Archive
October:
Chickweed
Infests Lawns
Days getting shorter and temperatures dropping signal
the coming of the winter via fall. It also is a signal of the coming of
winter annuals. One common winter annual in Indiana yards is common chickweed
(Stellaria media). This weed often forms dense patches and can speckle
a crushed rock driveway in the fall. In shady cool areas, such as under
a tree, common chickweed may last throughout the summer becoming a perennial.
Woollybears
and Winter
 Woollybears,
also known as woollyworms, are the hairy caterpillars that can be seen
scurrying across the road in front of cars at this time of year. They
are about 2 inches in length and vary in color from tans to dark brown
or even a combination of both, depending on the species. The caterpillars
usually remain unnoticed during most of the summer months even though
they go through two generations.
 Fruit
Flies in Fall Harvests
An ancient saying goes something like..."time
flies like the wind." How true it is. A similar and equally
true saying, no doubt coined by some frustrated gardener, goes something
like..."fruit flies like bananas." Both statements warrant deep
reflection, but what is their relationship? This will be the subject
of today's pest column. Here are some facts, you decide.
Fall
Webworm Outbreaks - Questions and Answers
What is webbing and defoliating the shade trees?
Will the fall webworm kill my tree? Now that my tree has been defoliated,
what can I do to help it survive?
September:
Hola
Bagworms 
The best time to control these insects has passed
(mid-June) However, some control can still be achieved by using pyrethroid
insecticide applications or a new product called Spinosad.
Green Flag for
Grub Control Applications!!
If you have been anticipating the "go-ahead"
for grub control applications in your lawn, now is the time to "let
'er fly." Keep in mind that this go-ahead is only for the application
of preventative grub control products.
Ticks,
Mites and Chiggers--Oh My! 
What would the good ol' summertime be without ticks
and chiggers? More pleasant, that's what! Yes, ticks and chiggers are
one of the associations of summer that most of us could do without.
Mealybugs on
a Schefflera
Q. An insect is killing my schefflera. It gets white,
fuzzy-looking places on it that feel soft, and you cannot see the insect
that is working on it. Finally, it will kill the leaf if not removed.
I wash the leaves from time to time with soap and water, and last time
a little bleach. It works for a while. I even tried a fungus product and
worked it in the soil after giving the plant a bath. Help! I like the
plant but need to know what to use on it.
August:
Office
of Indiana State Chemist Pesticide Database Searches
Search the State of Indiana databases of registered
pesticides.
Japanese
Beetles
Spot infestations of the Japanese beetle are found
throughout Indiana. Most of these occur in or near cities, but a few are
found in rural areas. This insect is most damaging to lawns, trees, and
flowers; however, corn and soybeans also may be attacked.
Brown
Rot of Stone Fruits
Brown rot of cherry is caused by the fungus, Monilinia
fructicola. Other stone fruits such as apricot, peach, nectarine,
and plum are also susceptible. Although symptoms first appear during bloom,
the most noticeable symptom is rotting fruit, with light brown tufts of
fungal spores. Diseased fruit fall to the ground or remain attached to
the tree as mummies (dried shriveled fruit). The disease is most damaging
when wet weather occurs during bloom and during the fruit-ripening period.
It's Still
A Hot Topic...Mosquitoes
You've probably been slapping at those pesky
mosquitoes and muttering under your breath just like the rest of us the
past few weeks! For those of you who may have missed Tim Gibb's article
on "Mosquitoes and Profanity!" a few weeks ago, we'll remind
you about it. We also have a quick link to the the entomology publication
E-26
"Mosquitoes in and Around the Home" (PDF)
for recommendations on controlling and repelling these "pesky pests."
Japanese
Beetles Emerging in the Rain!
How will the rain affect the white grub populations
this year? Wet weather this spring will have little effect on grub populations.
Japanese beetle adults are just starting to emerge in southern Indiana
and will emerge in full force throughout the state within the next few
weeks.
July:
Scab
of Crabapple
With the wet weather we have been having in Indiana,
there is also a lot of scab of crabapples and apples caused by the fungus
Venturia inaequalis.
Fire
Blight Showing in Southern Indiana, Again
Could 2002 be a repeat of 2001 for fire
blight? We are again hearing reports of blossom and twig blight showing
in southern Indiana. Initial reports indicate both Bartlett and ornamental
pear along with apples and crabapples are showing epidemic blossom and
twig blight.
