Over 17 thousand hectares of Ambrosia were trimmed in Krasnodar, ahead of the allergy season
In the ongoing battle against ragweed, more than half of the citizen reports have been processed, with the rest under control. The city administration is taking a proactive approach to manage this seasonal allergen, focusing on key areas such as private sectors, construction sites, vacant lots, and areas near schools, hospitals, stores, and other public places.
Allergist Ekaterina Semin, an expert in the field, advises citizens to take precautions during ragweed season. She suggests walking in the evenings and using air conditioners at home to protect oneself. However, for those who prefer natural methods, she recommends opening windows and hanging wet gauze to collect pollen.
To effectively manage ragweed growth, the following integrated methods are recommended:
- Manual removal and mowing: Uproot ragweed plants manually or mow the areas before flowering—ideally toward the end of July and again around the third week of August—to prevent them from producing allergenic pollen.
- Use of mulch and soil improvement: Applying mulch can prevent ragweed seeds from germinating, and improving soil quality with topsoil or fertilizer encourages the growth of competitive plants.
- Plant competitive vegetation: Introduce and maintain grasses or other ground cover plants like fescues or ryegrasses that outcompete ragweed for resources, thus reducing its spread.
- Regular monitoring and mapping: Employ an annual assessment and mapping of ragweed presence to identify priority sites with high plant density for targeted control efforts such as twice-monthly mowing and uprooting campaigns.
- Community cooperation and awareness: Engage private property owners, businesses, and local institutions to coordinate ragweed control activities, as ragweed pollen can spread easily and tends to be higher in urban areas.
- Biological control (if applicable): While specific biological controls are more documented for other invasive plants, maintaining ecological balance by reducing disturbances might benefit natural predators or competitors that limit ragweed. However, direct biocontrol agents for ragweed are not detailed in the available information.
Citizens are encouraged to report ragweed by using the MCU chat-bot, providing the address, date, and a photo. Alternative hotline numbers are available at 8 (861) 214-33-36 and 050. Since the start of the season, over 200 citizen reports have been received by the EDS hotline. Over 250 owners have received notifications to clean up their land, and over 17,000 hectares of land have been cleared in the regional capital's battle against ragweed.
For those interested in learning more about the start and preparation for ragweed allergy, further readings are available.
In the realm of health-and-wellness, mental-health, and environmental-science, the ongoing war against ragweed highlights the importance of citizens' vigilance and the city administration's proactive approach. To ensure a balanced environment, one could combine natural methods like opening windows and hanging wet gauze with the recommended integrated methods for managing ragweed growth, such as manual removal, soil improvement, introducing competitive vegetation, regular monitoring, community cooperation, and biological control (if applicable).
