SIDEWALK COMPLETED

Thanks to the follow-up of Steve Perez, the final section of sidewalk on Village Creek Drive has been completed to the corner of Chester Village Drive.

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HOWLETTS IS COMING ---FINALLY

Howlett's Restaurant & Tavern, formerly a popular fixture in the Courthouse area, is coming to Chester Village Green in the Festival Market Place (3530 Festival Park Plaza). It is hoped that it will open in June. The sign on the new property (pictured above) just went up.

For all the details about Howlett's, click on the following link:

http://www.howlettstavernchester.com/

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MORE ON CLOVER MITES

Our HOA President asked Kent (of Unlimited Landscaping) to comment on our problem with clover mites. The followqing is his response:

"Yes we do spray for them every year. We actually spray two times,. Lush green grass is the perfect breeding ground and habitate for clover mites. We are scheduled to start spraying next week and weather permitting we try to schedule the second spraying for 30 days later."

---Unlimited Landscaping Services, Inc. P.O. Box 3563 Chester, VA 23831 (804) 777-6000

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Clover Mites and Their Control

The picture at left has been greatly magnified.


Chester Village Green homes have been noticing an appearance of clover mites for the last several weeks. CVG home owner Mitchell Patterson has furnished the following information that maybe of help to many of us:



Clover mites are tiny, reddish-brown creatures that often appear by the thousands in homes, crawling around windows and many other areas. They are most abundant in the spring but can be found during other months of the year. Clover mites are readily distinguished from other mites commonly found around homes by their front legs which are as long as their bodies. They do not bite humans or pets nor cause any damage but are extremely annoying, both by their presence and the red stain that they leave when crushed.



Clover mites feed by sucking juice from plants. They attack and breed on a number of grasses and on many cultivated plants and weeds growing around homes. They are most numerous in newly established lawns and in old lawns where there is a heavy growth of succulent, well-fertilized grass.



Life Cycle
The mites spend most of the year on plants outdoors. As cooler days appear in the fall, the mites begin to migrate to protective cover and often crawl up the sides of buildings to be in the sun. For this reason they are usually found on the sunny sides of buildings. When cold weather arrives, the mites go into hibernation in protected places under bark, debris, in foundation crevices, around and in the frames and channels of windows, behind clapboards, shingles, in wall spaces, etc.



The mites resume activity and are increasingly more noticeable during periods of warm weather and rising temperatures, in winter and in early spring. They congregate in sunny areas--especially around windows--in preparation for migration to outdoor plants. This is the time that homeowners usually first notice their presence. Activity reaches a peak during May and then tapers off as mites complete their migrations from the house to outdoor plants. The mites resume feeding and breeding and can produce two to six generations in a year. During adverse summer weather, such as drought, mites may migrate back to buildings until outdoor conditions improve.



Indoor Control
Mites already in homes can be eliminated with bug bombs carbaryl (Sevin), diazinon (Spectracide) or malathion (Cythion), or vacuum cleaned as they appear. These treatments only provide temporary relief and must be repeated as new mites move out of hibernation.
Barrier Strips
Grass growing next to the foundation of homes affords the mites protective cover and easy access to buildings. Flower beds or unplanted strips of sand or fine gravel 18 to 24 inches wide around the foundation help reduce the number of mites entering homes.
Chemical Control
The best control is achieved by destroying the mites outside before they get into the house. Use sprays containing any of the following materials in combination with barrier strips: diazinon (Spectracide, D.Z.N.), fluvalinate (Mavrik), chlorpyrifos (Dursban), insecticidal soap, kelthane or malathion. See label for dosage rates,
Try to treat when daytime temperatures will be at least 60oF, because the effectiveness of miticides is greatly reduced by cooler temperatures. Spray a band of lawn at least 15' wide around the entire foundation of the house. A drenching spray is necessary for good control. Mites will be present in lawns from the egg to adult stage. Since all stages are not susceptible to chemical control, repeat treatments may be needed at 14-day intervals.
Caulk all cracks and crevices in clapboards, shingles, the foundation and around basement windows. Be sure to spray into the area between the bottom of the house siding and the foundation.
Basement windows are reported as one of the favorite hiding places for clover mites. Remove basement windows, if possible, and thoroughly clean them to remove mites and their eggs from window frames and in window channels. This can be done by first using a brush to loosen them and then picking them up with a vacuum cleaner. After cleaning the window frames and channels should be treated by spraying or painting with one of the recommended miticides.
Pesticide Safety Tips
Read and follow the label on each pesticide container before use.
Follow instructions, heed all warnings and precautions.
Store under lock and key.
Dispose of empty containers safely.



Revised by:Edmond L Marrotte, Consumer Horticulturist, Department of Plant Science
Originally prepared by: Milton G. Savos, Extension Entomologist Emeritus, University of Connecticut

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REPORT ON HOA BOARD MEETING, MARCH 4, 2009

The HOA Board met in the Arts Center office at 7:00 PM, Wed., March 4, 2009, and addressed the following agenda items:

1) Financial Report: The books were reviewed by an independent accountant and found to be in order.

2) Wetlands & Geese: For this report click on the following link:

http://chestervillagegreen.blogspot.com/2009/02/report-on-wetlands-meeting-with-corps.html

3) Snow Removal: The end result of Unlimited Landscaping's snow removal work was excellent (See home owner comments at the following link:

http://chestervillagegreen.blogspot.com/2009/03/march-snow-of-2009.html#comments ). Unlimited even plowed our streets for us, which is not in their contract. There were some unexpected delays and some lessons were learned from this experience, which should improve the snow removal operation the next time we have snow (three years from now???).

Home owners are asked not to park on the street whenever a Winter Storm Warning is in effect, in order to facilitate the complete plowing of the streets.

4) Landscaping contract: Invitations to bid were sent out to eight companies. A committee will be appointed to review the bids and make a recommendation to the Board. If you would like to serve on this committee, contact Howard Corey (see left side panel).

5) Fence: The previously approved Security Fence between three homes on Village Garden Drive and the apartments: money has been appropriated, and the site will be surveyed next week.

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THE MARCH SNOW OF 2009

Regarding snow removal, our HOA President informs us:

Unlimited has a full crew working on our streets, sidewalks and alleyways. However, due to the condition and amount of the snow, they are a little behind and probably will not finish until Tuesday morning. They will be out Tuesday between 6:30 and 7 AM to salt slick areas and finish the job.In addition to the above it is going to be very cold and icy tomorrow morning so everyone will need to be careful. This will apply to areas that have been plowed as well as those that have not.

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