Questions about garden pest care

I can't promise that, and nobody who applies a product should. What I can do is use a product only where it is needed, follow the label, tell you which areas to keep children and pets out of and for how long, and send you the label if you ask.

Not while they are in open bloom. If a plant has a problem I treat that plant, early or late in the day, and I tell you which plants and why. Often the answer is a barrier, a trap or a pair of gloves.

Sometimes. Where a product is OMRI-listed and does the job, I will use it. Where it doesn't work, or can hurt a bee if it is used carelessly, I won't pick it for the label alone. You get a note with whichever one I used.

It's a way of working: identify the pest, decide whether it is a problem, use the lightest tool that works, then check. It isn't a product, and it doesn't mean nothing is ever applied.

Most gardens need a walk in spring, midsummer and early fall; a house alone needs less. We set the dates after the first walk, and I skip any visit that isn't needed.

For the first walk, it's better if you are, so I can see what you've seen. For check visits, I can work with the gate unlocked and a text.

It varies. Hand-removal and barriers show in days; an ant colony can take a few weeks. I'll tell you what to expect on the note.

If the pest I treated is back in the same spot within 30 days, I return at no charge. That doesn't cover a new pest, a new spot, or something that changed after the visit, such as a gap that opened up. Results vary with the pest and the season.

No. Both need a different license or a different kind of company. I'll tell you what to ask for.