com)

Ingredients:

2 3/4 Cups Flour 1 3/4 Cups Sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 4 serving size box instant vanilla pudding 1 1/4 cups milk 1 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Coat two loaf pans with cooking spray.

Mix dry and then mix wet separately, then blend together cook for 55 minutes.

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Family Recipe / Rory Nickerson

We asked some members of the Pure team what they are thankful for this year and to share a special recipe that they'll be enjoying this Thanksgiving with their families. First up is our General Manager of our Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard location. Of course seafood is on the menu!

"Here is a recipe which is also known as scallop casserole amongst our family and if you don't move quickly when it is served then it will be gone before you know it. The picture is of my mother and grandmother whom I will be with on thanksgiving. If I had one thing to be thankful for it would be that I get to spend it with my family in a unique situation. My cousin manages a restaurant in a bowling alley that is closed on thanksgiving so we are going to take it over and do a little bowling in the meantime." -Rory

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Give Thanks to Earth on Turkey Day

Thanksgiving marks that time of year where families come together to share in the spirit of the holiday season. With the chaos of preparing the perfect meal, coordinating holiday travel plans, and stressing over impressing your parents-in-law, it can be hard to find ways to be eco-friendly during the holidays. Try these 3 easy tips for keeping your turkey dinner (or tofurkey dinner) green this year.

Bust out the china and cloth napkins. Sure, using paper plates and plastic utensils may reduce your clean-up time at the end of a long, filling meal, but they can have a huge impact on the environment. Using cloth napkins and china plates and silverware can reduce our wasteful use of trees each year. If you cannot avoid using disposables this holiday, opt for a sustainable disposables.

Reduce your thanksgiving waste. Each year Americans waste “an extra 5 million tons of household waste each year between Thanksgiving and New Year's”. By encouraging guests to self-serve during your Thanksgiving Dinner, they control their portion size. This will allow for less unwanted food left on your guest’s plates once they have reached they turkey limit.

Put Tupperware on the "guest list." Add a note to your Thanksgiving Dinner invitations this year reminding guests to bring their own reusable containers for any leftovers.  

Don’t know what to do with all the Thanksgiving leftovers? Check out The Food Network online for the tastiest leftover recipes.

Have a great holiday! -Molly, Green Team Captain

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First Snow of the Season

It's that special fall morning when you wake up to see a light layer of white on the grass. With the holidays and winter right around the corner, many clients ask us, "When is the right time to stop fall tick treatments?" Often after the first snow of the season, our office phone rings because it's a common misconception that ticks die when it gets cold. Unfortunately, ticks are resilient. They hide under leaf litter and other brush for protection and reemerge as soon as conditions improve. That means if the snow melts and temperatures increase even only slightly, ticks will be on the hunt again for a host. At this time of season, we are dealing with adult deer ticks who search for larger hosts such as humans, deer, dogs, and cats. The female deer ticks use this last blood meal in order to lay an egg mass containing thousands of eggs in the early spring. Property sprays that safely eliminate ticks are important to control the future population and prevent the spread of tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease.

Here are quick tips to remember in the fall so you stay vigilant in the fight against ticks and the illnesses they spread:

Blacklegged ticks (a.k.a Deer ticks) take 2 years to complete their life cycle. Both nymph and adult stages transmit diseases such as Lyme disease, Babesiosis, and Anaplasmosis.

Adult males and females are active October-May, as long as the daytime temperature remains above freezing. They can be found about knee-high on the tips of branches of low growing shrubs.

Keep a look out for unfed female Blacklegged ticks. They are easily distinguished from other ticks by their orange-red body. (See a picture here.)

The single most effective way to reduce blacklegged (deer) ticks in your yard is by insecticide applications. Continuing these sprays during the seasons when ticks are most active will reduce the population on your property and protect your family.

We love to check out the TickEncounter Resource Center out of the University of Rhode Island for the latest news on ticks in our area. They share detailed information on ticks that can be found in your community, season activity, and safety information to prevent tick bites. An easy way to stay up to date is to connect with them on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow Dr. Mather (a.k.a. the TickGuy) on Twitter who is the director of URI's Center for Vector-Borne Disease and its TickEncounter Resource Center.

