Broken limbs are not necessarily the end of your tree, neither are splits. There are some things that can be done, such as cabling and bolting. The trick to this is to get the damage and debris cleared, and make the repairs as soon as possible after the damage happens.

I mention this, because after such an event, most folks are so anxious to get back to normal, that they may miss the opportunity to do such repairs in the rush to get everything cleared away. If there is any doubt about the viability of an important tree on your property after the storm, it would be a good idea to get the opinion of a specialist before hacking it into brush and firewood.

After such an extreme weather event chain saw hackers abound who are trying to make a few bucks providing a needed service. Just make sure that they don’t hack up something you might regret losing in the long run!

Another part of the aftermath of such a storm is mosquito infestation. A good source for information on such issues is Bugs and Weeds, a site dedicated to pest prevention. There is a lot of practical information on this site, and a new post on the Bugs and Weeds blog on this issue in particular.

Vegetation Control Insect Control: Plant and Insect Relationships

There are a few things that should be self evident. Gravity, for instance, works every minute of every day, and needs no proof aside from the fact that when you drop an object that is heavier than air, it hits the ground.

In the world of biology, as in the world of physics, some things are self evident, although dealing with living things is less predictable, still, they are there, those things that happen in patterns, that are predictable, and consistent. The relationship of plant and insect life is one of these.

Insect and vegetation relationships.

Bugs seek protection, food and water. Vegetation provides the solution to those needs. The insect population in an area increases with the availability of these resources, and uncontrolled vegetation provides those resources in abundance.

The mosquito example.

The mosquito is a good example. One of the questions we hear often is: “Can you do anything to control the mosquitoes around my pond?” The answer is yes! By controlling the vegetation, particularly the filamentous algae that often exists in ponds, we can exercise a high degree of mosquito control. Mosquitoes use the water in ponds to reproduce their young, the pond supplies water for many small animals, which provide the blood the female mosquito needs for reproduction, it provides water for the eggs to hatch and grow as larvae, and the algae, and other thick weeds provide the protection from fish, and other predators which would otherwise eat the larvae and adults.

Herbicide, or Insecticide?

This relationship between uncontrolled vegetation and insects can be repeated in every case. Plants and animals are interdependent. Controlling the growth of brush and weeds, will control the insect and animal population. In most cases, where chemicals are used to control insects, the first chemical that should be used, is an herbicide.

Learn more about mosquitoes in ponds and lakes!

A changing landscape.

Large metropolitan areas are already seeing a migration, partially due to a new trend which allows people to have the same conveniences of city life, while living in more rural areas. The internet is making commuting less necessary, and shopping more convenient, even from distant locations. This trend is likely to continue for some time. Some experts expect a huge drop in urban property values to result. Just when you thought it couldn’t get much worse, there is another round of difficulties flying in to sting the already smarting beleaguered industry.

Public health and environmental concerns.

This time, it is a human health and environmental problem. The most recent, and immediate being one that is showing up in many places in California, and now hitting suburbia across the land. Foreclosed homes especially those with swimming pools, Koi ponds and other water features have to be maintained, or mosquitoes take over. The maintenance of such features can be expensive in terms of dollars and cents, but not maintaining them can be expensive in terms of human life.

Some areas have ordinances requiring the foreclosing entities to carry on such maintenance, but unfortunately, it is not always done. This leaves city and county health officials to deal with the mosquito problems which often turn into public health problems due to West Nile Virus and Malaria to name only a couple. This also translates into a fiscal problem, because someone has to pay for these services, even in areas where the crunch has caused a dwindling tax base, and that is us!

Rodents and insects.

Overgrown lawns, back lots, and other properties where brush and weeds are allowed to grow unchecked because of lack of funds to maintain them, will produce similar problems with rodents, insects and and a host of other undesirables. This stretches out of the urban and suburban areas, and into rural America. Properties have to be kept up, otherwise health problems will ensue, and the proprietors of such properties could find themselves with little of any value left to sell.