"Gewiss! Seguro! Oui!" or as Curly of the Three Stooges would say "Why Soitenly!" You don't need blame to face a problem. You just say "Hey, that's a problem. Let's see now ... how can we fix that?" Let me throw a big word out there that I learned a long time ago ... Tautology This word has a lot to do with repetition and the dictionary will tell you that the nature of the repetition is needless or useless. How does it apply to this discussion? Well on the face of it, I would have you know that once you have encountered a problem, it is indeed useless to go and repeat the same encounter with the problem. In my own mind, I relate it to the more auto-actualization or reactive nature of rational beings like humans. We learn to drive a car and it comes naturally. After we master it, we no longer devote any mental energy to it. If there is a problem with the way we drive an automobile, we no longer think about it or devote any rational mental resources to it. We just go about it by rote. But in fact, there were problems with driving automobiles all through its history. And to get us all to change, we had to be hit in the face with a shovel, changing laws, taxes on fuels and finally, hybrids and alternative fuels. But before we are forced to change, we cling to the tautological repetition of the problem. In immediate terms, it is a less expensive solution in terms of brain power; We refuse to expend any energy on the problem, unless forced to. So, the long term problem escapes solution, if left to ourselves as individuals. Thankfully, there are enough of us that some of us see the train coming, step off the tracks and start yelling at everyone else on that tracks that the train is coming. Some folks have described this tautological nature of mankind as 'The Frog in The Frying Pan'. The frog is at first comfortable sitting in the frying pan. As the heat is turned up ever so slowly, the frog doesn't budge. It doesn't want to make the effort to analyze the problem and eventually, we have a frog that 1) leaps out of the frying pan with a burned underside and feet or 2) a fried frog. Our nature then can be very reactive and much less disciplined, especially if we feel that the change threatens us - greater expenses or some associated cost, having to learn something new, etc.. We react first and learn later ( if at all ). Many people in fact, fear change for reasons such as these. Fewer thrive on it. So, the tautological nature of humanity, based on the way the human brain operates by rote as a means of keeping rational energy expenses low, combined with fear of change ... makes people behave in cyclic or repetitive ways which most of the time is not a problem, even if the repetition is useless. But sometimes, it traps us into a cycle that is self destructive. A person who understands what I have just said then, will realize that the human mind can both, fall into the trap of potentially destructive tautological functioning, but also, that the human mind can be trained. They then set about disciplining themselves, so that when they face a problem, they avoid defensiveness and the tendency to avoid expending rational energy and acceptance of rote repetition. They train themselves instead to react by recognizing that the problem may possibly be real and further, to trigger the expediture in rational energy to analyze it. By doing so, they evolve solutions and either adapt to change by changing their ways or auto-effect change, something most folks are not often capable of. They are the first to step off the tracks in the face of an approaching train and warn the others. 'Thinking outside the box' is therefore a bit different than what you may have always accepted it to mean. Many people don't even conceptualize that the box has an inside and an outside. I prefer not to be a frog in a frying pan. But in reality, sometimes even I do not avoid it. And I have for a long time now, practiced disciplining my mind to react by expending the rational energy, hopefully, not needlessly. BTW: Crisis management is well, tautology in action, after the shovel hits someone in the face. :) Hmmm. I suppose I can be long-winded and wordy at times. People have told me that. Luckily, flapping ones lips doesn't prevent ones feet from letting them step off the railroad tracks.

I, too, worry when someone is guessing about the dosage of a pesticide. It's dangerous for the applicator as well as for the environment. The responsible use of imidicloprid pesticides requires knowledge of the most effective timing as well as making certain that the dose will be correct. Another factor that worries me is that some insects are developing resistance to this class of pestides (neonicotinoids) . But the biggest headache is that these chemicals have proved to cause a population explosion of pests after the effects begin to wear away. This ends up causing increased problems....and more pesticides. I strongly advise that our original poster wait for several weeks to see if there are any positive results. By that time, the trees will be preparing for autumn. I also suggest that he/she call the toll free number found on every label to ask for advice. Know the identification of the pests and the measured circumference of each tree. Be honest with your particular dose. I'll bet that you get lots of help. I agree that the 'lint' insects are not whitefly but hackberry wooly aphids. You might not be observing or recognizing other pests, as well. Don't you think that it might be time for you to call on a professional? An ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Certified arborist is required....not any 'tree guy '. One of the most effective control measures is horticultural oil applied in the winter. This treatment smothers the eggs of many pests, breaking the cycle. I doubt that any professional will spray acephate everywhere and Bt is useless on whitefly (or wooly aphids, for that matter).

Also people need to know more about the geography and climate conditions of where the plants orginate. I grow peonies and for years I have been telling people to plant in light shade vs. the full sun that "experts' state is needed. Now that there has been more trips to where many of the peonies have originated and looking at the pictures many are in forest,short tree plains, or even tucking themselves under bushes. Recomendations for some plants are changing. I have for a long time wanted to do away with zones because they only reflect temperature ranges and not real growth situations. I am a person that believes the climate is changing, to what I am not certain, but too many people are trying to maintain as is and not realizing how they garden may not be best for the area as it is now. Perhaps for the ones like myself Gardenweb could start a new forum for gardening changes so people could tell of the changes they see and what they are doing to cope.

As I rounded the block toward home, I expected to see a hole in the lawn where once stood my hosta garden. Instead, I arrived home to see the dead tree still there and the holes where I frantically dug up my hostas this morning and stuffed them into garbage bags. The "landscape workers" were nowhere to be seen. To think I had missed an hour of work (and will likely be docked for it) for nothing! I had some errands to run, so I jumped in my car to carry them out when I spied the "landscape workers" busy taking down several large trees around the corner. I know that the gorgeous pine tree they took down this morning was perfectly healthy. I don't know why they were taking down the other large trees, I only saw the large branches already on the ground. Apparently this is the way 3rd-class "landscape workers" landscape: if a tree dies, they remove it and then seed the site with grass seed. They plant no more trees, to make it easier on themselves. Eventually, the heavily treed grounds will simply become a sterile landscape of the weeds/clover mixture they claim is a lawn. I do hope that my HOSTAS and HEUCHIES are OK in their sealed garbage bags for another night. The soil was moist around their root balls. I went straightaway to the nursery (Errand #1) to pick up the edging stones, some topsoil, Plant-tone, and a big bag of mulch to convert 15' x 18" of the lawn to hosta-garden in front of my existing Obligatory Bushes garden. By the time I got back, it was getting too dark to do the job. So, as soon as I come home tomorrow, I will be able to start turning over the soil and improving it with the topsoil, so I can transplant the hostas and heuchies. I got a very large glazed ceramic pot for 50% off at Home Depot, because it had a couple of very minor chips off the glaze. Nail polish will hide those chips. I will put this 16" pot to the left of the Obligatory Bushes, inside the new edging line, to showcase 3 of the tiniest mini-hostas and the mini-heuchie Ginger Snap in the middle. Ginger Snap did not seem to thrive when planted in the ground, so maybe it will take off in this pot. The transplanting of the hostas and heuchies to the new garden strip to be dug tomorrow has so far cost me $100 in materials to make it happen. All because of this kindergarten-style power play by the co-op manager. What a travesty.