2nd Generation Businesses & Bees! Print

• Working outside the family business seems to be fairly common before finally settling down.
• We interview Allen with Handyman Connections about his experiences with his family business.
• Clay talks tips and good reads for maintaining a family business.
• Fair pricing for clients and the business to stay successful and fair.

• Our next guest is Joanna Hossack with Green Valley Cooling & Heating. Her thoughts on handing a business over to her daughters, favorite books and business philosophy.
• Our guests discuss handling children in a business.  As kids, teenagers and adults taking over...
• The struggle of adding staff that are not part of the family.
• We head to Colorado by phone and interview Dan, another family business owner.
• The struggle to find qualified employees.

• Dealing with changing drug laws as a business owner.
• The different strategy to finding qualified employees.
• We invite Dave Kimmerlee with Sanderson Ford to talk about his experience as a multi-generational business owner.

Thanks to all our different guests for helping homeowner's understand what goes into a family business.

• We head outdoors to talk landscapes, gardening & trees with Harper's Nursery & Landscaping Company.
• Jay talks about the incredible spring bloom....bougainvillea, oleander bushes.
• Transitioning to warmer weather plants in the garden.
• Frost danger should be over! Warm weather is coming...consider shade trees.
• Critters are busy right now too with weather warming up.
• Improper pruning robs you of enjoying colorful blooms every year....
• Over-planting in spaces causes extra maintenance.
• Don't overreact to yellowing leaves. 

Texts From Listeners:

• What kind of vegetables can be grown in a pot?

Recommendation - Virtually any plant as long as the pot is big enough. They do need extra water because they have a tendancy to dry out faster than being in the ground.

• They want suggestions on hong kong orchid care. They were just planted in a pot and now the leaves are yellowing and dropping?

Recommendation - They should do virtually nothing. The leaves are supposed to drop like they are, so just let it go dormant.

• Planted a 5 gallon citrus tree 3 weeks ago. Should he fertilize it now or wait till the next recommended time of year?

Recommendation - Jay recommends using a root stimulater and a slow release fertilizer when you plant it, but nothing major. Don't shock the system with a heavy dose.

Text From a Listener:

• Is a fur root tree damaging the foundation of their home?

Recommendation - It's most likely a pine or evergreen tree. It does get very big, but the 1st call should be to a foundation specialist like Arizona Foundation Solutions.  They can determine the cause of the damage. This is NOT common, so don't panic if you think this is happening.  Just make sure there is a real problem before removing a tree.

*Common rules or practices for tree placement near a home.

Caller:

• Stan - He's trying to grow an orange tree and the leaves on his new growth have caterpillars growing on them that are damaging the leaves.

Recommendation - It sounds like an orange dogwood caterpillar and normally, they don't do enough damage to cause problems to a tree. If it does, like it sounds like it's doing in this instance, he can treat it with "BT" or Bacillus Thuringiensis.

• Romey reminds you to stay safe during the fire season. You can learn all about it with classes put on by the Arizona Community Tree Council.

Callers:

• Joe - He put in a chinese elm tree 2 years ago. It toppled over in some high wind and noticed the root system is root bound. What can he do to try and save it?

Recommendation - It has been staked and stabilized, but since the leaves are so dried up, it doesn't sound good. Jay would apply some root stimulator for about 30 days to see if it will recover. If not, it sounds like it will have a hard time recovering. He might have to start over. To make sure, call Integrity Tree Service.

• Paul - He has white flies eating his flowers up in the garden. What can he do to keep them out of his garden for longer than a week at at time?

Recommendation - The major problem with them is how quickly they can reproduce and how easily they travel with the wind. Jay would use something mild like neem oil and just keep using it day after day if needed. Unfortunately, it just needs to be kept up every day or two.

•  Jim - Is there a new product to treat thrip on roses? He's been using a product that's getting expensive to use.

Recommendation - Not that Jay knows of, but he runs down through all of Jim's options. He would switch it up the treatments, so he doesn't use the same product over and over.  That is what the rose experts Jay knows do.  (Be sure the product he's using isn't outdated)

Text From a Listener:

• In Tucson, can they plant a banana tree?

Recommenation - It can grow, but it is cool here. Cold & hot, dry wind damages bananas. They're okay in containers and protected areas.

Caller:

• Bill - His back wall has stair step cracks in it. He has 3 live oaks near it and wondering if the roots are causing it. What do we think?

Recommendation - The roots are definitely capable of doing the damage.  Cutting the root back is an option and will stop it for a while.  It could simply need a mason to repair the damage.  Find the cause and go from there.

Callers:

• Nick - He noticed his rye lawn seed is from Denmark, not Oregon like usual and he's also wondering if he should cut the water off, thatch or what to keep the burmuda lawn from coming through?

Recommendation - It's transitioning faster than normal this year. Jay has the same issue at his home. He's just cutting it very low and keeping the watering to a minimum. Jay also talks about the grass seed origin.  He wouldn't de-thatch until May/June.  Listen to be sure on specifics.

• Scott - His newly planted ocotilla is the only one in the neighborhood that is blooming. What could he be doing wrong.

Recommendation - It can take some time to establish itself. An extra watering could help, but he's seen it take a few years to leaf out.

