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Whiteflies are eating up Ficus in South Florida, What should you do?
We can now offer whitefly treatments for just $1 per foot!
(Some restrictions apply, call us for details)
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Recently, a new pest was reported attacking ficus trees and hedges starting in Miami-Dade county and spreading accross Broward and Palm Beach counties.
What is it? This pest was identified as the Ficus whitefly, Singhiella simplex, and is a new US continental record. Whiteflies are small, winged insects that belong to the Order Hemiptera which also includes aphids scales, mealybugs, and bugs. These insects typically feed on the underside of leaves with their “needle-like” mouthparts. Whiteflies can seriously injure host plants by sucking juices from them causing wilting, yellowing, stunting, leaf drop, or even death.
What's the damage? The leaves of ficus trees infested with whiteflies begin to turn yellow before the leaves are dropped from the plant. Ficus trees without their leaves are one of the most obvious symptoms of a whitefly infestation. This whitefly has been most commonly found infesting weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) but has also been seen on F. altissima, F. bengalensis (also called “banyan tree”), F. microcarpa, and F. maclellandii in Miami and surrounding areas. Weeping figs are commony used as hedges but also grow as trees. Other hosts include the strangler fig (F. aurea), Cuban laurel (F. microcarpa), fiddle-leaf fig (F. lyrata) and banana-leaf fig (F. macllandii). This whitefly may eventually be found on other species of ficus. Azalea has also been listed as a host plant. If the foliage is disturbed the small, white gnat-like adult whiteflies can be seen flying from the foliage. The adult whitefly resembles a very small moth with a yellow body and white wings with a faint grey band in the middle of the wings. Immature stages (eggs and nymphs) can be found primarily on the underside of the leaves. Prior to adult emergence, the nymphs are tan to light green discs with red eyes. The underside of infested leaves look like they are dotted with small, silver or white spots which are actually the empty “skin” of the pupae after the adult emerges.
What do researchers know? The biology of the ficus whitefly is not known, however, it is probably similar to related species in Florida. Eggs which are usually laid on the underside of leaves hatch into a crawler stage. The crawler wanders around the leaf until they begin to feed. From this point until they emerge as adults, they are immobile and remain in the same place on the plant. These feeding, non-mobile stages (nymphs) are usually oval, flat, and simple in appearance. One thing for sureis that without insecticide, you could lose your ficus. And unless you catch the problem early, you won't have much time to decide. Large, dense hedges can be stripped in less than two months of infestation.
What Should you do? Call Orange Pest Control right now! We can now offer whitefly treatments for just $1 per foot! (Some restrictions apply, call us for details). Even if you do not see any evidence at the moment it might be a wise option to do a preventative treatment just in case or if your ficus tree or hedge may already appear to be dying after losing most of it leaves, there is a chance it may still be alive and Orange Pest Control can treat it and may be able to salvage the tree or hedge.
Mention this article for discounts on any of our South Florida Lawn Insect Control and Fertilization services.
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Safe, ‘green’ insecticides can reduce chemical exposure in homes and gardens
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 With organic food and eco-friendly cleaning supplies now widely available, being ‘green’ at home is getting easier. When it comes to killing bugs, however, most people still reach for chemical insecticides because they are not aware that safe and effective botanical alternatives exist.
In the past couple of years Orange Pest Control, pioneers in non-toxic green pest control, has been implementing eco-green programs all across our client base using the next wave of green products – organic pesticides. And yes, it has proven to be effective. It's not just potpourri that we use, like a lot of people misconceive, we use effective organic pesticides like EcoSMART's Technologies line of botanical insecticides, repellents, herbicides and fungicides made with organic essential oils. These products are safe to use around children and pets because they will not leave a harmful pesticide residue. At the same time they are 100% effective with insects, weeds and fungus.
“Our organic and ecogreen pest control programs fit perfectly with those consumers seeking safe and effective green products that will not jeopardize the health of their families or the environment,” said Salo Langberg, Orange Pest Control President. Our own techniques tested over the years in our own homes along with EcoSMART’s university tested botanical pesticides kill bugs as effectively as synthetic pesticides, but their formulation is based on the centuries-old natural defenses that plants and trees use for their self-protection against insects and pathogens — essential oils. Even special situations like outdoor and lawn fleas and ticks, traditionally difficult to control with organic pesticides, EcoSMART’s unique blends of essential oils block specific neural pathways in insects that regulate insect movement, behavior and metabolism. This results in instant immobilization and/or knockdown followed by the insect’s death. Because these neural pathways do not exist in mammals, the formulations are completely safe to use around children, animals, birds and fish.
