Exploding weeds this season? Blame a wet winter and spring.

It's been a wet winter and early spring for much of North America. According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). 28 U.S. states saw above average or much above average rainfall in the period from January - March 2019. In fact, it was the 12th wettest January - March period since records were first kept in 1895!  

Between the winter 2018 and early spring 2019, areas that have been under drought conditions for years began to normalize. The entire state of California is drought free for the first time since 2011. NCEI reports that only 6 percent of the contiguous U.S. is experiencing drought at the moment – one of the "smallest drought footprints on record."

This increased precipitation has created an explosion of weeds and unwanted vegetation. That vegetation can create big problems for businesses.

Excess vegetation can detract from customer experience

For businesses that directly serve the public, such as hotels and retail stores, aesthetics can be a significant concern. Consumers are becoming hyper-aware of the environments where they choose to visit and shop. Consequently, more and more businesses are taking an experience-centric customer approach. Post-visit surveys may ask questions about the look of building exteriors and grounds. Overgrowth or weedy exteriors could lead your customers to score an establishment low in these areas.

The dangers of excess vegetation

Beyond being unsightly, excess weeds and vegetation create the perfect harborage and resting areas for pests. Insects, rodents, and even birds can make themselves at home in overgrowth or hide away under groundcover. If these conditions are present close to a building, they can actually attract pests looking for shelter toward the structure. Other pests, such as mosquitoes, can rest on vegetation during the day.

Dumpster areas can also be problematic for vegetation overgrowth. Not often addressed as part of landscaping plans, weeds and excess vegetation in these areas can provide cover for pests.

For businesses that are under close regulatory scrutiny, the presence of pests near a facility can pose a risk and create the need to develop and document additional mitigation strategies.

Pests can also pose hazards to people, whether they are employees, residents, or visitors at a facility. For example, mosquitoes can spread diseases such as West Nile virus, which can make people sick. Rodents can also carry and spread a number of harmful pathogens or parasites, such as those responsible for hantavirus or typhus, of which there has been a recent uptick in cases in California.

Some vegetation also has the ability to directly impact public health. This can include allergic reactions from pollen and asthma (usually associated with ragweed). It can also include skin reactions associated with scratches from thorny vegetation and reactive rashes from plant parts, oils, and sap, such as poison ivy, stinging nettle, and other wild flora.

Excess vegetation can also create fire hazards, especially in warm weather months. If excess vegetation becomes dry, it is easily combustible. A simple spark, contact with a heat source or electricity, could set it alight.

Overgrowth can also cause problems in areas such as drainage ditches. The presence of vegetation can slow down or completely block moving water, creating backups. Those backups can easily flood landscaping, streets, parking lots or other access points. Backups can also create wet, stagnant areas that are ripe for mosquito breeding and development.

The benefits of a vegetation management service

Many businesses assume that because they have a landscaping service, excess vegetation will be addressed. Rentokil looks at vegetation management differently. We see it as part of an integrated pest management plan, working hand-in-hand with your landscaping and pest control services to further deter pests.

Unlike landscaping services, the majority of Rentokil's vegetation management services have a warranty through the growing season. This growing season varies depending on geography, but typically runs from early February to late November in the Southern U.S.; mid to late March through October in the Central, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic states, and from April through October in the extreme northern states and Canada.

Think of the warranty like a flu shot – the sooner you get it in the season, the longer you are protected.

Rentokil's vegetation management services

Addressing vegetation and weeds near a structure can help drastically reduce or deter pest activity. Rentokil's Vegetation Management Services can include creating a 12 - 18-inch perimeter around the structure to help do this. After clearing away unwanted vegetation, our specialists will conduct a treatment that includes the application of materials to reduce and prohibit vegetation growth. This can be conducted as a backpack application or as a power spray.

Typical landscaping companies are reactive in their weed control efforts – they may mow the lawn and pull or cut weeds, but unless excess vegetation is addressed as a season-long issue, it will keep coming back, impacting any goal that includes improvement in the aesthetics of an exterior. To address weeds in landscaped areas, Rentokil Vegetation Management specialists will complete applications using pre and post-emergent spray, materials as well as possibly spread granular weed control materials to perimeters and landscape beds where spraying may not be possible.

For areas such as parking lots, curb lines, around dumpsters, and other areas, Rentokil specialists can conduct a backpack service application to cracks and crevices to prevent weeds and vegetation from growing.

Fence line overgrowth, like excess vegetation near a structure, can attract and harbor pests such as mosquitoes and rodents. If fenceline overgrowth is an issue, Rentokil specialists can help. We'll work with your team to develop a plan to clear overgrowth and maintain the fenceline with regular service.

Comprehensive vegetation management services can even assist with flood control projects and drainage ditch clearance.

Implement vegetation management services now to get the most benefit

With spring already well underway in most areas of North America, vegetation and weeds already have a head start. Now is the time to implement a vegetation management service. By starting early in the season, you'll get the most benefit from the services (and the most use from Rentokil's service warranty).

To have a Rentokil Vegetation Management specialist come out to your property and provide an estimate or to get started with vegetation management services today, call 800.488.9495 or visit rentokil.com/us/ to chat with a customer service representative.