Bees don’t have many fans. They can be pesky when they’re trying to get a taste of your food, or annoying when they infest your garage with a nest. In addition, they can even be scary due to the chance that they could sting you. Even though you may not see the importance of these pesky insects, they are actually very beneficial for the ecosystem.

So, why are bees so important? Well, they do much more than just produce honey and beeswax. They are also used for medical uses. Their bee venom has been used for treating arthritis, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, cancer, epilepsy and depression. They also are very essential when it comes to our ecosystem. These tiny workers pollinate around 80 percent of our flowering crops in the U.S., which constitutes about one-third of everything we eat. They are essential to the growth of many fruits and vegetables such as apples, cucumbers, broccoli, blueberries, asparagus and strawberries. Losing them could affect the growth of those nutritious foods, and the beef and dairy products that we eat. Consider them as little field workers and farmers. They pollinate approximately $14 billion worth of crops in the U.S.

So, are you now a bigger fan of bees than you were before? They are productive citizens of our planet and deserve to get more credit for all of their hard work. There are some things that we can do to help protect the bees:

• Diversify your garden or yard with many different plant species. These plants should bloom during different times of the year so that the bees can have pollination throughout the year.
• Plant an array of trees, plants and flowers that will provide the bees with both nectar and pollen.
• Plant trees and plants that are native to your state or area. The bees around you are the most familiar with these plants and they are better able to support a larger number of bees.

Make sure that our insect friends are getting as much nutrition as they need. The plants and trees that you plant can affect the bees. When deciding what to do with your landscaping, just ask us and we can better advise you about how to save the bees!

Homeowners sometimes don’t realize how important a good fertilization program is for their trees. A great time of year to start is in the fall so the trees are more prepared to enter the spring growing season healthy and vigorous. Especially coming out of the drought from 2011, the trees are still striving to recover and get their health back. How many trees have you seen while driving down the road with dead tops and multiple dead branches throughout the canopy? If you haven’t, just look up while driving down the road through your neighborhood and you will probably notice many trees still showing signs of drought stress.

Trees in the forest are fertilized naturally by leaf litter and other organic materials that break down, releasing their nutrients back into the soil. Additionally, most forested areas do not have a blanket of beautiful green grass growing around them absorbing many of the vital nutrients from the soil. Most landowners then haul off the grass clippings, rake away the dead leaves and clean up any other organic material that gets onto the lawn. Therefore, trees often do not get the nutrients they need in the correct amounts to be healthy and vigorous.

Liquid root feeding is the best method to fertilize trees as it puts the product into the ground beneath the layer of grass and directly to the trees rooting zone. The tree is then able to absorb the fertilizer and disperse it among itself to prepare for the upcoming growing season.

Do all trees need fertilization? The short answer is no, not all trees will benefit from fertilization. That is why it is important to have an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist come take a look at your trees and determine if fertilization is needed and customize a program specific for your property and individual trees.

Fall is a good time of year to look at insect control for your trees as well. Although most insects are not very active during the fall and winter, a good application of a systemic herbicide will aid the tree in defending itself from insect attacks once spring time gets here. Systemic insecticides can be applied to the soil or sprayed directly onto the trunk of a tree and then are absorbed by the tree. The product is then dispersed throughout the entire plant and will protect the tree from many damaging insects for up to a year. Once spring and summer arrive in our area it can be too late to apply a systemic insecticide due to the insect’s numbers growing very quickly.

Again, not sure if your trees can benefit from a fall insecticide program? Give us a call and have a Certified Arborist take a look at your trees and develop a program for your individual trees.