Here's a Minneapolis-specific issue I'd like answer on: how does the city 
(or park board) propose dealing with a bug infestation?

The boulevards in my neighborhood are lined with Hackberry trees.  Every 
spring, for the past three years or so, the leaves develop galls, and bugs 
emerge in the fall.  By mid-September, Hackberry psyllids are covering my 
house, stuck in my screens, and finding their way into my home.

The critters are small, but the problem isn't; once they've hatched, it 
isn't possible to keep them away.  No project, outside or in, is exempt 
from their presence.  They're small enough to fit through a screen door, no 
more than a sixteenth of an inch long, so even opening your front door 
sucks a batch into your house.  That make it impossible to do any project, 
such as paint, from about mid-September to the first frost.

Here's the rub:  what will the park board (the keepers of the boulevard) do 
about them? My neighborhood is full of Hackberry trees, all of which are 
prone to infestation.  I'm not cranked about spraying, and the only other 
alternative I know of is replacing the trees.  What responsibility does the 
city bear for selecting a tree that is prone to problems?

Steve Campbell
Northrop

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