Orange Pest Control is making it easy for everyone to be 'green' at home. Give us a call today and let's work together towards a safer environment for our families.
Mention this article for discounts on any of our South Forida organic & eco-green pest control services.
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How Can Orange Pest Control Help In Converting
Your Existing Building And Getting LEED Certified
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 L et's start by defining LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design): it is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Developed by USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council), LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED is a practical rating tool for green building design and construction that provides immediate and measurable results for building owners and occupants.
How can Orange Pest Control Help? The easiest points you can get for your Leed Certification are just one phone call away. Here are the Leed Certification areas required to convert your building that we can help you in:
Sustainable Sites SS Credit 3: Calls for Integrated Pest Management, Erosion Control, and Landscape Management Plan. Orange Pest control can help you with the outdoor integrated pest management (IPM) program in this sector. This outdoor IPM program will effectively manage outdoor pests, such as plants, fungi, insects, and animals, in such a way that protects human health and the surrounding environment by employing the most effective, least-risk option. IPM calls for: using the least-toxic chemical pesticides; minimizing the use of chemicals; targeting locations and use only for targeted species. In addition, IPM relies on routine inspection and monitoring to ensure it addresses the issue of pests in a proactive, rather than a reactive manner. Moreover, an outdoor IPM plan must address all of the specific IPM requirements listed in EQ Credit 3.9, Green Cleaning: Indoor Integrated Pest Management (described above) including: • Preferred use of non-chemical methods; • Definition of universal notification and emergency conditions notification (advance notice of not less than 72 hours under normal conditions and 24 hours in emergencies before a pesticide, other than a least-toxic pesticide, is applied in a building or on surrounding grounds that the building management maintains). The outdoor IPM plan must also be integrated with any indoor IPM plan for the building, as appropriate. We can also help in minimizing the use of chemical fertilizers through less polluting alternatives to artificial chemicals.
Indoor Environmental Quality EQ Credit 3.9: Green Cleaning: Orange Pest Control can also help in this section with the Indoor Integrated Pest Management part. Orange Pest control will develop, implement and maintain an indoor integrated pest management (IPM) plan for your Facilities. An IPM program or plan is generally defined as managing indoor pests in a way that protects human health and the surrounding environment, while improving economic returns through the most effective, least risk option. IPM programs call for using: the least toxic pesticides; minimum use of pesticides; use of pesticides only in targeted locations; and use only for targeted species. In addition, IPM requires routine inspection and monitoring for indicators of the presence of pests or for pest attractants (such as sources of food and water for pests). An IPM plan must include at a minimum the following elements, integrated with any outdoor IPM plan that is also employed by the facility: • Integrated methods, site or pest inspections, pest population monitoring, evaluation of the need for pest control and one or more pest control methods, including sanitation, structural repairs, mechanical and living biological controls, other nonchemical methods, and if nontoxic options are unreasonable and have been exhausted, the use of the least toxic pesticide appropriate for the task. • Specification of the circumstances under which an emergency application of pesticides in a building or on surrounding grounds being maintained by building management can be conducted without complying with the earlier provisions. • A communication strategy that provides for universal notification of building occupants at least 72 hours in advance of application of a pesticide under normal conditions; or 24 hours after application of a pesticide in emergency situations, other than a least toxic pesticide. Put simply, IPM is a safer, and usually less costly option for effective pest management in the indoor environment. An IPM program uses common sense strategies to reduce sources of food, water and shelter for pests in buildings and grounds. An IPM program takes advantage of all pest management strategies, including the judicious and careful use of pesticides when necessary.
So what's in it for you besides the obvious reasons? Why become a green building?
Environmental benefits:
* Enhance and protect ecosystems and biodiversity
* Improve air and water quality
* Reduce solid waste
* Conserve natural resources
Economic benefits:
* Reduce operating costs
* Enhance asset value and profits
* Improve employee productivity and satisfaction
* Optimize life-cycle economic performance
Health and community benefits:
* Improve air, thermal, and acoustic environments
* Enhance occupant comfort and health
* Minimize strain on local infrastructure
* Contribute to overall quality of life
Orange Pest Control and your building: Let's make green buildings available to everyone within a generation! Give us a call today to get started at 1-888-972-7031.
For more information about LEED certification, visit www.usgbc.org.
Mention this article for discounts on any of our South Florida Eco-Green & Organic LEED Pest Control Services.
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| Orange Pest Control & Services Inc. | Toll Free 1-888-972-7031 | info@orangepestcontrol.com |
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