Call for volunteers!

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

The Westlake Village Board of Directors needs you help: we are short on volunteers!

The biggest vacancy is on the Board - we only have 8 members vs. a full complement of 9. FYI - I heard horror stories about the Board (and have witnessed them). Let me make it perfectly clear - your 2007 BoD is not the HOA of the past. We are confronting large issues, working together, and SOLVING those issues. We rely on each other and always strive to do the right thing, no matter how painful it may be at the time. We are not perfect - but our intentions are good. If you don't believe, stop by our monthly meeting, which is always the 3rd monday of every month, and watch us in action.

Other areas we are short on "staff" are the Architectural committee, the Maintenance Committee, and Activities.

Decide to make a change today and help us out!

Thanks, Rich

We need your help!!!

The Westlake Village Board of Directors needs your help! We are currently in need of an additional Board member to give us our full complement of 9 members. Also, the Board is looking for a candidate who can spearhead Community functions and family-focused events. If you are interested, please contact Rosemary in the Office 784-3054 or any Board member (listed on website).

Westlake Village represents almost 600 single family homes and dozens of Townhomes. Our annual budget is $320,000+ and we also employ 2 part-time employees to assist the Village with administration and maintenance of our 30+ acres.

Here's your challenge - forget what you have heard about HOA's. Find out more about OUR Homeowner's Association and how YOU can make it better!

Summertime update

Summer's here...let the sweating begin.

To catch everyone up, on my last blog article I mentioned that chinch bugs are expected to be bad this year. Be proactive and fight back! They like hot and dry lawns, so keps yours as moist as possible. Supplement your normal lawn treatment with a focused treatment on suspected "hotspots" where chinch bug damage is beginning to show. Hotspots can be effectively countered by DRENCHING the area with water - a cheap, relatively easy solution!

Ok, B-I-G kudos go out to our Vice Pres (no, not Cheney!) - Pete Altmeyer. At the very end of April, we were advised by our insurance company to review our coverage for the coming year. When the new policy quote came back, lo and behold it did NOT include wind coverage for our structures, which are valued at approximately $650,000! Faced with a long-winded Citizens application process (at the end of which we may have been denied anyway), Pete Altmeyer found 2 additional insurance companies who were willing to quote us at the last minute. With our midnight expiration looming, Pete was able to secure a comprehensive policy with Carlton & Fields in Clearwater. You will be happy to know that our new policy has double the aggregate limits ($2M vs $1M), full wind coverage, and many other features not available with our previous policies. All this for LESS than what we paid last year!!!

The next time you see Pete, let him know his efforts are appreciated by all.

Westlake Village work update:

1) The park work is complete - all dead trees have been carefully removed, stumps have been ground, and the western shore of the lake has been dramatically cleaned up. We had budgeted $30,000 but were able to complete for appr. $13,000! Re-planting of Long-leaf pines will commence in Dec and run through Feb - let us know if you are interested in pitching in!

2) Pete Altmeyer is drafting plans to remodeled the Pumphouse, whose wooden ends have been fast deteorating. We'll update you as plans move forward.

3) We're getting estimates to spot-fix the walking path - some areas are crumbling and need to be addressed.

That's all for now...buh-bye!
Rich c.

Chinch WHAT?

Happy May Day!!!!

I received an odd alert...from my lawn service company, of all people! They included, with their bi-monthly billing, a letter for me to sign allowing them to spray for pests every month, at a cost of 1/2 of what we normally pay. As I read further, I was both educated and thankful.

Apparently, the chemical normally used to treat for aggressive chinch bugs are losing their ability to repel the voracious insects. To make a long story short, the problem is two-fold:

1. the normal chemicals used to treat for the bugs are being restricted for only certain uses, due to their environmental impact. The substitute chemicals last only a fraction of the time.
2. Chinch bugs are building a resistance to those "watered-down" chemicals.

