With IPM, half the battle is knowing what not to kill. After all, sometimes a beneficial could look like a pest. That’s why an accurate ID is so important. Case in point? The grass-carrying wasp. At about ¾ inch, these shiny black wasps with the smoky wings and almost impossibly narrow waists look just a…Continue Reading This Wasp Pollinates Your Posies — and Makes Nests of Grass
Deal with “Empty Nester” Wasps Now — Prevent Problems Next Year
Anxious about that wasp nest near the back door that you hadn’t noticed till now? Not to worry. By this time of year, most wasp colonies have disbanded. Fertile young queens fly off to hide under tree bark or some other place to wait out the cold weather — to chill out, as it were….Continue Reading Deal with “Empty Nester” Wasps Now — Prevent Problems Next Year
IPM for Wildlife — the Hotline Begins Here
Maybe it’s the chipmunk stashing a winter’s-worth of nuts and seeds in the cellar. Or momma raccoon bringing up baby in the attic (the latrine she made is conveniently nearby). Or any of 20-plus critters that set up shop where we want them least. Nationwide, Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener volunteers are IPM-trained and equipped to…Continue Reading IPM for Wildlife — the Hotline Begins Here
What’s the Buzz — About Citronella Ants
In late September and early October, on warm days, you may notice a buzz in the air. This is the time of year when citronella ants swarm, and they can overwhelm a backyard with winged queens and kings looking for a mate and a new home. Citronella ants are a bit larger than pavement ants…Continue Reading What’s the Buzz — About Citronella Ants
IPM for Dead Grass SOS
Grub damage is showing up in New York later this year than usual, so don’t let your guard down just because it’s October. Still, how do you know if it’s grubs — or something else? One test: if you can loosen the sod with a trowel or garden fork, then peel it up like a…Continue Reading IPM for Dead Grass SOS
Bee Alert When Using Pesticides
If you’ve seen neonics in the news lately, you know that there’s a debate raging on the connection neonics might have with the health of honeybees and native bees that pollinate so many of our food and ornamental crops. Neonics — that’s short for neonicotinoids. And neonicotinoid — well, this mouthful of a word is…Continue Reading Bee Alert When Using Pesticides
Alien Plant Take Over Your Flowers? No — It’s “Aster Yellows”
Are your purple coneflowers suddenly looking weird — as in truly weird, almost like some alien plant highjacked them and replaced their gorgeous flowering heads with its own? Ah … but it’s really a disease called aster yellows. And those green flower heads? They’re tufts of deformed coneflower leaves erupting amidst the blossoms. Aster yellows,…Continue Reading Alien Plant Take Over Your Flowers? No — It’s “Aster Yellows”
Punching Out Grubs
Cutting grass roots to the quick — that’s a grub’s stock in trade. But pesticides cost money and time — let alone potential health hazards, whether to ecosystems or us. Cutting grubs to the quick? Now, there’s an idea. Groundskeepers and savvy homeowners use aerators with their sharp tines to break up hard, compacted soil,…Continue Reading Punching Out Grubs
Tipping the scales of tree health
Seeing spots on your landscape conifers? It might be elongate hemlock scale. It’s not just on hemlocks anymore – it’s been reported on firs in the Hudson Valley, western NY, and the Southern Tier. Scales – and this is a hard scale, so it has a handy protective cover for itself – suck the contents…Continue Reading Tipping the scales of tree health
Dog-day Cicadas — and the Wasps That Do Them In
Midsummer in New York is when things really start to heat up. And as if hot days aren’t enough, the sound of the dog day cicada makes it seem even hotter. Cicadas are robust insects — up to 1 ¼ inch — with piercing mouthparts that suck up plant juices. Cicada nymphs live underground, feeding…Continue Reading Dog-day Cicadas — and the Wasps That Do Them In