Belterra - July 2021 by Peel, Inc.

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THE BULLETIN

Bul leti N July 2021 | Volume 3, Issue 07

News for the Residents of Belterra

The Bulletin - July 2021

THE BULLETIN

The Bulletin - July 2021

THE BULLETIN IMPORTANT NUMBERS EMERGENCY NUMBERS

EMERGENCY ...................................................911 Ambulance / Fire..................................................911 SCHOOLS

Dripping Springs ISD......................... 512-858-3000 Dripping Springs Elementary.............. 512-858-3700 I looked across my living room the other day and noticed a green glob on the wall. I try to keep a fairly clean house so I was a little surprised to see this and wondered what the heck it was. I walked over for a closer look and realized it was a green tree frog! Now how did this little guy get in my house? I guess it doesn’t matter—I just had to get it out. Success. He’s now outside where he belongs. American tree frogs can be found around just about any body of water from Delaware to Florida, in the Gulf states, in Arkansas, eastern Texas, western Tennessee and Kentucky and parts of southern Illinois and Missouri. In Texas, their range is relatively small. They reside east of the I-35 corridor throughout the piney woods and coastal prairies ecoregions. The most interesting thing about the American green tree frog is that they can change color. When it’s resting and is cool, the frog will be gray in color. Once it warms up and is active, it turns vivid green. Male tree frogs are noisy little things. During mating season, March to October, they produce a nasal honk or bark which they repeat up to 75 times per minute. Their mating call is distinct from their other calls and is used to defend their territory or to announce rainfall. Rainfall is especially important to them since breeding takes place after a rain. After a male fertilizes a female’s eggs, she deposits the clutch in shallow water among aquatic plants. Depending on the area of the country, a clutch can be from 700 eggs to 2100! The eggs hatch in about a week and the tadpoles turn into frogs in about a month. When full-grown, they’ll only be about two and a half inches long. Tree frogs have interesting feet. They have sucker-like adhesive disks on the end of their fingers and toes which they need to aid in climbing and clinging to grasses and floating vegetation. Their diet consists of mosquitoes, flies, crickets, moths and other small insects. Tree frogs live in groups called an army or chorus. They are largely nocturnal and breathe through their skin. Cheryl Conley Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

Walnut Springs Elementary................. 512-858-3800 Rooster Springs Elementary................. 512-465-6200 Dripping Springs Middle School......... 512-858-3400 Dripping Springs High School............ 512-858-3100 UTILITIES

Water – WCID # 1 & 2...................... 512-246-0498 Trash – Texas Disposal......................... 512-246-0498 Gas – Texas Community Propane........ 512-272-5503 Electricity – Pedernales Electric........... 512-858-5611 OTHER

Oak Hill Post Office ........................... 512-892-2794 Animal Control................................... 512-393-7896 NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER

Peel, Inc.............................................. 512-263-9181 Article Submissions...................belterra@peelinc.com Advertising.............................advertising@peelinc.com ............................................................512-263-9181 The Bulletin - July 2021

THE BULLETIN Mosquitoes are out in masses and since they are capable of disease transmission, it is important that you protect yourself when spending time outside. Of course, you can wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt in light colors to reduce the number of mosquitoes that can reach your skin when outside, but this is not always the option people choose with temperatures on the rise. Another option to protect yourself is repellent. Repellent should only be applied to clothing and exposed skin; do not apply repellent underneath clothing! If you want to apply repellent to your face, spray your hands with repellent and rub it onto your face. Do not spray repellent directly into your face or near eyes or mouth. Make sure to apply repellent outdoors. Do not allow children to handle repellents and seek advice from a physician regarding insect repellent use for children under two years of age. Wash hands before eating, smoking, or using the restroom. To reduce disease transmission from mosquitoes, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends using a product registered with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) containing one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-methane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. DEET, also known N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide or N, N-diemethylbenzamide, was developed by the U.S. Army in 1946 to protect soldiers in insect-infested areas. Pesticides containing DEET have been used by the public since 1957. Products containing DEET should not be used on children younger than 2 months of age (read the label and check with your pediatrician if you have questions). DEET has a slight odor and may have a greasy feel to some people. It may damage plastic, rubber, vinyl, or synthetic fabrics. DEET may be irritating to the eyes and skin for some people and comes in a wide variety of concentrations, so choose one that will work best for your situation. Picaridin was first made in the 1980’s and resembles a natural compound called piperine (which is found in plants used to produce black pepper). Picaridin has been used in Europe and Australia for many years but has only been in the U.S. since 2005. Picaridin is non-greasy and odorless. IR-3535, or 3-[N-Butyl-N- acetyl]-aminopropionic acid, ethyl ester, was developed in the mid- 1970’s and became registered for use in the U.S. in 1999. It is registered as a biopesticide by the EPA because it is functionally identical to a naturally occurring substance (an amino acid). It may dissolve or damage plastics and may be irritating to the eyes. Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) and PMD (para-menthane-3,8diol) are essentially the same thing; PMD is the synthesized (lab created) version of oil of lemon eucalyptus. “Pure” or “essential” oil of lemon eucalyptus is not labeled as a repellent and has not 4

