Page 1 - The Shores of Tequesta - August '23

Our Village Voice

VOL. 34 NO.8 www.seabreezepublications.com AUGUST 2023

Northern Notes

Midges – Those Pesky Insects! Midges and mosquitoes are often mistaken for each other, Midges have become a prevalent pest over the last few
which makes sense given that both belong to the order Diptera. years due to several key factors:
By Katie Roundtree, The largest difference between the two is that mosquitoes have 1. The number of developments that require stormwater
Director of Finance and a proboscis, a mouthpart used to bite and suck blood. Midges do systems to prevent flooding has increased.
Administration, Northern not, and do not bite humans. Otherwise, most of the differences 2. High nutrient loads in deep stormwater systems is ideal
Palm Beach County visible to the eye are found in the fine details. for midge breeding.
Improvement District Midges have the following characteristics: 3. Low dissolved oxygen levels are factors found in
Blind mosquitoes, phantom • When landed, fold their first leg pair in a “prayer” position deep lakes.
midges, aquatic midges, no- (which can be mistaken for antennae) So, what do we do about them? Chemical treatments by
see-ums – call them what you • Have long tarsi of foot portions of the forelegs a licensed contractor, where applicable, for both larval and
will, when they hatch, you’ll • Lack scales on their wings, making them smooth adult stages can provide temporary and expensive relief. To
know it! Mosquitoes have the following characteristics: get to the root of the problem, the amount of nutrients
If you live on or near a • When landed, hold their second/back leg pair in the air going into waterbodies must be reduced. This can be
retention pond or similar body • Have scaly wings with a light fringe on their tips achieved by utilizing best management practices while
of water in Florida, chances are you are familiar with large • Typically, don’t form swarms applying fertilizers and managing inflows to the stormwater
swarms of flying insects that inundate your house, yard, and Aquatic midges breed in habitats such as ponds, lakes, system. Adding oxygen to the stormwater system with
screen room periodically throughout the year, especially in wastewater treatment plants, and areas with nutrient rich water. diffusers and aerators will improve the health of lakes and
warmer climates such as Texas and Florida. Midge flies are a food source for other aquatic insects, such as ponds by increasing dissolved oxygen. By addressing these
Midge flies belong to a very large and diverse family of dragonfly nymphs and several varieties of fish, so the goal is not contributing factors, hatch offs can be greatly reduced. You
aquatic insects. Midges are small, dainty flies with one pair of to completely eliminate them, but to keep them in proper balance may want to try lowering your light output at night so the
long, narrow wings, and long, skinny legs. While often thought within the ecosystem. Areas that receive an excess of lawn midges are less attracted to your area. Home barrier chemical
of as the “cousin” of mosquitoes, midges don’t bite, sting, suck fertilizer runoff and very deep, organic lakes tend to be densely sprays may also offer some temporary relief.
blood or transmit disease. They can, however, become a terrible populated with midges, particularly with phantom midges. The Thank you to Solitude Lake Management for courtesy photo
nuisance and trigger allergies or respiratory issues. juvenile stages of development occurs in the water and, upon and article contributions.
hatching, large swarms of adults congregate on surfaces of NPDES tip: Your neighborhood drainage system is not a
buildings, screens, shrubs, etc. garbage disposal – don’t treat it like one. Encourage residents
These hatches create severe nuisance problems as they are to take responsibility and to not dump chemicals, fertilizer,
attracted to light. Spiders form webs in the eaves and around paint, oil, etc., in inlets or pipes. Discourage sweeping of lawn
homes to catch midges resulting in excessive cleaning and clippings and dirt into street drains and disposing of lawn
expense. Midges can get caught up in air-conditioning units clippings and other debris (wood, concrete blocks, Christmas
and cause failure to the unit. Some residents in Florida have trees, etc.) directly into retention lakes. Keep drainage facilities
complained that allergies and asthma attacks have increased clear of vegetation, trash, improperly and illegally discarded
during large midge hatch offs. appliances, shopping carts, tires, cars, garbage bags, etc.
Commissioner’s Update Bill’s Box

Speeding Up Inspections *Reroofing
*Garage door replacement By Bill Thompson
By Commissioner *HVAC equipment change out Miracle In The Air
Maria Marino *Plumbing/water heater change out On May 10, the pilot of
Palm Beach County’s *A/C electric hardware a Cessna 208 was on the
Building Division reviews *Shutters way back to Florida from
thousands of building permits *Siding the Bahamas with two
each year. When construction *Stucco on lath passengers. Suddenly,
is underway, inspections *Tube-type skylight the pilot slumped at the
are required to ensure *Solar photovoltaic system controls. Neither of the
compliance with codes. *Water heater electric hardware passengers had any flying
During the current fiscal year *Window and door replacement experience. The plane turned sharply and went into a nose
(10/1/22 to 9/30/23) thus far, A licensed inspector performs the inspection with the dive. Radio contact was made with West Palm Beach. One
the division has conducted contractor or their designee on the jobsite using a free, of the passengers jumped into the pilot’s seat and stayed
more than 164,000 inspections. secure Video Inspection Pro smartphone app available for in constant contact with controllers in West Palm Beach
To meet the high demand for inspections and to save the Android and iPhones. There is no additional cost for the who jointly talked the passenger down to a safe landing.
public time and reduce the inconvenience of scheduling recorded inspections, no pre-scheduling requirement, and What a great story and outcome. The air control team
and waiting for an inspection, the division has launched the results are available in the online ePZB portal. included Ryan Warren. Ryan is the Air Traffic Manager
a new program offering video inspections. This program The system is easy to use, visit https://discover. and played an essential role in this miracle safe landing.
specifically applies to limited residential permit descriptions pbcgov.org/pzb/building/PDF/VIP_On_Demand_Video_ No one on the plane was injured.
as part of single-family home renovation projects requiring Inspections.pdf to view the flyer which has a QR code Ryan could be described as a selfless, solid citizen.
a permit and includes: you can scan to download the app, register your account He is cool under pressure, a well-educated Navy veteran,
and submit your inspection and important to The Shores, a homeowner, a member
request. For assistance of our HOA Board of Directors and chair of the ACC
in getting started, staff is Compliance Committee. He is a friend and neighbor. Ryan
available at (888) 820-1180. is a “go back” man. He won’t leave anyone in the field.
I hope you find this new Ryan was invited to an annual FAA Awards
service helpful in speeding up Ceremony in Washington where the Federal Aviation
inspections on your project, Administration presented him a prestigious award for
and if I can assist you in any his lifesaving actions.
way, please contact me at *****
(561) 355-2201, or by email Copy Deadline For September Is Aug. 15
at mmarino@pbcgov.org.