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A Pittsburgh Gardener’ s Solution to Deer, Rabbits, and Everything in Between
After a long, cold winter, there’ s nothing more exciting to a gardener than those first few crocuses and daffodils poking through the winter frost. You start thinking about planting a vegetable garden, putting some new hostas by the front porch, maybe planting a new tree in the backyard. But do you know who else is looking forward to your gardening? Deer, rabbits, moles, squirrels, and other rodents.
Frustrated by gardening efforts being ruined year after year, and hearing the same complaints from friends, family and neighbors, Christina Mazurik and her business partner, Ron Beall, started to research a solution. Was there a way to keep the critters away without damaging their plants or putting their pets and kids at risk?
Mazurik had gone through all the popular products sold at garden centers, having to reapply the horrible-smelling solutions every time it rained. She noticed that these products often caused damage to her plants as well. And the worst part was they simply didn’ t work.
Mazurik and Beall’ s research led them to a type of repellent that has been studied and endorsed by Penn State’ s Agricultural Sciences program. The organic repellent is listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute as allowed for use in certified organic operations under the USDA National Organic Program.
Researchers found that the product not only worked better than any other method they had used, it also acted as a fertilizer and improved the growth of the plants. This product is not sold to the public and must be applied by a licensed pesticide applicator.
Mazurik and Beall saw the opportunity to provide a service that didn’ t exist in the area: professionally applied outdoor animal repellent. They named their business Critter Gaurd— that’ s not a typo,
it’ s how they differentiate their business from others with similar names.
“ We are pioneering the industry. There is no other deer, squirrel, rabbit, vole, opossum repellent service in the state of Pennsylvania,” says Mazurik.
Now, instead of spending hours applying expensive and ineffective store-bought repellents, using unattractive deer fencing to protect plants, or just plain giving up, Critter Gaurd can take the job off your hands.
Critter Gaurd will come to your property for a free assessment to evaluate any animal damage, help you determine what species are causing problems, and create a plan to keep them away for good.
The company uses two types of application: spray and granule. The granules are spread on the ground and deter smaller animals like moles, voles, chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits. The spray is used on the leaves of plants and on tree bark to deter deer. Critter Gaurd will reapply the spray once a month, and the granules every other month. It’ s safe to use around kids and pets, and is pollinator-friendly as well.
It’ s not too early to start preparing your yard for a summer of beautiful blooms. Critter Gaurd can start protecting your plants in early spring by treating dormant plants and bulbs, which are often dug up by hungry squirrels and chipmunks. Call Critter Gaurd at 412.738.3458 or email crittergaurd @ gmail. com to start enjoying your garden again.
412.738.3458 crittergaurdllc. com
Call or text from 7 a. m. to 7 p. m. Operational Hours: Sunrise to Sunset Email crittergaurd @ gmail. com or find it on Facebook.
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