Posts Tagged ‘insects’
Gardening – Teaching to Middle School
Q: I have taught high school physics and chemistry for the last 5 years but this year I am teaching 7th grade science. Soon I’ll be teaching a unit on the plant kingdom. Do you have any ideas to stir...
Venus Fly Trap – Feeding
Q: I was at the Children’s Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden last weekend and wandered past the bog exhibit. Kids there were putting their fingers into the Venus Fly Traps to make them close. This made me wonder: does...
Japanese Beetle – Timing Insecticide Application
Q: I bought a product containing halofenozide to kill white grubs , hoping it will reduce our infestation of Japanese beetles. The instructions for application say that timing of the application is important, but then says to contact your local...
Fothergilla – Gall on Leaves
Q: I have about a dozen fothergilla bushes. I just noticed that one of them has strange cone-like shapes growing out of the leaves! None of the others have anything like this. What in the world is this? A: Fothergilla...
Corn – Poor Pollination
Q: There doesn’t seem to be a good supply of bees this year. How will this affect the development of my corn? A: It won’t hurt your corn crop at all. Corn pollen is distributed by wind. Rainy weather, like...
Maple Eyespot Gall
Q: Can you tell me what this is on my maple tree? It seems to be on much of the lower foliage. Your advice on this strange phenomenon will be appreciated. A: You have maple eyespot gall. Although it looks...
Rose Mosaic Virus
Q: Last year I purchased a climbing ‘Constance Spry’ rose which really grew quite large, over 15 feet, in one season. This year I have noticed that many of the leaves have yellow speckling and the very, very few flowers...
Squash Bugs – Control
Q: Do you have any suggestions for controlling squash bugs, not squash vine borers, on yellow squash? A: Adult squash bugs are a bit more than a half-inch long and a quarter-inch wide. They are dark brown, sometimes mottled with...
Gall Insect – on Turfgrass
Q: I’ve found what looks like little cotton balls in my turf. The mass is the same size as spittlebugs but the material is like cotton. Does not appear to be damaging the turf. Any ideas? A: Extension agent Todd...
Willow Leaf Beetle – Identification
Q: Little black bugs are eating the leaves off my corkscrew willow. What can I use to get rid of them? A: Willow leaf beetles are having a feast at your expense! They do great damage to the leaves but...
Dark Winged Fungus Gnat – Larvae
Q: Recently, large groups of worms have been crawling onto our patio from the lawn. It is hundreds of them moving as a single unit. When sprayed with insecticide, the cohesive group breaks up and they die quickly. The next...
Fire Ant – Control in Pastures
Q: We would like to treat our 84 acre farm pastures for fire ant mounds. We don’t have any livestock there but we mow them regularly. Our two dogs, though, are trained on the fields. We can’t stand how the...
Spittle Bugs – Removing
Q: In the past few days, I have noticed a white, foamy spittle on the stems of some of my plants. Do you have any idea what is causing this? A: Theresa Schrum replies: “Your description is accurate…. as the...
Daisies – Floating in Drinks
Q: I would like to float daisies in my punch for a christening. Are they harmful in any way? A: Master Gardener Mary Kay Woodworth replies: “PLEASE don’t eat the daisies! Daisies are considered toxic plants, but they are not...
Squash Bugs – Control
Q: Do you have any suggestions for controlling squash bugs, not squash vine borers, on yellow squash? A: Adult squash bugs are a bit more than a half-inch long and a quarter-inch wide. They are dark brown, sometimes mottled with...
Butterfly – Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Q: I spotted this gorgeous butterfly in our back yard in June. Its wing span was nearly the size of my hand. Some of the black round spots on the wings were actually bulging, not flat. Is it unusual? A:...
Dogwood – Club Gall Midge
Q: Many of our dogwood trees seem to be ‘afflicted’ and have no bloom buds on them this year. There are many swollen nodules toward the tips of the branches where the blooms should be. What is the problem and...
Spittlebug – Adults
Q: I have some bugs throughout my perennials and roses. It is a half-inch long, chocolate brown, with a couple of slim orange lines across the top of its body. What is it? A: Undoubtedly it’s the adult form of...