Bagworms
Bagworms have just hatched in Central Indiana and
are likely to defoliate many arborvitae and Juniper over the next six
to eight weeks. Fortunately homeowners have many control options at their
fingertips save their plants. Two of these control options, spinosad,
and BT, can kill the bagworms without triggering spider mite problems.
Read more for details on control options and how to identify this pest.
Cicada
Emergence
With amazing predictability large masses of periodical
cicadas emerge all together for one month every 17 or 13 years, depending
on the group. Hoosiers often call these wonders of the insect world 17-year
or 13-year locusts. During these spectacular emergence events, millions
of unique (ugly) looking cicadas emerge from the ground where they have
been feeding for years on tree roots, crawl up the trunks of trees and
hatch into the adult stage.
 Anthracnose
of Shade Trees
Anthracnose, a fungus-caused plant disease, is showing up on trees throughout
Indiana. Anthracnose becomes severe when cool, wet spring weather persists
as leaves are first emerging.
Four-Lined
Plant Bug
Four-lined plant bugs are common pests in gardens and landscapes this
time of year. Feeding injury from these insects appears as small (1/16
inch) sunken round spots on young foliage of many herbaceous and woody
plants. These spots may be brown to translucent and may drop out of the
leaf, leaving a shot-hole appearance. Often injured leaves become distorted
and curled.
Peach
Leaf Curl
Thanks to our cool, wet spring weather peach leaf curl is now appearing
in some peach and nectarine trees. Symptoms are quite distinctive and
look like portions of the leaf have "ballooned" out. These distorted
portions often are colored a bright pink to red and may be thickened,
puckered, and curled. The leaves often look as if a gathering string had
been run along the mid-vein and pulled tight.
June:
 Maple
Petiole Borer
Symptoms are curled leaves beyond the petiole. Examination of the petiole
reveals a hollow hole. This borer is a sawfly that has one generation
a year.
 Sowbugs
and Pillbugs and Rolly Pollies
I don't know if it is a scientifically correct
name, but as kids we called them 'rolly pollies'. They were the small,
gray, convex bugs that roll themselves up into perfectly tight little
balls when agitated. Rolling them from hand to hand provided hours of
entertainment.
Slugs and Hostas
Slimy, slithering, slugs!. These legless, soft
bodied, grayish-brown pests leave an unmistakable trail of sticky, viscid,
secretion, from their bodies where-ever they crawl. Never a pretty picture,
particularly when they also damage your favorite plants.
Senecio
This plant is a common site at the moment in Indiana. Known to Hoosiers
as Golden Ragwort and sometimes confused for a mustard, it is actually
a member of the asteraceae (compositae) the daisy family. What we call
Golden Ragwort here in Indiana is referred to as Butterweed by taxonomists
or Cress-leaved groundsel by the Weed Science Society of America and is
Senecio glabellus.
Orange
Rust of Brambles
Orange rust, a fungal disease of brambles appears
in early spring. Leaves of infected plants may appear chlorotic (yellow).
Orange rust pustules develop on lower leaf surfaces. Later in the season,
the symptoms are not as easily detected.
Mosquitoes and Profanity!
I estimate that mosquitoes cause one-fifth of all
the
Profanity in the world! I made this scientific calculation while sitting
in my backyard last year with some friends. It was a beautiful evening,
just about dusk, temperatures were perfect, no wind. Ideal for a bar-b-que.
All at once the high-pitched drone of swarms of hungry mosquitoes could
be heard approaching our picnic. Then pandemonium struck and I was able
to conduct my profanity experiment.
May:
Asian
Lady Beetle Revenge
 Many
Hoosiers have complained about "lady bugs" making a nuisance
of themselves all winter long. They fly around lights and crawl across
ceilings, and emit a foul smelling odor when handled. Desperate Hoosiers
are asking "What chemicals can be used to finally kill the little
buggers?". Revenge will be sweet !! As much as I hate to burst a
bubble, the correct answer will afford no revenge.
Crawler
Stage of Armored Scales is Active: Now is the Time for Control!
Pine needle scale crawlers have been observed in Terra Haute; the needles
were loaded with pine needle scale crawlers! Be on the look out for these
and other armored scale crawlers such as euonymus scale and oystershell
scale.
Crayfish
- pest or snack?