The Bulletin - July 2021

undergone testing and should not be used as a repellent product. OLE/PMD has been on the market in the U.S. since 2002. OLE/ PMD should not be used on children younger than 3 years of age. The natural product (OLE) has known allergens within it while the synthetic version (PMD) has less of a risk to allergens. This product is classified as a biopesticide. OLE/PMD has a varying range of residual, some offering about 20 minutes of protection while other products may last up to two hours. The product 2-undecanone is also known as methyl nonyl ketone or IBI-246. It is a colorless oil that can either be produced synthetically or extracted from plants such as rue, cloves, ginger, strawberries, or wild grown tomatoes. This product is fairly new. Many factors play into how long a repellent will last for a person. Some of these are: • The concentration (or percent of active ingredient) of the product. You can find the percentage on the product label. • Person’s attractiveness. Some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others (and no scientific research has proven that it is because of eating garlic, taking vitamin B, using tobacco products, etc.). A person’s genetic code plays a large part on what makes a person so attractive to mosquitoes. • Frequency and uniformity of application. In other words, how often is the repellent applied and how good of coverage did you get? • Activity level of the person. The more active the person is, the more sweat they produce which can cause the repellent to wash off the surface of the skin. As a word of caution, there are products that combine sunscreen and insect repellent. The CDC recommends that if you need sunscreen and repellent, that you choose two separate products. Sunscreen should be applied more often than repellents. For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600. Check out my blog at www.urbanipm.blogspot.com The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service or the Texas A&M AgriLife Research is implied. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides equal access in its programs, activities, education and employment, without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity. Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc

THE BULLETIN a killer of a wasp by Jim and Lynne Weber What are those large, solitary wasps we see flying around our yards from late June to September? Often referred to as the Cicada Killer or Cicada Wasp (Sphecius speciosus), this native species occurs in the eastern and midwestern U.S. regions, southwards through Texas into Mexico and Central America. Cicada killers are so named since they prey on cicadas and provision their nests with them. While large and intimidating, they offer a measure of natural control on cicada populations. They benefit our native plants by pollinating flowers and protecting trees from the numerous cicadas that feed on their roots and foliage. Cicada killers are robust wasps up to 2 inches long, with amber wings and black to reddish-brown abdomens with yellow stripes. The females are somewhat larger than the males, and both are among the largest wasps in the U.S. These solitary wasps have a very unusual and interesting lifecycle. Females are commonly seen skimming around areas with sparse vegetation for nesting sites, burrowing a tunnel, 10 to 20 inches deep, in dry or bare soil. In digging a burrow, she will dislodge the soil with her jaws, and using her hind legs that are equipped with special spines, push the loose soil behind her as she backs out of the burrow. The female cicada killer proceeds to capture cicadas, sometimes even in flight, paralyzing them with her venomous sting. She places the cicadas beneath her, grasping them with her legs, and either flies or drags her prey, which is twice her weight, into her burrow. After placing a few cicadas in her nest, she begins to lay her eggs. Females can predetermine the sex of the egg, and she lays multiple male eggs on a single cicada. But each female egg is given 2 or 3 cicadas, as females are larger, require more food, and more females are needed to create new generations. Eggs are always laid under the left or right second leg of the cicada. The female then closes the burrow with dirt, as the eggs hatch in a few days, but the larvae take some time to mature, feeding on cicadas as they overwinter in their burrow, not emerging as adults until the following spring. Adult male cicada killers emerge in spring before the females, defending the territory around their emergence hole and searching Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

Nature Watch Cicada Killer

for females. They typically perch on the ground, flying up to attack any rival males. Once females emerge, mating occurs, and the males die shortly after. Females live long enough to dig and provision their nests, and die after laying all of their eggs. Cicada killer wasps are not aggressive toward humans and rarely sting unless provoked by grasping them roughly, accidentally stepping on them, or if caught in clothing. Only the females have stingers, and while males will actively defend their perching areas against other males near nesting sites, they have no stingers. Both males and females have large jaws, but they are not known to grasp human skin and bite. If swatted at, they will just fly away rather than attack. They are simply focused on cicadas or other cicada killers! Send your nature-related questions to naturewatch@austin. rr.com and we’ll do our best to answer them. If you enjoy reading these articles, check out our books, Nature Watch Austin, Nature Watch Big Bend, and Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies (all published by Texas A&M University Press), and our blog at naturewatchaustin.blogspot.com. The Bulletin - July 2021

THE BULLETIN At no time will any source be allowed to use The Bulletin's contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from Peel, Inc. The information in The Bulletin is exclusively for the private use of the residents Peel, Inc. DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser. * The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising. * Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction. * Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

The Bulletin - July 2021

INGREDIENTS 2 tsp. smoked paprika 2 tsp. chili powder 2 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. ground ginger Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 (3-lb.) slabs baby back ribs 1 (12-oz.) bottle Cheerwine soft drink 1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce 1/3 c. light brown sugar 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 2 tsp. chili-garlic sauce DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir together paprika, chili powder, dry mustard, garlic powder, ginger, 4 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons spice mixture over ribs, dividing evenly. Place ribs on a rimmed baking sheet; wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove foil; rest 30 minutes. 2. Combine Cheerwine, tomato sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, chili-garlic sauce, and 1 tablespoon spice mixture in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2 cups, 25 to 30 minutes. 3. Heat grill to medium. Grill ribs, basting with 1 cup of the Cheerwine sauce and turning frequently, until lightly charred and lacquered, 10 to 15 minutes. 4. Transfer to a platter and serve with remaining Cheerwine sauce and spice mixture.

THE BULLETIN

The Bulletin - July 2021

THE BULLETIN PO Box 1148 Round Rock, Texas 78680

The Bulletin - July 2021