A local tree care firm received industry recognitions.
Zimmerman Tree Service of Lake Worth recently achieved re-accreditation through the Tree Care Industry Association.
For the three-year designation, businesses undergo an extensive review of professional practices, including consumer satisfaction, best business practices, employee training, industry compliance and insurance coverage.
In addition, the International Society of Arboriculture recently recognized company founder Michael Zimmerman for his contribution to the advancement of the purpose and substance of ISA’s Florida chapter.
Sometimes being number one is not a particularly good thing. Summer is not only hurricane season, but here in Florida it is our peak lightning season as well. In the United States, Florida has damaging and deadly electric weather that is unmatched by any other state. Warm, sometimes even hot air from the Gulf of Mexico collides with cooler air from the west, creating deafening and dangerous thunderstorms. Spawned inside the colliding air currents, electrical charges build up and often shoot toward the Earth in the form of lightning.
Here in Florida we experience an impressive 25.3 strikes per square mile and 1.45 million lightning strikes each year, on average. The state is also the deadliest for lightning, amassing 62 deaths over the past 10 years. As the old saying goes, lightning never strikes the same place twice because no place is the same after lightning strikes it. Annually, more than one million trees in the United States are struck by lightning. The Southeast has the greatest frequency of lightning storms in the country with Florida being the leading state.
Lightning can kill trees as soon as they are struck or damage and weaken them so severely that they are then attacked and killed by boring insects or other secondary invaders. Sometimes lightning struck trees must be removed due to structural degradation caused by the heat and mechanical forces generated by the electrical charge. What many people don’t realize is that lightning poses a risk not only to trees, but also to adjacent structures. Damage to structures can happen when lightning strikes a tree and then side-flashes (“jumps”) to more conductive materials such as downspouts and other metal objects. Generally houses with trees within ten feet of the structure and taller than the roof are most at risk to damage from side-flashes.
Tall trees are obviously most at risk to suffer lightning strikes and certain species like our palms and pines are damaged more often than others. Trees in feature locations in the landscape, historic trees, and those trees closest to structures are also smart choices for lightning protection. You may protect your trees by having Zimmerman Tree Service install lightning protection systems. The best lightning protection for your trees is having lightning rods installed in the trees that are most susceptible to lightning strikes. Not all your trees need lightning rods. Zimmerman Tree Service will make a professional assessment of your trees, based on species, height, proximity to structures and other pertinent factors to help you determine in which trees to install lightning protection.
The rugose spiraling whitefly is different from the ficus whitefly. The rugose was originally called the Gumbo Limbo Spiraling Whitefly, named after the plant on which it was first discovered. But it has since been found infesting the Gumbo Limbo, White Bird of Paradise, Coconut Palm, Black Olive, Live Oak, and others. These whiteflies are much larger than the ficus and bemisia whiteflies – almost three times bigger.
The rugose spiraling whitefly is also different from the ficus whitefly in that it is less of a pest to plants. From what we have seen so far, it is not causing severe damage such as plant death or branch die-back. However it is a nuisance and can create a mess. Our climate conditions here in Florida are ideal for their growth. Therefore populations build up, and infested plants can become covered with the white, waxy substance and disfigured by the black sooty mold that grows on the insect’s excrement (called honeydew). Honeydew is a sugar-rich sticky liquid, and is also secreted by aphids and some scale insects as they feed on plant sap. This sticky honeydew can accumulate on cars, pool decks and patio furniture from infested trees.
Rugose spiraling whitefly infestations are being discovered all over Southwest Florida. They also seem to be infesting all of our most common palms in addition to many of our most common trees. How can you tell if your plants have become the targets of these pests? Look for the distinctive white spirals and a build-up of a white, waxy substance on the underside of the leaves. If the leaves are turning white the sooty mold that's produced can turn the leaves, trunk and anything under the infested tree black. This black sooty mold in turn interferes with photosynthesis. This mold can reduce plant growth and may cause early leaf drop.
The most effective way to combat the pests is to have an arborist and certified pest control operator deal with them. With over 30 years of experience, Zimmerman Tree Service is a full service organization providing shade, fruit and ornamental tree care as well as insect, disease and fertilization programs. As a leader in tree care, Zimmerman Tree Service’s unique approach of delivering a wide range of arboriculture services conveniently eliminates the time and expense of searching for and experimenting with different companies.
Our objective is to continually provide superior arboriculture services that add value to trees, prepare them for storm season and enhance their overall health and beauty. We focus on servicing our customers to the fullest extent to ensure their satisfaction.
