Home Reviews

Outwitting Squirrels by Bill Adler, Jr.

I know there are many homeowners like myself who have a passion for bird feeding. Unfortunately, along with bird feeding comes thieving rodents.  Finally, we have an ally in the battle against these creatures! Author Bill Adler Jr. is on our side! Bill has written what may be the most important document ever about the long-running,  guerrilla war with squirrels. A battle we are losing.

For serious bird enthusiasts, Outwitting Squirrels was meant to be a strategic and decisive weapon against these furry marauders, but somehow… spies of their evil empire must have got hold of a copy because the fight goes on!

Adler provides us with hilarious observations and clever solutions to the unrelenting assault on our bird feeders by these tenacious and not-so-cute furry rodents. (Full disclosure is in order here. My wife and I have no love for squirrels after witnessing, in horror, their voracious devouring of young birds that were just learning to fly.) With no natural predators around, the population of these rodents has exploded in my town and sadly the birds don’t have a chance.  I’ll have no more of them!

I’ll provide additional data on the trouble with the scourge later…Meantime, death and pox to all squirrels and their ilk!! Save the birds!

Reducing Honeydew from Trees

Pro-active dates: October to March

Rescue dates: Late spring to late summer

Commonly found on: Ash, crabapple, crape myrtle, elm, fruit trees, hackberry, hawthorn, locust, maple, oak, willow, and zelkova. Sometimes conifers and other shade trees.

Actions to take: Prevent with preseason treatments whenever possible. Prevention works best when tree are fertilized at the same time. Suppress the problem during the growing season as soon as possible, as populations build quickly when the weather is warm. Don’t over fertilize, especially early in the season. Where honeydew has dripped on sidewalks and other surfaces, wash with a soapy water mix. Washing the tree canopy is sometimes necessary as well.

More Information: When the heat of summer comes, we sometimes notice a sticky sap that drops from certain trees onto sidewalks, parking lots, cars and even us! This “sticky sap” not tree sap at all, but a secretion from the insects that are feeding on young leaves. These insects, including aphids, lace bugs, certain scale, mealybugs, thrips and a few other types, suck out the fluid in plants. Honeydew by itself may be annoying to deal will not typically hurt the tree. However, the pests that make the honeydew can become damaging to the tree if the populations build high enough. When the honeydew secretion stays on the tree leaves, a black mold (sooty mold) often starts to grow. This can further weaken the tree because it reduces the amount of sunlight the leaves absorb. Prevention in the off season typically maintains populations well below any kind of damaging level. It also eliminates the need to treat the canopy which can be hard to do in the summer when cars, people and objects are nearby.

Maintain good tree health. Identify the most problematic tree species on the site and treat in the off season. In season treatments should begin early if possible.

If you have a property that may present honeydew symptoms during the summer, please Jon Maystrik at Arborwell for more information and to provide recommendations.

Video Project: Rehabbing a Contemporary Landscape

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Resources

 

Landscaping

rehabbing a contemporary landscape
Rehabbing landscapes




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