Black bears
Black bears can generally be found in three regions in Georgia. These areas are the North Georgia mountains, along the Ocmulgee River drainage system in the central part of Georgia and in the Okefenokee Swamp in the southeast. Black bears however can range over larger areas in search of food and young male bears often will roam large areas until they are able to establish their own territory. Bears typically live in forested areas and swamps especially those with mixed pine that offers them a plentiful supply of natural foods, trees, and thickets that they can escape to for security. Hollow trees are common den sites for Georgia bears. However, brush piles, rock crevices or other places that offer protection may be used. The typical life span of a black bear is about 8-15 years. Adult bears can be up to 6 feet in length and about 3 feet high at the shoulder. Female adult bears can weigh up to 300 lbs and attain breeding status at about 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 years of age. Adult males can weigh over 500 lbs and may breed as early as 1 1/2 years of age. Bears have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell. They are excellent tree climbers, good swimmers and are able to run at speeds of up to 30 mph. The breeding season is in July and cubs are born in the den in late January or February. Bear cubs weigh about 8oz when they are born and are relatively undeveloped and entirely dependent on the mother. Cubs stay with their mother throughout the first year, den with her during the following winter and stay with her until she finally drives them away the following spring. Due to this extended care for her young, females only produce a litter every two years. Bears are considered omnivorous meaning their diet consists of whatever is available at that time of year. Diets vary according to what part of the state the bear calls home as well. However, the majority of their diet consists of berries, fruits, acorns, grass, and animal matter including insects and mammals such as deer. When houses, camps or recreation areas are located within the range bears are naturally attracted to the smells associated with cooking and garbage disposal. Other non natural attractants include pet food, birdseed, suet, compost piles, gardens, beehives and cornfields. Bears can become attracted to human food when their natural diet sources are scarce. A bear typically will remain in an area where food can be found until that food supply is gone or until other measures are taken. Game Management Offices receive numerous bear nuisance calls every year. Typically, the caller expects someone to capture and relocate the bear. This is usually not the best solution for residents or bears as other bears may move into the territory or the relocated bear who will try to find its way back will commonly be hit by a car. In addition, relocated bears typically will enter into territory conflicts with existing bears resulting injury or death of one or both bears. For each nuisance situation it is evaluated why the bear is causing problems. Most problems can be resolved through simple actions such as taking down bird feeders, taking in pet food, or storing garbage in an area unavailable to bears like a garage. Removing or making attractants unavailable to bears is a critical step in resolving bear/human conflicts. It is equally important for people to be patient. It may take several days for the bear to learn that it is no longer going to be provided with a free meal. In most cases the bear will simply move on when the food source is no longer present. Installation of an electric fence may be necessary when bee hives and gardens are involved. When camping or hiking store your food items in a vehicle or hoist food packs into the air away from the trunks of trees. Capture and relocation of a bear is a last resort and only warranted if the bear persists in being a nuisance and presents a safety threat to residents or major property damage is likely. Be aware though that there have been no recorded bear attacks on humans in Georgia, and no fatalities. Complete Home Services, located in the North Georgia Mountains provides Housecleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Yard Services and Landscaping in Union County Georgia, Fannin County Georgia and Towns County Georgia. For your landscaping needs visit our VistaScapes website at www.VistaScapesUSA.com
Pine pollen
What is this yellow stuff on my car? This is a frequent question heard in the North Georgia mountains during the spring. Pine pollen is easily recognized by its yellow color. In addition, the sappy texture makes it stick to most surfaces so you will see it on your car, lawn furniture and anything else that sits outside during pollen season. It is also easily tracked into your house on your shoes and clothing. Pine pollen generally lasts several weeks and as tempting as it may be to clean the pollen off of all surfaces as soon as you see it, it is best to wait until it is done falling as everything will be yellow again with in a hour or two of cleaning. When the pine pollen has finally stopped it is recommended that you pressure wash your decks and outside surfaces so that you can get rid of the pollen and stop tracking it into your home. Many people also have allergies to pine pollen and can have Itchy tearing red eyes, bags under the eyes, runny nose with or without sneezing, congestion, and coughing. Due to this it is also recommended that you do a thorough cleaning of your indoor surfaces as well. This includes:– vacuuming and steam cleaning to remove pollen that’s trapped in the carpet.– mopping hard surfaces.– dusting with a damp rag to remove pollen residue that has settled from the air. Contact Complete Home Services to schedule a cleaning service for both indoors and out to get rid of the pollen and reduce your allergies.Complete Home Services, located in the North Georgia Mountains provides House cleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Yard Services and Landscaping in Union County Georgia, Fannin County Georgia and Towns County Georgia. For your Home Maintenance needs visit our Complete Home Services website at www.CompleteHomeServicesUSA.com
Let’s get planting
Do you want to give your yard some new life after the winter? If your answer is yes don’t procrastinate this is the perfect time to start planting and enjoy the spring weather. While it’s true that some bulbs do best when planted in the fall there are a ton of flowers and shrubs that should be planted in the spring. April and May are great times to plant perennials, shrubs, fruit trees, and even evergreens! Spring is also a wonderful time to update your yard so take a look around your landscape and decide if you can brighten the place up with a few new plants. By selecting a few specimens that have an interesting color or texture in their foliage you will have a more lasting visual effect in your landscape. If you need help deciding which plants are best feel free to give us a call. Did you know that CHS does landscape design? We will even put together a free quote once we determine the amount of sunlight affecting that part of your landscape and what type of shrub, tree, or flowers would give you the best bang for your buck. Complete Home Services, located in the North Georgia Mountains provides Housecleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Yard Services and Landscaping in Union County Georgia, Fannin County Georgia and Towns County Georgia. For your landscaping needs visit our VistaScapes website at www.VistaScapesUSA.com