Decapods, crayfish, crawfish, crawdads, mudbugs, or 'dinner' depending
upon what time of day it is. They sometimes create chimneys, made of mud,
6 inches or more up around their burrows, which
can pose a problem to turfgrass managers. When these chimneys poke above
the turfgrass they can dry out, become very hardened, and mowing over
dried crayfish chimneys is like mowing over bricks.
Alternative
Control: Bulls-Eye Bioinsecticide
Do you want to get rid of certain insects like caterpillars, sawflies,
leaf beetles, tip moths, thrips, gall midges, fly leaf miners, and cat
fleas? You should read about Bulls-Eye Bioinsecticide as an alternative
control.
Powdery
Mildew on Turf
Powdery mildew has recently appeared on turfgrass in the Lafayette area.
This fungal disease is favored by cool spring or fall weather, and is
common in shaded areas.
 Henbit,
Purple Deadnettle, and Ground Ivy
Infestations of henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), purple
deadnettle (L. purpureum), and ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) can result
the beautiful patches of purple we see in the spring. Although beautiful,
they are not always welcome in your yards or fields. Identification of
the three can sometimes be tricky.
Gypsy
Moth Treatments in LaPorte and Allen Counties
The gypsy moth is one of the most destructive forest and landscape pests
to invade the Midwest and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources
has just completed another round of attempts to destroy isolated infestations
of the moth.
Witches'
Broom
This symptom of densely clustered shoots is called witches' broom. It
occurs on many herbaceous and woody ornamentals and can be caused by several
organisms including fungi, insects, mites, phytoplasmas and viruses.
Columbine
Sawfly
Columbine sawfly larvae are devouring the leaves of columbines! The resulting
damage make plants look like they were sprouting match sticks, according
to our colleague, Joe Boggs from The University of Ohio's BYGL Newsletter
(April 25, 2002) .
Eastern
Tent Caterpillar(PDF)
Each spring crabapples and other flowering fruit trees throughout Indiana
can be defoliated by the Eastern tent caterpillar.They are called tent
caterpillars because they produce webs in the central crotches of trees
.These caterpillars are an early season pest,and begin feeding on leaves
just as the leaves begin to break bud.Caterpillars are dark in color with
a white stripe on their back and can grow up to 2 long.
Don't
Rush the Grub Control!
Be careful about succumbing to manufacturers advertising,
especially when it comes to grub control. The reality is that grub control
applications should be made in the summer time.
April:
 Cedar
Apple Rust or Cedar Hawthorn Rust
Perhaps you have seen brown galls like these on on
red cedars and junipers. These galls are actually overwintering structures
of the fungi that cause Cedar apple rust or Cedar hawthorn rust.
Workshop
on Biological Control of Insect Pest in Home Gardens
Learn new ways to approach insect pest control in
your home garden that do not involve the use of chemical pesticides. This
workshop takes place on April 9, 2002, in Aurora, IN. Registration is
at 8:30; program 9:00-2:00 p.m.
Insect
Good Guys Don't Wear White Hats
The month of March brings with it an annual major human
disease epidemic that sweeps across Midwestern states. It is called the
garden itch! Most gardeners take great delight in sharing the fruits of
their labors with neighbors, which is why most of us don't have to plant
zucchini! But to share with insects is an entirely different matter. One
approach to getting rid of unwanted insects is to allow nature to lend a
hand with good bugs. But who are the good guys?
Finding
Spring Grubs?
Are you finding grubs as you work in your gardens
and ornamental beds this spring? Don’t panic and run out to buy an
insecticide to annihilate these invaders. These grubs are not feeding
actively nor are they in a stage where they are particularly susceptible
to pesticides. The damaging grub stage occurs in late summer after eggs
hatch and new grubs feed aggressively on turf roots in late summer and
fall.
Volutella
Blight of Pachysandara
Does your pachysandra have brown blotches with dark brown margins or stem
cankers causing the stems to shrivel and die? Your plants may be infected
with the fungus Volutella pachysandricola.
Get a Jump on Spring Pest
Problems with Dormant Oils
A great way to get the jump on your summer pest problems and reduce the
need for using other pesticides is an application called a “dormant
oil spray” . The name comes from the application time because the
tree is dormant at the time of spraying. This oil kills the overwintering
forms of many pests, including spider mites, aphids, scales, and leaf
hoppers on contact. Furthermore, they have little, if any, impact on natural
enemies, but make sure your plants are oil tolerant before application.
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