Have a fun and safe weekend. Happy Outdooring!

[purepest]

Giving Back: HOPEsudbury Telethon & Auction

The 13th annual HOPEsudbury Telethon & Auction today, and online auction began this morning at 7:00am and ends tonight at 9:45pm. There are 330 items available, including a special deal from the Pure team for an organic, event solution. Our item is great if you have any spring, summer, or fall outdoor parties next year. Other items we have our eye on are a gift certificate to one of our favorite breakfast sandwich spots, Sudbury Coffee Works, a 1 night stay at the Four Seasons in Boston, and 2 Celtic tickets. Here is information on how to login to the Online Auction and how to search for items.

HOPEsudbury is dedicated to engaging the people of Sudbury in community-wide efforts to provide humanitarian aid to people in need, both at home and abroad. Learn about the HOPE Fund, Beyond Our Borders Giving, and other initiatives on their website.

In addition to the online auction, there is also a Telethon beginning at noon today and ending at 10:00pm on Sudbury TV (Comcast 8/Verizon 31). They will have over 70 performances throughout the day for the community to enjoy watching.

We are happy to be joining you in supporting HOPEsudbury this year.

[purepest]

5 Tips for a GREEN Halloween

Halloween marks the start of holiday season; a time of overindulgence and overspending. It can be hard with the stress of the holidays to prioritize sustainable practices and green living, especially when your budget is being stretched to its limits. Here are 5 easy ways to stay Green during Halloween without breaking the bank.

Ditch the plastic pumpkins. They might be a classic throwback and the universal sign of a successful trick-or-treating haul but plastic jack-o-lanterns contain. Decorate household items like buckets, old bags, and pillow cases for festive reusable treat bags or purchase these haunted, reusable bags that your kids will love!

Leave the car in the driveway. Instead of driving your kids to other neighborhoods for trick-or-treating, stay close to home and save on gas and fuel emissions.

Don’t let your Jack-o’-lantern go to waste. Buy your pumpkins from local farms or farmer’s markets. Save the seeds and flesh to make toasted pumpkin seeds and some homemade pumpkin pie (recipes). Then once Halloween is over and you are ready to toss your on-the-cusp-of-rotting pumpkin, choose to compost instead of sending it to the landfill. Don’t compost? 

Set the spooky mood lighting. Halloween is the perfect holiday to set some mood lighting.  Turn the lights off on Halloween night and light candles throughout the house to set a spooky ambiance while saving energy costs. 

DIY Costuming.  Save money by making your costumes this year instead of buying costumes you and your family will wear once and throw away.  Save old clothes and re-purpose items around the house to make. Check out these no-sew costume ideas to spice up your kids’ Halloween costumes this year.

Hope you enjoy the holiday! My best friend, buddy, is ready to trick or treat. What do you think of his hot dog costume?

Molly

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Giving Back: Lincoln Land Conservation Trust

Our team loves the outdoors, whether we are biking, running, or just hiking through the local terrain. That's why we were excited to sponsor the Scarecrow Classic 5K this year that supports the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT). Proceeds from the event supported over 2000 acres of land and nearly 80 miles of public trails as a regional recreational resource for the greater Boston area. LLCT is one of the oldest land trusts in the country and is recognized nationally for its conservation work. In addition to sponsoring, two of our team members participated in the scenic race through Lincoln, MA. We look forward to participating again next year.

Check out photos from the event on the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust Facebook page.

Update 10/30/2014: Here are more photos from the event on Flickr!

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Giving Back: American Red Cross

The America Red Cross reports that more than 1.6 million people were diagnosed with cancer last year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment. Including cancer patients, more than 41,000 blood donations are needed every day. Two members of our team are starting a tradition around Pure of giving back to the community through the American Red Cross.

