Windsor Life
Page 8
Here at the Gardens we manage all sorts of “pests”, but the number
one pest concern called in by residents are insects. Yes, we get
calls about ants, spiders, miller moths, mayflies, earwigs, bedbugs,
silverfish, hornets/wasps, Japanese beetles, sawflies, meal worms,
carpet beetles, billbugs, borers, katydids, aphids, scales,
midge flies, mosquitoes, crickets, fruit flies,
roaches, centipedes, roly-poly bugs, house
flies, fleas, ticks and various other flying,
crawling, biting, chirping insects.
Many of the residents I talk to seem surprised
that we don’t spray the entire property for
insects in general. Pesticides can be harmful
to many organisms including pets and don’t limit
their toxicity to the target pest. In many cases a fly
swatter, a vacuum cleaner, or a shoe can handle
the problem without the use of toxic pesticides.
Here at Windsor Gardens we live by an integrated pest management
program. This system looks at the big picturewhen dealingwith insects.
With our program we identify the pest, look at its life cycle and habits,
and then we attack the pest when it is most vulnerable. We use toxins
only as a last resort; there are so many beneficial insects and other
organisms that we do not want to harm with “friendly fire”. For
example, our grounds department released 250,000
ladybugs to combat aphid problems this year.
Insecticide would be detrimental to these efforts;
killing lacewings, ladybugs, parafid wasps and other
predatory insects that help keep the ecosystem in
check. If we disturb the system, it can take years for
the balance to return. A recent example of this was
brought into the news spotlight when the government
sprayed for mosquitoes in Florida to fight the Zika virus.
After the spraying program they realized that they had
killed millions of the bees
that pollinate all of the fruit crops that
Florida relies so heavily on.
Windsor Gardens has effectively
and safely used our integrated pest
management program to deal with a
record year of high numbers of wasps
and hornets. We know they are most
vulnerable when it is cold and they are
not mobile. So we find their nesting
sites and typically treat them in the
early morning when they are all home
having breakfast.
You win if you read this without
scratching.
Until next month, when we start
talking about the cold.
Maintenance Matters
From Bill Walsh, Facilities Maintenance Manager
fall cleanup
Our Fall Large ItemPickup Day is Wednesday, October 19. Just in time
for you to get ready for the fall garage sweeping by the maintenance
crews at the end of October or early November. Signs will go up in
your parking lot two days prior to the sweeping. We will also be getting
the word out with Pilera, our notification software.
It’s time to start sorting and organizing the items in your units, lanais
and garages, so that you will be ready to put disposable items out
for pickup by Waste Management. See below checklist for preparing
your garage stall for sweeping.
Please set disposable items in front of your garage by 7 a.m. the
morning of October 19. Those of you with underground garages need
to set your items behind your vehicle or a column.
Items that the crew cannot pick up: large appliances, TVs, electronics,
mattresses and hazardous materials, including oil, combustible
liquids, aerosol products, pesticides, paint, mineral spirits, varnishes,
solvents, batteries, radioactive or flammable material, etc.
Fall Large Item Pickup Day, October 19
Are you ready for garage sweeping?
•
Any items in violation of the storage and parking policies need
to be removed and stored properly. The only items allowed in a
parking stall are approved storage lockers and cabinets, up to
two bicycles, and a small collapsible grocery cart.
•
Golf clubs, paint cans, kayaks, furniture, dishwashers, bags
of aluminum cans, and unidentified sitting objects need to be
removed and disposed of or stored appropriately. The Fall Large
Item Pickup Day on October 19 comes just in time for you to
dispose of such items.
•
Consider moving bicycles and collapsible grocery carts out of the
garage temporarily to keep from impeding the use of blowers and
sweepers. Because of the amount of garages, and to keep things
moving efficiently, crews do not have the time to move an object
prior to and after sweeping takes place.
•
Temporarily move your vehicle out of the stall and into an open
parking space in the lot or on the street. If you leave your car in
the garage, it’s guaranteed to get dirty and the floor under it will
not get clean.
What’s bugging you?
