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Posts Tagged ‘environmental asphalt’

How to Rid Yourself of Pavement Ants in Your Driveway

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Pavement ants, also known as house ants or sugar ants, can be quite a nuisance. They set up camp in your yard or inside the cracks in your pavement and eventually work their way into your home. The best thing to do when you find pavement ants is to rid yourself of the infestation as soon as possible.

But how can you do that? You are no exterminator and you don’t want to have to run to the hardware store to buy ant spray, right? Well, you can use one household item to help assist you in your quest for an ant free existence – salt.

That’s right, all you need is everyday salt. This article from eHow.com explains several solutions to rid yourself of those pesky pavement ants using nothing but common table salt.

1.   Sprinkle ordinary table salt on cracks in the driveway, along the sides and where the ants are present. Make sure the driveway and surrounding areas are dry before applying salt for the best effectiveness.

2.   Repeat weekly until the ants are gone. After consuming the salt, the ants will drink water or other moisture until they essentially explode. Be aware that the salt will also kill any weeds or plants present, so use caution.

3.   Draw a line with salt at the end of the driveway on the pavement to prevent the ants from crossing over into the lawn or home.

4.   If table salt is not effective, purchase a sweet ant bait trap that contains boric acid salt. (Boric acid is a hydroponic salt.) The ants are attracted to the sugar in the bait, consume the boric acid salt with the sugar, and then take the poison back to their home, where it spreads to the other ants.

5.   Place the ant baits along the sides and ends of the driveway. Use caution when using ant baits because boric acid can be toxic to pets and humans as well as insects.

If you have any questions, contact PTG Enterprises by calling410-636-8777 or click here today!

Asphalt Causes Less Carbon footprint than Other Pavements

Friday, February 18th, 2011

The production and installation of asphalt emits less greenhouse gases than other surfaces, reports this article. According to a recent study, asphalt pavements require about 20 percent less energy to produce and construct than other pavements. The less fuel that is used in the process—the less carbon dioxide that gets released into the air.

The article goes on to say that “Between 1970 and 1999, the asphalt industry decreased total emissions from plants by 97 percent while increasing production by 250 percent. Emissions from asphalt plants are so low, the EPA considers them as only minor sources of industrial pollution.”

Warm mix asphalt is another way that asphalt is cutting down on its emissions. The asphalt is mixed at a lower temperature than before, thus needing less energy to heat up.  Asphalt also helps to move traffic along quickly, allowing drivers to get to their destination rapidly. The process for applying asphalt is very fast so traffic does not usually result. This saves drivers time and also helps cut down on carbon dioxide released into the air.

The urban heat island (UHI) effect—the phenomenon that makes cities 2° to 10°F warmer than nearby rural areas on a hot summer day is another issue to consider. However, recently it has been proven that it is not necessarily the color of the pavement in the city that causes this effect but also the texture and thickness of the pavement.  This can affect the way a pavement retains, radiates, and/or releases heat. Research is being done to now to look into more porous surfaces that can help lessen this effect.

For any of your asphalt needs contact My Pavement Guy here or at 443-463-1536.