Think Pure with Pure Solutions

It’s that time of year again. The leaves are turning; many having already hit the ground, and if you're anything like the rest of us, you've probably put off cleaning up your yard until the last minute. All this procrastination means that leaf litter is left for prolonged periods of time and this can prove to be more detrimental than one might think. Below are a few reasons why fall clean-ups are important to get done....hopefully sooner than later. 

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood, approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U.S. Yesterday, we traveled as a team to a Red Cross Blood Drive at the Jewish Family and Children's Services in Waltham, Ma. Rani, our Marketing Director, and Jeff, our Operations Manager, donated.

Deer damage is estimated to cost around $2 BILLION dollars nationwide. $250 million of that cost reflects damage to properties around homes in communities like ours. It’s important to know the signs of deer damage so you can choose proactive, natural steps that protect your family and your property investment.

American Dog Ticks and Deer Ticks are two of the most common tick species found throughout the United States, especially in New England. Both species transmit tick-borne illnesses, and to minimize the danger, tick bite prevention starts with awareness, and reliable information.

As soon as temperatures rise in the late Winter and early Spring, tick populations reactivate. Although some species of ticks are dormant during the cold winter months, they become active earlier than you may think. When temperatures rise above freezing and the snow cover begins to melts, ticks begin to emerge and look for hosts (link to a CDC resource on tick lifecycles, with more resources on disease prevention).

In short: yes; ticks survive cold weather and can be active. 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.

During the late fall and early spring months when the temperature is colder, we are dealing with adult deer ticks who search for larger hosts such as humans, deer, dogs, and cats. In the fall, the female deer ticks use this last blood meal in order to lay an egg mass containing thousands of eggs in the early spring. This is why property sprays that safely eliminate ticks are important to control the future population, and are helpful in Lyme disease prevention.