master association

Dr. Fred Santana of the University and Sarasota County visited our community and explained the problems the County is having with Chinch bugs.

Chinch bugs are attracted to dry, hot conditions and favor St. Augustine grass. The Southern Chinch bug is the biggest insect problem in St. Augustine residential turf. A new generation occurs every 6 weeks and each female can lay 300 eggs. Historically, 20 to 25 Chinch bugs per square foot of St. Augustine grass has justified treatment. Presently there are up to 2,000 Chinch bugs per square foot due to the immunity they have developed to the current approved pesticides.

Good cultivation practices are the best method for dealing with this problem. Rotation of pesticides is important, but even with regular rotation, the bugs have become immune to what is available today. Over the years, government agencies have effectively eliminated the use of some very effective pesticides.

Conserving the natural enemies of Chinch bugs is very beneficial. The problem, however, is that the pesticides that are effective for Chinch bugs also kill their natural enemies. An additional problem occurs because their natural enemies do not multiply as fast as the Chinch bugs.

Dr. Santana was very impressed with the fact that The Venice Golf and Country Club did not need to replace many areas of turf due to Chinch bug damage. He informed us that many communities have had large areas of turf destroyed by these insects and have had to replace 100s of pallets of sod. He further explained that more fertilization provides additional nutrients to Chinch bugs and allows for faster development, greater survival, and more proliferation. We were told that pretreatment is ineffective and that treatment for Chinch bugs should only be begin when damage is starting to occur.

Dr. Santana reviewed Artistree’s methods of treatment and use of pesticides. He was very pleased to note that they have the best practice of all the other companies he has studied. He was extremely impressed with the current pesticide they are using, since the cost is 70% to 90% higher than other pesticides currently available on the market. Most companies choose to use cheaper products that are not as effective.

The only currently definitive method for controlling Chinch bugs is to gradually replace all St. Augustine grass. The Architectural Review Committee is aware of the problem and has been studying other grasses that may become an option in the near future both for our community and for our residents. They have visited other communities and have found that almost all new communities now use Empire Zoysia grass. We will be installing Empire Zoysia in some of the common areas around the Venice Golf & Country Club community to “test” this turf further.

The maintenance of our Community is an ongoing project supervised by Barbara Jean Thomas and the Master Association Board. The preserves, the lakes and the landscaping are constantly being updated, but those are not the only items that need constant attention. Karen Felfoldy and the Grounds Committee continue to review the conditions of our roads, which are currently on a five to seven-year cycle for rejuvenation. We have had engineers review our process, and they agree that rejuvenation will help extend the life of our roads. Recently, our most traveled and oldest road, from the main entrance to the intersection with Fieldstone Drive, was resurfaced by removing the asphalt, recycling it, adding to it and reapplying it. We will continue to apply products, including oils, to condition the asphalt on other roads (rejuvenation) and resurface as necessary. In addition, maintaining the longevity and integrity of our roads is an integral part of the plans developed by our Long Range Planning Committee.