Among the many greenery and landscaping options our subtropical climate here in Florida allows us to choose is the Ficus tree. In many places the Ficus is more commonly grown indoors than out. But in our warm environment the Ficus can be grown outside. In our yards these trees can reach massive sizes, from 50 to 60 feet high and with a spread of 100 feet. They often grow to be wider than they are tall. The Ficus tree is an excellent ornamental plant and most species produce figs. The proper care and cultivation of these trees became more of a challenge in 2007 when the Ficus Whitefly was introduced into the U.S. here in Florida.
Whiteflies are an insect with more than 1500 species having been classified. They can transmit disease and also eat and destroy plants and shrubberies. They are very difficult to control and their elimination may require the application of multiple methods in rotation and over weeks. The whitefly evolves in 4 stages, from eggs to nymphs, to pupa, to the adult fly. Researchers at the University of Florida report that Ficus Whiteflies are seriously injuring host plants by sucking juices from them. This results in wilting, yellowing, stunting, leaf drop, or even the death of trees.
To find out if your Ficus is at risk shake your plant to see if small, gnat-like whiteflies emerge. You can also check the underside of the leaves for whiteflies in immature stages. A magnifying glass is helpful for detection. The whiteflies will appear as small tan to light green discs with red eyes. You will want to carefully check your ficus plants for early signs of an infestation. Detection of these pests in the beginning stages will make it easier to manage them before they build high populations and cause major damage. Since whiteflies congregate in large numbers infested plants can be quickly overwhelmed and destroyed.
We cannot consider the Ficus Whitefly just a natural consequence of living in Florida - it is not a native species. For that matter neither are the Ficus Trees they attack. However, the Ficus Whitefly is a devastating garden insect infesting and destroying hundreds of landscapes all over Florida. Yours could easily be next. Most plants become heavily infested in only days or a couple of weeks. If you do not catch the infestation early you could lose most of your beautiful flora. You could also lose thousands of dollars in replacement costs. Better protect your investment and call Zimmerman Tree Service today. With over 30 years of experience, Zimmerman Tree Service is a full service organization providing shade, fruit and ornamental tree care as well as insect, disease and fertilization programs. As a leader in tree care, Zimmerman Tree Service’s unique approach of delivering a wide range of arboriculture services conveniently eliminates the time and expense of searching for and experimenting with different companies.
Our objective is to continually provide superior arboriculture services that add value to trees, prepare them for storm season and enhance their overall health and beauty. We focus on servicing our customers to the fullest extent to ensure their satisfaction.
Summer time in Florida is beautiful with warm temperatures, blue skies and cooling breezes. The sun is shining, birds are singing and the shade beneath the trees is most inviting. The sweet fragrance of lush, pretty blooms is in the air. It is the perfect time for a picnic. Unfortunately the picnic may not be your idea, and it may attract some uninvited guests. Worst of all, what is on the menu may be the trees and shrubs in your yard. Watch out for these digging, leaf-chewing and root-eating party crashers.
The insects that attack trees are much more numerous in the summer. They leave the trees wounded and weakened, sitting ducks for disease to take over and kill the tree...or trees. They don't tend to stop after destroying only one. Countless insects live on, in, and around trees. They can be beneficial for pollination or as predators of plant-destroying bugs. Some of these insects are harmless, yet there are also many species that can cause fatal damage to your greenery. Some attack the leaves, some the bark and others may bore into the very core of the tree itself. Now we will take a look at some of the usual suspects.
A close look at the leaves of your plants can often detect white skins shed by developing aphids. Aphids are soft bodied, pear-shaped insects usually less than 1/8 inch long. They feed by piercing-sucking mouth-parts and often can be found feeding on stem tissue of infested plants. Frequently the undersides of developing leaves are infested, and feeding causes distorted or stunted leaf development. Aphids also suck the sap out of new growth on any plant or tree. While the aphids won't kill a tree, they will cause the foliage to become malformed. Aphids also spread disease and their secretions attract sooty-mold fungus.
The southern pine beetle is the most destructive insect pest of pine in the southern United States. It is estimated that these beetles caused $900 million of damage to pine forests from 1960 through 1990. This aggressive tree killer is an insect native to Florida. You will find them mostly in the inner bark of pine trees. Females land 6 to 30 feet above the ground on fully grown trees and bore into the bark. There, they create galleries (tunnels) in which they mate and lay eggs. The yellowish white, legless grubs feed in the inner bark, enlarging their tunnels as they grow. Mature larvae move to the outer bark and create a cell in which they pupate. New adults chew through the bark, further damaging the tree, and leave small, clearly visible, open exit holes. Trees attacked by southern pine beetles often are inflicted with hundreds of resin masses (which are also called "pitch tubes") on the outer tree bark.