After donating blood together this past January, Jeff and Rani visited a blood drive in Waltham on Tuesday to donate again. Jeff is able to give a double red cell donation. A double red cell donation is similar to a whole blood donation, except a special machine is used to allow you to safely donate two units of red blood cells during one donation while returning your plasma and platelets to you. That means he not only is able to give more, he also feels better after the donation. With all of your platelets and plasma returned to you along with some saline, you don’t lose the liquid portion of your blood and may feel more hydrated after your donation.

Although many of our team members wanted to participate and donate this month, there are many conditions required to be eligible. Find out if you are eligible here. You can also find out if you are eligible for a double red cell donation here. We hope to inspire our clients and community to find ways to give back every day. Find a blood drive happening in your community.

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Where Do Mosquitoes Go in the Winter?

In the United States, July through October coincides with peak mosquito activity. The risk from mosquito-borne illness is considered to continue until an area has had a hard frost. Massachusetts Department of Health released the current West Nile Virus and EEE risk level across the state. Even in a down year, residents should be aware of the presence of mosquitoes in the early fall. 

Late Fall Behavior

There are three common winter behaviors of mosquito species active in the U.S.:

One species has female hibernators that will hide in hollow logs, holes in trees, animal burrows, and even the basements of homes. In spring when the temperatures increase, they emerge from hibernation, blood feed, and lay eggs. 

Another species of mosquito lay winter hardy eggs which lie dormant until spring. The mosquito will choose a spot where the soil is moist so that once conditions become favorable, her eggs will hatch. 

Finally, there are mosquitoes that remain in the larval stage through the winter, often buried in the mud of freshwater swamps. When temperatures rise in spring, these mosquitoes begin feeding and eventually emerge as adults. 

Our Recommendations

An easy way to combat mosquito larvae that survive winter is to eliminate standing water. Puddles, buckets, containers, downspouts, gutters, and toys can provide a home for mosquito larvae through the winter.

Fall property treatments of PROGAEA™ during the fall will kill hibernating adults, larvae, and any eggs on the property. This will reduce the active population that will emerge next year.

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather and Happy Outdooring!

[purepest]

Don't Fall for a Tick Trick

As the weather gets cooler, we grab our hiking boots and apple picking baskets and enjoy the New England terrain. While many people think tick season ends with the summer season- sadly they are incorrect. One type of tick becomes active in the fall months that is especially dangerous - adult blacklegged ticks.

Adult blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, carry pathogens. The TickEncounter Resource Center out of URI reported that more than 50% are likely carrying Lyme disease bacteria. During the fall, these ticks prefer larger hosts such as deer, humans, and dogs. Often these ticks are found about knee-high on the tips of branches of low growing shrubs. The female blacklegged ticks need the blood meal in order to lay thousands of eggs in the spring.

Even further, adult males and females are active October-May, as long as the daytime temperature remains above freezing. That means even in the winter time, we could be susceptible to tick bites. Here are some tips from our team and the TickEncounter Resource Center to stay safe this fall:

Tick Checks! After being in tick habitat like wooded areas, perform a tick check on yourself, your family, and your pets. Ticks tend to be in protected or creased areas of the body such as the arm pit, scalp, and the back of knees. However, you should complete a full body check just in case.

Wear the right gear. Dress to protect yourselves from ticks when hiking and enjoying other outdoor activities. Long sleeved shirts and long pants protect the skin from tick bites. Tuck your pants into your socks to keep ticks from crawling up your legs and wear light color clothing to make ticks easier to spot.

Pick up a free tick key. If you are local to the Weston area, stop by our office in Weston Town Center on Boston Post Road and ask for a tick key. These keys easily and effectively remove ticks from humans and animals. We love tick keys because you can keep the key on your key chain and have it with you wherever you go.

Treat your yard. Continue property treatments through November or later if the temperatures remain above freezing. Especially if you have an outdoor pet, eliminating ticks around your home will reduce the risk of tick bites. By eliminating the adult blacklegged ticks in particular during the fall, you also reduce the number of eggs that will be laid in the spring and help control the growing population.

So whether you are trick or treating, apple picking, or hiking Mt. Washington this fall- be tick alert!