Pine pollen
What is this yellow stuff on my car? This is a frequent question heard in the North Georgia mountains during the spring. Pine pollen is easily recognized by its yellow color. In addition, the sappy texture makes it stick to most surfaces so you will see it on your car, lawn furniture and anything else that sits outside during pollen season. It is also easily tracked into your house on your shoes and clothing. Pine pollen generally lasts several weeks and as tempting as it may be to clean the pollen off of all surfaces as soon as you see it, it is best to wait until it is done falling as everything will be yellow again with in a hour or two of cleaning. When the pine pollen has finally stopped it is recommended that you pressure wash your decks and outside surfaces so that you can get rid of the pollen and stop tracking it into your home. Many people also have allergies to pine pollen and can have Itchy tearing red eyes, bags under the eyes, runny nose with or without sneezing, congestion, and coughing. Due to this it is also recommended that you do a thorough cleaning of your indoor surfaces as well. This includes:– vacuuming and steam cleaning to remove pollen that’s trapped in the carpet.– mopping hard surfaces.– dusting with a damp rag to remove pollen residue that has settled from the air. Contact Complete Home Services to schedule a cleaning service for both indoors and out to get rid of the pollen and reduce your allergies.Complete Home Services, located in the North Georgia Mountains provides House cleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Yard Services and Landscaping in Union County Georgia, Fannin County Georgia and Towns County Georgia. For your Home Maintenance needs visit our Complete Home Services website at www.CompleteHomeServicesUSA.com
Spring cleaning
I love the spring! My mom would open the doors and windows and clean as me and my brother played outside. I can still smell the Pine-Sol. Ah how I love that smell! For me spring always seemed like a time for rejuvenation so why should your home be any different? After several months of being closed up for the winter dirt and dust has probably built up in your home. Now is the perfect time to give your home new life and do some deep cleaning. Here are some helpful tips to help get you started: -Deep clean or replace your door mat. You don’t want to track dirt into your newly cleaned home.– Shampoo carpets and clean upholstery.– Mop hard surface flooring.– Wash walls, cabinets, and baseboards with a wet sponge and a little dish detergent.– Move furniture and vacuum.– Clean ceiling fans and air vents with a damp cloth and a vacuum with a nozzle attachment.– Wipe down your light fixtures with an all purpose cleaner.– Wipe down the inside of your refrigerator with a damp cloth and clean the coils behind it to remove built up dust.*Tip* To remove dust from coils attached to the back side of the fridge carefully pull the refrigerator out several feet and vacuum thoroughly. Let us handle the dirty work and call Complete Home Services today to schedule your next cleaning service or go all out and have your windows washed too! We are ready to help you get smells of spring throughout your home. Complete Home Services, located in the North Georgia Mountains provides Housecleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Yard Services and Landscaping in Union County Georgia, Fannin County Georgia and Towns County Georgia. For your landscaping needs visit our VistaScapes website at www.VistaScapesUSA.com
Fleas
It’s that time of year again! The weather is getting warmer and the bugs are out and about. This also includes fleas! If you have had problems with fleas in the past you have probably gone to great lengths to get rid of them vacuuming and cleaning. However, many people tend to forget that their pets also spend time outside in the yard. Even if you have treated your pet for fleas, the problem may persist because the fleas still have access to your home by way of your pet. It’s also important to remember that fleas can live on your blood too and not just your pet’s. So along with the inside of the house, you will also need to give the yard some attention in order to bring an infestation under control. Fleas love cool, shady, and moist places. They especially like shrubs, leaves, and trees, and don’t fare well in sunny areas or in open grass. Be sure to look around your yard and identity the areas where fleas are likely to live. Keeping the grass, trees and shrubs trimmed is an easy way to reduce the flea population in your yard. Also, make sure to clean all piles of debris and leaves that may be on the ground and sweep patios, under decks and lawn furniture. Unless you have a major flea infestation keeping the yard clean and free of debris should do the trick. You may not even need to use chemical treatments, but if it does become necessary make sure you read the labels carefully before choosing which one to use. This is very important because some chemicals can be harmful to pets as well as humans. Chemical treatment should only be necessary in shady, humid areas of the yard where fleas like to live. Open areas that get plenty of sunlight won’t need to be sprayed. Your main focus should be on areas under bushes, trees, decks, ect. If you want a natural approach as an alternative to chemicals you may want consider using beneficial nematodes in the yard. These are microscopic worms that are found naturally in the dirt. Application of nematodes is done with either a sprayer or spreader and these types of worms are not parasitic and do not affect humans, pets, or plants. What they do is seek out insects such as fleas and insert themselves into the immature insect’s body. The nematodes then send out a toxin that kills the fleas within a short period of time. The nematodes are also able to reproduce in the yard where they have been released and their effects will last for several months! One other options may be to spread an abrading agent such as diatomaceous earth on your yard. This product is made from bodies of microscopic fossils. It works by drying out the bodies of adult fleas, killing them. Look for a natural grade of diatomaceous earth in either your local garden or pet store. This dust works best when conditions are not very wet, so if you apply it make sure it’s not going to rain right away. Note* No matter which method you choose to use in your home or yard be sure to get advice from your veterinarian before use. Chemicals and even some naturally derived products can be dangerous to animals. Complete Home Services, located in the North Georgia Mountains provides Housecleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Yard Services and Landscaping in Union County Georgia, Fannin County Georgia and Towns County Georgia. For your landscaping needs visit our VistaScapes website at www.VistaScapesUSA.com