I am certainly happy to have the bug-people stop by monthly - it's a small price to pay for protecting my $1000+ investment AND meeting my obligations to the neighborhood and neighbors to have a lawn with aethetic appeal.

The following information is available on the Internet at:

http://www.pestproducts.com/chinchbugs.htm

(DISCLAIMER: Westlake Village has no affiliation with the provider of the information below)

Chinch Bugs

Chinch Bugs, Their Damage and Elimination

Chinch bugs are most damaging to St. Augustine grass. You may see them on grasses such as zoysia, Bermuda, and centipede, but infestations usually occur where high populations have built up on St. Augustine grass. Adult chinch bugs are about one-fifth of an inch long and black with white wings folded over their backs. The insect mates early in the season when the temperature reaches 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The female lays eggs on roots, stems, leaves, leaf sheaths or crevices in nodes and other protected places. Eggs are laid over a 2 to 3 week period, with one female laying as many as 500 eggs.

The young chinch bugs ( called nymphs) develop into adults in four to six weeks. Nymphs are yellow upon hatching but soon turn red and have a light colored band across their abdomens. With each molt, nymphs more closely resemble the adults. There are 2 to 4 generations per year.

The chinch bugs insert their slender beak into the grass and suck the plant juices. As the chinch bug sucks the plant juices, it releases a toxin that causes yellowish to brownish patches in turf. Typical injury appears as spreading patches of brown, dead grass. This pest is a sunshine-loving insect and seldom attacks grass in a dense shady area. Discolored areas caused by chinch bug feeding that are in open sunlight several hours daily may be "hot spots" for chinch bug damage. Most homeowners will first notice dead patches of grass along a driveway, curb, sidewalk or foundation of the home, due to the heat emitted from such objects.
Because they can fly, it is difficult to keep an area free of chinch bugs if they are emerging from neighboring lawns, golf courses or nearby croplands.

Inspecting For Chinch Bugs
Scout turf on sunny days by slowly sliding your foot through the sod and watching for the bugs to crawl across your shoe. You can also determine infestations by using a large coffee can or gallon can with both ends removed. Press one end of the can about 2 or 3 inches into the soil, fill with soapy water, and watch for about 5 minutes. If chinch bugs are present, they will float to the surface. (This test will also bring molecrickets to the surface) It is very important to check areas where the yellowish spots and the green grass meet in several different locations.

Controlling Chinch Bugs
Chinch bugs have become resistant to almost every pesticide used to control them. They were even resistant to DDT in the early 1950s. Of the many insecticides labeled for chinch bug elimination, there are two that stand out above the rest: Talstar (which contains Bifenthrin) and Acephate. For the past several years, Acephate had been the best overall performer in eliminating chinch bugs in lawns, giving better control than other products being used by professionals and homeowners alike. However, Talstar has suddenly become the star performer in eliminating lawn and turf pests such as molecrickets, ants and chinch bugs.
For best results, wet turf thoroughly with water before applying an insecticide. Treat the entire area evenly and thoroughly. Wet the area with water again after applying the insecticide. Where chinch bug infestations are heavy, re-treat the area in 2 weeks to kill recently hatched insects, unless you are treating with Talstar. In this case, repeat applications may not be necessary.
Talstar liquid concentrate should be applied through a hose end sprayer at the rate of 1/2 ounce per 1000 square feet. Talstar granules should be applied at the rate of 25 pounds per 1/4 acre and irrigated immediately after application.

Acephate should be applied through a hose end sprayer at the rate of 1 pound per 1/4 acre in sufficient water.

Thatch removal is important for eliminating conditions favorable for chinch bug survival. Maintaining adequate moisture will increase the tolerance of turf to feeding damage and will promote beneficial fungi that attack chinch bugs. Low nitrogen fertilization slows chinch bug reproduction although the lawns regularly attacked by these insects (St. Augustine) are heavy feeders and prefer more fertilizer than other turf grasses. Consult your local county extension office about feeding your St. Augustine grass.