South Florida mosquitoes love snowbirds. They also like anything and anybody else they can put the bite on. This includes gators, bulldogs, your cats, your kids and you. They are equal opportunity pests, feeding across all socio-economic lines. They do not discriminate based on race, creed, sex, religion, or even species. If you have blood, they want you.
Of course we are only speaking of the females of the mosquito clan. All mosquitoes — male and female — ingest nectar and water as primary nutrition sources. The females only drink blood after mating to obtain the necessary protein and energy to help their eggs develop. Females and males both buzz as they fly around you but females buzz at a higher pitch. Male mosquitoes could not put the bite on you even if they wanted to. The females are the only ones with a piercing proboscis — that needle-like protrusion used to break the skin and draw blood.
It will come as no surprise to any South Floridian to hear the region is one of the nation’s top spots for mosquitoes. What is surprising — the area is only No. 5. The Miami Herald reports that "due to the region’s high-profile (and likely continuing) entanglement with Zika, bloodsuckers were elevated from annoying pest to deadly disease carriers for Floridians. This didn’t go unnoticed by pest company Orkin, who moved the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area up eight spots on the 50-city list and into the top ten. Now the area is ranked 5, snugly between New York at No. 4 and Dallas/Fort Worth at No. 6."
South Florida residents have not forgotten last year’s Zika scare. State and local officals say they are doing everything they can to prevent the number of Zika transmission cases from spiking. This year so far, the reported number of South Florida residents who contracted Zika while traveling abroad is down significantly this year when compared with the same period a year ago. But as long as the mosquitoes are still out there, so is the virus...and the risk of contracting it.
Our technicians are trained to provide superior service that results in a significant decline in mosquito populations. We use proven products to provide long-lasting mosquito control, which means we can make fewer visits to your home. With our service, your family can spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time worrying about the nuisance of mosquitoes.
Autumn is finally here and we can see this change in the season most clearly in our trees and plants. Here in Florida we do not have the radical widespread color change across our tree canopy they experience in the middle and northern states. Nevertheless with the coming of fall there are enough temperate plants to provide some seasonal color. After Halloween in early to mid November is when the leaves in Florida begin their fall color display.
With the changing of the season comes a change in the needs of our Florida landscaping greenery - which in fall becomes a bit less green. Your grass will grow much more slowly during the cooler months. Now is the time for an end-of-season mowing as disease has a harder time getting established with shorter grass. The leaves that drop from the trees will be great for your compost heap, too. Keep the pile stirred up with a rake every week and you will have excellent mulch for planting in the spring.
Fall is a much less-active growth time for or Florida plants. These cooler months are a good time to manage large plantings in the landscape. This is the time for planting or transplanting trees. Also woody ornamental shrubs benefit from fall planting because the months of cooler weather are less stressful on the trees and shrubs and root growth is enhanced. Fall is recognized as a good time to do nearly everything in the garden.
Here in Florida we seem to go from summer to fall in the blink of an eye. Florida sees the transition from summer growth to winter growth typically begin sometime between mid-September and mid-October. This transitional period is an ideal time to provide fall fertilization and to perform core aeration and over seeding for cool-season grasses. Well-fertilized grass will store up significant food reserves and produce healthy roots during the next 60 days to sustain it during the winter. Core aeration promotes significant root growth during the transitional period.
If you have questions about your trees, plants or property, Zimmerman Tree Service provides consulting and diagnosis services to answer your questions and meet your needs. We provide free estimates. Whatever you need to know about South Florida tree and plant care our knowledgeable experts can help you. We can do a walk through of your property, inventory the major elements of your landscape, identify problem areas, advise you on courses of action and implement plans to meet your needs.
When should trees be planted for maximum health benefits and growth potential? That depends on your location, and your environment. Climate plays a deciding role when determining the appropriate planting time. Newly planted trees do best when exposed to moderate temperature and rainfall and they need time to root and acclimatize before the onset of intense heat and dryness of summer or the freezing temperatures of winter.
Here in Florida, where we do not normally experience intense winters, planting can take place during the winter months as well as in spring, summer and fall. You might be surprised to hear that fall and winter are actually the best times of year to add plants and trees to your landscaping, but it is true. Weather conditions are cool and allow plants to establish roots in the new location before spring rains and summer heat stimulate new top growth.
Be aware that healthy balled and burlapped or container trees, however, can be planted throughout the growing season if given appropriate care. In tropical and subtropical climates where trees grow year round, any time is a good time to plant a tree, provided that sufficient water is available. Ideally, trees are planted during the dormant season – in the fall after leaf drop or in early spring before budbreak.
Trees really are the gift that keeps on giving. It can be enjoyed for generations to come. A tree will add natural beauty and cool shade to your property, and life-giving oxygen to the planet. Plant a tree that will grow well given your hardiness zone, existing soil conditions (test if you're not sure), sun exposure and available moisture. Tree species that are native to the place where you live are probably well adapted to the climate in your part of the country. If you're planting a nonnative species, research its site requirements carefully.
Zimmerman Tree Service provides professional tree planting services to ensure you have healthy trees that will grow to maturity. Trees are natures great cleansers of the atmosphere, pulling carbon and releasing oxygen. Every tree you plant, helps the planet breathe fresher air. Proper tree planting starts with selecting the right tree for the right location. What tree you select, where and how you plant the tree and how you take care of the tree in the early years, affect the health of the tree throughout the tree's life. Contact Zimmerman Tree Service to help you with your tree planting.
In the summer and all throughout the year proper care for your palm trees here in Florida is a must. Palm trees require proper fertilization to receive the correct balance of nutrients needed for overall heath and vigor. It is recommended to fertilize palm trees in the spring, summer, and fall. Palm tree care from fertilization assures good growth. When fertilized on a regular basis following the right program they will get the proper nutrients needed. It can take quite some time to bounce back if your palm trees are left untreated. It can take two or three years to return to normal if they are seriously neglected.
Never forget your roots and never forget those of your palms. With Palms it is important to take special care for their roots. Unlike a typical tree, a Palm does not have roots growing deep beneath the tree. Root balls branch very little and do not increase in size with the growth of the above ground tree.With watering palms timing can be everything. You should water your Palm tree early in the morning or late in the evening when it is not too hot. Watering your palm in the middle on the hot day can result in leaf burn. If you water your palm tree in the middle of the hot summer day, when the temperature is around 100F, and get the water on the palm tree frond it will fry the leaves.
Summer is a busy growing season. And for some a busy eating season. This includes those pests that want enjoy a palm salad at your expense. The Giant Palm Borer is a large and quite ugly beetle whose larvae have a taste for the wood of palm trees. Borer grubs can live inside a palm trunk for up to nine years before exiting as beetles through quarter-sized holes. The Palmetto Weevil can be found throughout Florida, as far west as southern Texas and as far north as South Carolina. It is North America's largest weevil.
Keeping your palm trees healthy and looking their best requires expert care. Each palm tree has specific needs based on the palm variety, soil, location of planting, time of year, weather and other conditions. Zimmerman Tree Service provides expert care and specialized treatments to keep your palm trees at their best. Our professional arborists assess the needs of each of your palm trees, diagnosis any issues and customize treatments specifically for your property.
