Posts Tagged ‘insects’
Dried Pepper – Pests
Q: I harvest hot peppers and air dry them throughout the growing season. In the fall I grind them and store them in jars. Recently I noticed small worms in one jar and moth-like insects in an other. What can...
Armyworms – In Lawn
Q: We have armyworms in our lawn eating up the Bermuda grass. What insecticide should we use and how should it be applied? A: Armyworms are caterpillars that feed predominantly on grasses. They attack pastures and lawns each year. The...
Hercules Beetle – Identification
Q: My husband found this beetle at a convenience store in Carroll county and brought it home. We have no idea what it is. We were hoping you could help us to identify it. A: It’s a female Hercules beetle,...
How to Order Hey Bug Doctor!
I’ve enjoyed reading Jim Howell’s columns on insects in the AJC Home and Garden section for several years. When I heard he was compiling the columns to put into a book, I was excited – and I was glad to...
Identifying Insects, Plants and Animals
My neighbor Chrissy has taught me more about the insects that live in my neighborhood than any adult possibly could have. Every couple of days there comes a short “Ding Dong” of our doorbell, followed by a couple of firm...
Beekeepers – Finding
There are many friendly beekeeping clubs scattered across Georgia. Most sponsor regular meetings and classes for beginners. Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association Tara Beekeepers Association Cherokee Beekeepers Club Georgia Beekeepers Association Henry County Beekeepers Gwinnett Beekeepers...
Chameleon – Feeding
I had an interesting call this week – a fellow who raises chameleons needed to know how to culture fruit flies to feed to the reptiles. This is pretty far afield for the Extension Service – we can tell you...
Moths – Control
Few things are more disappointing than donning an expensive wool sweater, only to find that moths have been snacking on the threads for weeks. Reweaving is costly and patching is almost impossible. “If only I had checked on my clothes...
Grub Control – Poor Results in Spring
We do a lot of dirt digging in spring and sometimes discover white grubs in the soil. The grubs are immature beetles (Japanese beetle, May beetle, June beetle, etc) which feed on plant leaves in June. The grubs themselves feed...
Camellia – Cranberry Rootworm
When a gardening friend first described the damage to her camellias on Sea Island, I thought the holes in the leaves must be caused by an insect pest. But when I saw the holes were not round, I shifted gears...
Pine Beetles – Diagnosis and Control
Several kinds of beetles ferociously attack drought-weakened pine trees in summer. The Southern pine beetle is the most feared. In September, homeowners typically notice a brown-needled tree, distinct among the other green pines around. By the time the tree is...
Azalea Lacebug – Control
You may have seen the damage lace bugs do to azaleas without knowing who did the dirty deed. Lace bugs suck the juice out of individual leaf cells. Since they hide underneath azalea leaves, you’ll never notice the bugs but...
Unseen Biting Bugs
When you have an itch, you scratch it…and you look for a likely cause. Perhaps it’s poison ivy, maybe it’s an ant bite or maybe it’s one of those unexplainable “it just itches” kind of things. On the other hand,...
Carpenter Bee – Identification
S. M. e-mailed to ask what is the difference between a carpenter bee and a bumble bee. Since I am not a trained entomologist, I called Dr. Paul Guillebeau to find out. “Just look at their rear end,” he advised....
Southern Pine Beetle
When I was a boy, one of my favorite pastimes was to stack up several soup cans, walk a few paces away, then throw rocks at the tower of cans until they tumbled down. I was convinced that if I...
Wildlife – Attracting with Good Habitat
Last week I listed food plants that attract wildlife to a landscape. Persimmon, apple, plum and blueberry plants were high on my roster but I also described oak, dogwood, serviceberry, beautyberry, cherry laurel, red buckeye, mulberry and honey locust. I...
Whitefly
Whenever we have a cold winter gardeners wishfully hope that the cold will diminish the insects they’ll face the next year. While severe cold, below 0 degrees F., might affect overwintering insects, most Georgia winters have no impact on them....
Butterfly Puddle – Building
Butterflies love the nectar from flowering plants but they also need minerals and salts for their diet. One of the easiest way to give them what they need is to build a butterfly puddle. Purchase a shallow plastic or clay...
