I get this question a lot! There are so many opinions that I thought I would offer a way that you can tell very easily, and know for sure, no matter what your next door neighbor says it is!
Do I have Moles, or Gophers?
It is short, straight to the point, and tells the reason for the differences so you can laugh at the erroneous neighbor!
Now, for something really different, we have the first page of a new website online, and it is named after me! It emphasizes some of our organizations lesser known services like content development for the greens industry, and some other projects we are working on. It is in the early stages of development.
www.JamesBurns.org put this under the category of “shameless self promotion!” We will also be promoting some of our favorite non profit organizations like:
Heifer International  and Wetlands For Tomorrow
If you want to know more about pest prevention, and how to do it in a logical sequence, following tried and true practices, we have just the place! Bugs And Weeds Introduction
To go to the site map with descriptive notes for this site, try the Weedy Site Map
Try it, it’s good for you!
Another successful day of gophering today. It looks like a bumper crop. The price of gopher skin coats should be down this year! There is a new site you should check out. It is about one of my favorite subjects, pest prevention. I am including the navigation links:
Bugs And Weeds l Prevention Starts Outdoors l Brush Control As Prevention l Brush The Facts l Mowing As Prevention l Other Lawn Care As Pest Prevention l Lawn Care The Facts l Landscape As Prevention l Plant Choices As Pest Prevention l Tree Care As Prevention l Landscape The Facts l Preventing Pests From Coming In l Indoor Prevention The Facts
Give this site a look, it has a great sequence to follow to prevent pests from getting your best!
They are out again! Those little tunneling rodents that make mounds in your law. Southern pocket gophers! If you have mounds, you have gophers, if you have low rising slightly raised tunnels, and no mounds, you have moles, if you have both, you have a problem! Getting rid of moles is best done by getting rid of their food source, which is usually grubs. Getting rid of gophers is best done with a trap. There are tutorials in our directories for doing this, or you can give us a call 903 216 1408 for our service. for questions, email james@texpest.com
Well, back in the saddle after a lot of turkey and dressing, and a few slices of cold turkey.
Remember to start raking those leaves, and while you are outdoors, for heavens sake, get rid of that brush on the back part of your property. There is probably a colony of mice working their way toward it as you read this. Get rid of it now, and let them find somewhere else to spend the winter!
Seal your home against the cold, and against insects and rodents. Check your outdoor water faucets, and figure out what to do with those tender plants if it isn’t already freezing where you are. Start planning your spring garden, and if you haven’t started getting those outdoor decorations up, then that might be just the ticket for working of that extra piece or two of pie!
Be sure to drop by our Home page and check out the rest of the website for all kinds of tips and information.
Well, at the time I am writing this, it is almost midnight, and we are finalizing our Thanksgiving plans, so I thought I would say happy Thanksgiving to everyone, since I probably won’t have much time to write tomorrow between turkey dinners and football.
This is a good time and place to plug one of my favorite issues: Farmers. Farming is the true backbone of our nation. With out the downright heroic work of farmer, ranchers and dairymen across the country, the abundance for which we give thanks this season would not be so easily available! Our hats off to the men and women who bring us food for the table, and now fuel for our vehicles as well!
Without your work, the world as we now know it would come to a sudden screeching hungry halt!
If it were up to me, you guys would never pay another cent in income tax!
Agriculture is our greatest culture!
Our Pest Prevention Directory has now reached 20 pages, and is still growing! The 2 newest are:Prevention
Preventing Insects and Rodents From Bugging You At HomeÂ
They steal your comfort, and sometimes carry disease, and some, like termites and carpenter ants, actually eat your home! This is about keeping these predators out of your home using several layers of defense, starting at the outer edges of your property, and working inward.
Prevention
Indoor Pest Prevention Through Better Landscape Plants and Beds.
Your landscape is an insect and rodent magnet, it will attract them, or it will help to repel them, based on how you manage it.
We have more pest prevention information than you can shake a stick at! There is more coming all the time. I thought I would add a list of links to the rest of them for easy access :
Pest Routes Of Entry
PestPrevention: The Economic Solution
A Quest To Prevent Pests
Outdoor Pest PreventionÂ
Indoor Pest PreventionÂ
Indoor, Outdoor Pest Prevention GuideÂ
Stopping Bugs and Weeds From Taking Over Your Lawn  Â
Home and Landscape Interaction ChecklistÂ
Pest Free Landscape? Go Native!Â
Pest Prevention Check ListÂ
When Pest Prevention Fails Â
Home Buyers Guide! Â
22 Prevention Tips  Â
Keeping bugs out of your home Â
Lawn, Garden And Landscape Care As Pest Prevention  Â
Early Pest Detection: Soap Test
Brush Contol as Pest Prevention
Preventing Insects and Rodents From Bugging You At HomeÂ
Indoor Pest Prevention Through Better Landscape Plants and Beds.
Have a Great Thanksgiving!
I have been getting a lot of questions lately about trapping mice, and why spiders and scorpions are coming inside homes, so I did a short tutorial on How To Trap Mice and a FAQ to answer the question: Why are Spiders and Scorpions Coming into my home? If you have questions about the wild world of pests, you are welcome to write them in the comments section of this blog, or write to me james@texpest.com.
I am happy to answer your questions! When you have a question, it is better to contact me through the internet than by phone. If you need service, email or call (903) 216-1408.
It is getting close! The turkey, the sweet potato pie, all the things we love will all be there. Make some plans for some “after the holiday” outdoor lawn and garden work, to work off a few of those extra calories. Start slow though. Raking those leaves into a big pile could be just the ticket, and if you have children or grand children, I am sure they would love to jump right in and spread them out, so you can do it again!
That turkey, and those sweet potatoes, they were here when the pilgrims arrived. They are both natives to this continent. A lot of the other things we love were things that they and many other different cultures brought to this country, and have thus become adopted natives. Many of these plants and animals didn’t make it in the new climate.
The Pilgrims, that group of Puritans we normally think of at Thanksgiving had a pretty rough time the first winter. Many of them died. The second winter wasn’t a lot better according to the diary of Wm. Bradford. The next planting season, land and seed were parceled out among the families, and the experiment in communal farming ended. The third year brought a bumper crop!
One other fact that they didn’t teach us in elementary school, is that the pilgrims favorite drink wasn’t water, or tea, or milk, it was beer! Bradford mentions as particularly heroic one particular act of Captain Miles Standish. When many in the colony were sick, the good captain allowed his ration of beer to be given to the sick, and drank water in it’s place!
I don’t have a tutorial on beer making, but I do have a couple of tutorials on sweet potatoes. If you wnat to start some for your own garden, you can find them in our
Tutorial Directory
Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and Christmas is not far behind! Time to start thinking about getting that tree up! Time to start dragging those decorations out, and untangling those lights.
A lot of landscape companies do outdoor decorations this time of year. If you haven’t already called them, you need to do so very soon. It can save a lot of frustration!
Now, about that tree. A lot of folks love a natural tree, and I thought I would include a few helpful hints.
I will be adding more tips as time permits. If you have some, feel free to add them to the comments section.
If you cut your own tree, make sure it is the right height for your home. Be certain to figure in the height of the stand you will be using as well.
If you plan to cut the tree to length when you get it home, be sure that it isn’t “doubled” past where you will be making the cut. If it is double trunked, one side will be missing and the tree will not be full.
If you buy your tree from a dealer, make sure that it is fresh. Check for color, check for texture, look at the base of the cut.
Give the tree a good shake. Some inner needles will fall naturally, but the outer, green needles should stay attached.
Stay tuned for more tips!