The Mediterranean fruit fly is one of the world's most destructive fruit pests. Its larvae feed and develop on many deciduous, subtropical, and tropical fruits and some vegetables. It can be a major pest of citrus, especially harmful to your orange, grapefruit, tangerine and lemon and lime trees. Usually though it is a serious pest of some deciduous fruits, such as peach, pear, and apple. The larvae feed upon the pulp of host fruits, sometimes tunneling through it and finally reducing the whole to a juicy, inedible mass. The Mediterranean fruit fly has one of the widest host ranges of any pest fruit fly. For that reason it is considered the most important agricultural pest in the world.
The giant palm borer is one of the largest tree-destroying beetles known. Adult beetles reach nearly 60 mm (2.5 in.) in length. Borer grubs can live inside a palm trunk for up to nine years before exiting as beetles through quarter-sized holes. The adult beetle is elongated and cylindrical in shape and brown to black in color. The larvae of this species are stout and C-shaped and yellowish in color. Adult females bore tunnels in the soft tissue near the crown of the palm. Males follow them in, mate, and the females then lay around 500 eggs. The larvae hatch and begin to bore galleries as they feed on the inner stem of the palm. The larval stage may last from 3 to 9 years. The larvae pupate in April and May, emerging from inside the palm as adults about two months later. The emergence of adults forms easily spotted holes in the trunk of the palm.
These are just a few of the many, many unwelcome visitors who may be, even now, enjoying breakfast, lunch and dinner at your expense. To find out for sure and protect your plants, shrubs and trees it is time to call the experts at Zimmerman Tree Service . With over 30 years of experience, Zimmerman Tree Service is a full service organization providing shade, fruit and ornamental tree care as well as insect, disease and fertilization programs. As a leader in tree care, Zimmerman Tree Service’s unique approach of delivering a wide range of arboriculture services conveniently eliminates the time and expense of searching for and experimenting with different companies.
The Weather Channel released its first 2013 Atlantic hurricane season outlook on April 8, 2013, calling for another active season.
The forecast calls for a total of 16 named storms, 9 of which are expected to become hurricanes, including 5 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale).
These forecast numbers are above the long-term average from 1950-2012 (12 named storms, 7 hurricanes, 3 major hurricanes) and slightly above the averages for the current active era from 1995-2012 (15 named storms, 8 hurricanes, 4 major hurricanes).
Overdue for hurricanes are Honolulu, Savannah, San Diego and Tampa. We have been lucky the last few years here in Florida but must remember that eventually the law of averages will catch up with us. In the past our state has taken quite a beating from hurricanes. The 1935 Labor Day hurricane, which devastated the Florida Keys, killed 600. Andrew in 1992 leveled much of Homestead and caused $26.5 billion in damages to all the areas impacted.
Hurricanes bring winds that can exceed 125 miles per hour. You can also expect heavy rain and flooding. Any or all of these storm effects can which damage trees. Although some damage can be seen immediately, some effects of structural damage to trees may not become apparent for years. Downed or weakened trees can be hazardous to people, buildings, and power lines.
Storm damaged trees should be assessed for risk as soon as possible after a hurricane or other major storm. Signs that a tree could be a hazard include new cracks in the lower trunk or large stems split from the tree. Major roots can be severed or broken, and the tree may be partially uprooted. There may be a noticeable tree lean attributable to the storm. You may see large limbs broken and most of tree's crown damaged.
If one or more of these conditions are present, consult with a professional arborist as soon as possible. Until the tree damage is addressed, stay clear and keep vehicles and other moveable assets out of range. This is the time to call the experts at Zimmerman Tree Service for hurricane storm protection in South Florida, 561-968-1045.
Three straight Atlantic hurricane seasons have had 19 storms. Only seven Atlantic seasons have had more hurricanes than last season's 10 hurricanes. Among the four U.S. landfalls were the most intense tropical cyclone to make a U.S. landfall prior to June 1 (Tropical Storm Beryl), a soaking Tropical Storm Debby, a painfully slow Hurricane Isaac, and one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history, Superstorm Sandy. (Sandy became a "post-tropical" system shortly before landfall.)
UPDATE: Colorado State University (CSU) released its forecast for the 2013 hurricane season on April 10, 2012. Similar to The Weather Channel forecast, CSU expects an above-average hurricane season. The team is predicting a total of 18 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher).
