When winged assailants — bees, wasps, biting flies — come after us, well, we evolved to run or swat. Now, running makes sense. But swatting? Sometimes that swatting thing can be an evolutionary dead end. Swat the wrong wasp and next thing you know the entire nest is on your case. An injured (or annoyed)…Continue Reading All Buzz. No Sting. Carpenter Bees Do Just What Their Name Suggests
Dandelions? Wasps? Mice? For Every Season There Is a Purpose (But It’s Not Always Obvious)
It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! — Mark Twain For IPMers who answer homeowner questions, what many people want…Continue Reading Dandelions? Wasps? Mice? For Every Season There Is a Purpose (But It’s Not Always Obvious)
April Was the Cruelest Month: Hard Freeze in Fruit Orchards
Imagine a winter rather like this past one. A winter where February behaved like March (mostly) and March impersonated April. A delight to be sure. But not for the fruit grower with an eye on the weather. Not in New York; not anywhere in the Northeast or parts of the upper Midwest, for that matter….Continue Reading April Was the Cruelest Month: Hard Freeze in Fruit Orchards
Futuristic Billboard Kills Zika Mosquitoes
Its creators call this a billboard. And while it has much in common with the classy, upscale billboards now peppering cities and towns around the world, this particular model is actually a sophisticated piece of equipment — built to attract mosquitoes from more than a mile away. The goal: to intercept and kill mosquitoes —…Continue Reading Futuristic Billboard Kills Zika Mosquitoes