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NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH The Neighborhood Watch program sets up an organized approach to watching out for each other’s safety and reducing the threat of crime. You can help by becoming a block captain. Several people have volunteered but many more are needed to cover our neighborhood. If you are interested in becoming a block captain please contact Floyd Clark at 282-8245 or by email at floydclark@ev1.net |
To join the COVNA Email List,
click below and send an email with your name(s) to Doug at Find out the latest neighborhood news and developments. Receive recommendations for service providers. |
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The
President on Deed Restrictions |
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Notice to Homeowners: A renewed interest about activities in our neighborhood reminds me
of the existence of our Deed Restrictions. Each buyer is to receive
a copy at the sales closing when the property is purchased. |
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NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS HONORED |
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Red Cross Honors Nine as By Dick Stanley, American Statesman Staff |
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Are
Termites Bugging You? |
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Termite warnings in mulch: Urban
myth? By Mary Ann Roser Will the mulch you used in your yard eat your house? E-mails flying around the Internet in recent days warn that hurricane-ravaged trees that were minced into mulch in Louisiana contain live termites that could be dangerous to homes. Beware of bargains on bags of mulch, the missives say. But Louisiana agriculture chief Bob Odom says there isn't any unsafe mulch leaving his state — at least none that he knows of — because of a quarantine that makes it illegal to sell untreated mulch and wood from areas infested with the Formosan Subterranean Termite. A Texas entomologist isn't so sure. Quarantines are hard to enforce, and with the miles of wood chips that Louisiana inspectors would need to keep an eye on, consumers should inspect any mulch carefully before spreading it, said Roger E. Gold, a professor of urban entomology at Texas A&M University in College Station. In fact, some of the danger could be home-grown. Formosan termites have lived in Travis County since 1992, according to an A&M Web site. "The bottom line is be vigilant, be careful," Gold said. "We do not know the extent of the problem." The Formosan termite has inhabited Texas since 1956, according to Texas A&M, and it has spread quickly, burrowing into 24 Texas counties, nearly half of them since 2000. Twenty-three of those counties, including Travis, are under quarantine like the infested parishes in Louisiana. (The 24th will be quarantined later.) "It's just not Katrina and Rita problems," said Dennis Ring, a professor of entomology at Louisiana State University's Agricultural Center. "I would be much more concerned about being infested from it locally" in Texas. Consumers should check mulch from any source before using it, he and others said. Mulch and wood from quarantined counties in Texas and Louisiana cannot be sold outside of the area without being fumigated or treated for termites. Those moving it need proof of treatment. Gold is concerned about enforcement of quarantines in Texas and Louisiana and said he heard that Louisiana was giving away bags of free mulch, some of which was being trucked into Texas and sold cheaply. Odom said he was not aware of that, and he hadn't received any evidence to support the Internet claims. He asked that violations be reported to authorities. Inspectors in Texas have received basic training to enforce county quarantines, Depart- ment of Agriculture spokeswoman Beverly Boyd said, but not the full training that Gold said they should have. That is being put in place, Boyd said. "Quarantine is not to prevent the spread of termites but to minimize it," Boyd said. "We have limited resources." Her department has 41 inspectors who check mulch and inspect other items unrelated to termites, including gas pumps and scales, in the counties under quarantine, Boyd said. About a half-dozen inspectors do checks along the Louisiana border a few days a month to make sure that trucks carrying mulch have paperwork showing that the product was fumigated against termites, she said. Andrew Thompson, a sales associate in the garden department at Home Depot's Sunset Valley store, said none of the mulch sold there was from Louisiana. Customers started asking questions about it over the weekend, Thompson said, when the e-mails kicked into high gear. Check your mulch Before mulching, consumers are advised to open the bag, take out some mulch and see if any insects are moving around. Termites are about a quarter- inch long, white and look like a cross between a maggot and an ant. If you see a live insect, put it in alcohol and bring it to an extension agent or call the state Department of Agriculture at (512) 463-7476 or 800-TELL-TDA (835-5832). Don't spread the mulch; return the bag to where you bought it or get a professional to treat it. |
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Everything
Austin Texas |
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www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/ea_index.htm Below is an except from the history link on this wide-ranging web
page about Austin. |
