Today’s post is from Brian Eshenaur, Senior Extension Associate for Ornamental Crops Integrated Pest Management Program, working out of Monroe County. As fall approaches with its chilly air and increased soil moisture, fungi often respond by producing mushrooms. Think of mushroom structures as the “flower” of the fungi. The gills under the umbrella cap produce…Continue Reading Mushrooms Popping up in Your Lawn?
Boxwood Blight is Breaking the Bank
Boxwood blight, Cylindrocladium buxicola, was first identified in 2011 when submitted samples were examined at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. This marked the first confirmed cases outside of the UK and New Zealand. Since then, it’s been found on many cultivars of boxwood, Buxus spp., up and down the east coast. Now, it’s not only…Continue Reading Boxwood Blight is Breaking the Bank
Spotted Lanternfly Enters New York State
It’s unfortunate that we must spread the news that living Spotted Lanternflies have been detected in New York State, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Here is the text of the press release published by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Agriculture and Markets: DEC and DAM Announce…Continue Reading Spotted Lanternfly Enters New York State
Crusader for sustainably managed golf courses earns excellence in IPM
Bob Portmess was a mechanical engineer and former executive with Cox Communications who just happened to be an avid golfer. That last item is key. Twelve years ago, Portmess walked into turf guru Frank Rossi’s office at Cornell University. He knew exactly what he wanted: to work, he said, “with the people who produce the…Continue Reading Crusader for sustainably managed golf courses earns excellence in IPM
Stop the Bite – Mosquito IPM
Lest you think we only care about ticks these days, another bloodsucker is at its prime. The hot, muggy, wet weather has created perfect conditions for buzzy, bitey mosquitoes. Besides itchy welts, they too can transmit pathogens that cause disease. And the first report of mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus in NY this…Continue Reading Stop the Bite – Mosquito IPM
An Exotic Tick Could be Very Bad News
Some scientists consider the epidemic of tick-borne disease in the Northeast one of the region’s greatest natural disasters. As if the risks were not bad enough already, there is a newly emerging concern. In the fall of 2017, officials in New Jersey confirmed the discovery of a new species of tick on a sheep farm…Continue Reading An Exotic Tick Could be Very Bad News
Tick Check 1.2.3.
Just last week we posted a pretty good rundown on what to do about ticks—and how. So if you need a review, just call up “Tick, Tack, Toe the Line: Lyme Disease and What to Do” and carry on from there. Remember, the basic idea is no matter which life stage they’re at, know how…Continue Reading Tick Check 1.2.3.
Tick, Tack, Toe the Line: Lyme Disease and What to Do
You’ve all heard about them, right? Yeah, the little buggers sneak up on you, bite you, and—maybe—make you sick. Sometimes really sick. They’re not really bugs, of course, but tiny eight-legged critters remotely related to spiders but without the benefits spiders provide. (Note that adult females plump up like small grapes once they’ve satisfied their…Continue Reading Tick, Tack, Toe the Line: Lyme Disease and What to Do
It’s Invasive Species Week, and …
We’re smack-dab in the middle of Invasive Species Week, and we’ve got info for you. Are you a gardener? Take a look at our Alternatives to Ornamental Invasive Plants. We’ve got garden flowers. Vines. Trees. Shrubs. Aquatics—plants that like wet feet but will do fine in many gardens. Like to walk in the woods? Our…Continue Reading It’s Invasive Species Week, and …
The Jumping Spider at Your Service
It’s rare that a creature as small as a spider could be aware of a human in such a charismatic way, but that’s the nature of the jumping spider. With two pairs of forward-facing eyes set on a flat face (along with two other pairs pointing outward) the jumping spider is a predator that relies…Continue Reading The Jumping Spider at Your Service