• Kevin - He hired a landscaper and he planted several trees. His friend told him that he should have broken up the root ball before planting it. Is that correct?

Recommendation - We don't recommend breaking up the root ball, but generally speaking, if it's in a rootball, they can be scored to stop the roots from going in a circle.  It can usually do more harm than good. It will shock the plant.

Remember, you can reach Jay during the week at Harper's Nursery & Landscaping Company!

Letters From Listeners:

• Sherry - She's had REEis Home Performanc & Air Conditiong and Integrity Air Conditioning & Heating come out to her home. Both estimates are the same. What should she do?

Recommendation - They're both quality contractors....go with the one you like best!

• Eric - He had the stucco around his windows replaced. How long should he wait to paint?

Recommendation - Stucco isn't waterproof. It takes about 4-6 weeks to completely dry out. There are tests you can take to make sure and Romey talks through the steps.

*Romey talks through several apps we discusses last week, including "Voice of Color" by PPG Pittsburg Paints.  

*APS is sending a warning to customers and we talk through what it could mean to you. 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ROSIE & JENNIFER!!!

• We give tickets away to several games in the next couple weeks!

Caller:

• Kent - He has a leak around his window and tried several fixes that didn't work. It's a 2nd story window and wants to know if there is an acrylic coating he can use over the existing stucco to seal any spots where water is getting in?

Recommendation - He's going to need an expert eye to take a look. Call Assurance Builders in Tucson. They are window experts along with being expert general contractors.

*We have more tickets to give to listener's!

Caller:

• Dan - He put an LED bulb into a light fixture with a light sensor and it keeps blinking off & on. What could be causing it?

Recommendation - Different fixtures require different types of bulbs. We reach out to The Mighty Electricians for his expertise.  Statewide Lighting is a good resource for information too.

*We talk pricing on fixtures and just mark-up pricing in general after a call about plumbing costs on a project.

*John from The Mighty Electricains joins us to make sure Dan has the best advice and the costs he can expect. We also discuss different lighting options on the market. (He's on a job with REEis fixing some incorrect wiring)

• We have tickets to give out!
• More about pricing and markup expectations.

Caller:

• Sue - Her block home has a crack in the outer wall thats about 4 feet long. It's on the inside and outside of the home. What should she do?

Recommendation - She needs to call Arizona Foundation Solutions since this is on both sides of the home. It takes an expert to find the cause and then they'll be able to work on a solution.

We talk bees, bees & bees with Eric & Bailey Nisbet with Nisbet Family Farms in Phoenix!

• The family history and how they got started.
• Sugar versus natural honey.
• Total number of hives they manage and how many bees are in each hive.
• Different varieties of bees.
• Misconceptions around "Africanized" Bees.
• Current issues & problems around pollinating.

Caller:

• Gary - Bees are getting in through holes in his stucco and wood pecker's are making noise trying to get the honey?

Recommendation - He needs to remove the bees and seal up the openings they are living in. Ferimones are left by other bees, signaling other bees to live there. Wood peckers have been an ongoing issue and getting rid of the bees should get rid of the wood peckers.

• We get the scoop on "colony collapse disorder" & who it effects.
• How pesticides harm bee colonies.
• What is "The Waggle Dance" Crazy!
• Different bee types and their jobs.
• Life expectancy.

Callers:

• Ken - He has a chunk of concrete fall out of his wall and ants are getting in. What should he do to get it fixed?

Recommendation - Make sure to eliminate the water source causing the damage and then fill it with concrete patch.  Stop in at a Marvel store & they can help.

• Vivian - She sees bees coming at her flood lights early in the mornings when it's still dark. They harrass her dogs and wants to know what she should do?

Recommendation - She must have a colony nearby and they simply think it's the sun. Certain types of light attract bees more than others.  We discuss the different types and the higher the lights are, the less chance for confrontations.

*Methods to finding hives around homes.

• Rebecca - She has a small rural home and there are bee hives there. What can she expect to get rid of them.

Recommendation - We already discussed this and it sounds like the ferimones left by the bees has other colonies attracted to the area. Just getting rid of them won't eliminate others from taking up residency again. Nesbit Family Farms has methods to getting rid of the ferimones. Pesticides won't last long enough for comple elimination.

*Working with pesticide companies on removing bees instead of killing them.

*Tips on avoiding attacks from swarming bees and what makes you attractive. And run?.? Yes! A swarm can travel up to 1,000 yards.......whoa...ten football fields!

• With the Africanized bees, "they're 10 time more on everything" 10 times busier, 10 times angrier, 10 times travel radius.
• Going under water won't save you! Bad idea.

Caller:

• Mark - He has a smaller orchard with natural bee hives. He wants to get rid of them and put in a hive he can control. What does he need to do to keep them from going back to the exisitng hives and do we have general advice for a beginner bee keeper?

Recommendation - Supplies are not that expensive. Blocking their original home is the only way to keep them in the new hive.

*Why the guys DO NOT like Flow Hives. They don't create a nursery, the bees are in a constant state of stress and shock.

*How Nisbett builds their hives.

Thanks to Nisbet Family Farms for stopping by to share their expertise on bees!

Join Rosie On The House every Saturday Morning!!!