Posts Tagged ‘insects’
Boric Acid – Where to Buy
Q: Where do I buy boric acid? I want to make up a batch of ant bait and can’t figure out whereto buy the stuff. The ants have taken over my kitchen and have begun to colonize the bathroom so...
Boxwood – Leaf Miner
Q: I have boxwoods that are about four feet tall and have never pruned them extensively. Last year’s growth is mottled looking. I know how to prune them by reaching deep inside the shrub with hand clippers. Can I do...
Red Hot Poker – Care
Q: A few years ago my dad gave me some plants he called Red Hot Poker. I planted them around my mailbox and they have done well. I think it is time to dig, split, and spread them to other...
Giant Bark Aphid – Identification
Q: The other day I was laying pine straw in one of my flower beds and I noticed tons of yellow jackets hanging around one side of my loropetalum. I looked up to the 20ft Nuttall oak that hangs over...
Garden Books – for Children
Q: I need a list of ten books on gardening for children in elementary school. I’m trying to obtain a grant from the Master Gardeners Association to purchase gardening books for our Mountain Regional Library. A: I polled my team...
Snake – Repellents
Q: In the last two weeks I have killed four snakes, one of them in my garage. They were pretty big ones. One might have been a king snake, another was black with yellow lines. We live in a wooded...
Snake – Identification
Q: I saw a two and one-half foot long snake going across my yard. Thank goodness the dogs didn’t see it! It was black and had yellow rings around its body. Its head had little “squares” of yellow almost like...
Mole – In Lawn
Q: Beginning in late May, we have had moles tunneling in our lawn. We have tried bombs, metal contraptions, and poisonous liquids to no avail. Now, we are preparing to aerate and reseed fescue for fall and don’t want to...
Sapsucker – I.D and Control
Q: There are lots of small holes in my Bradford pear, making several rings around the trunk. Is this a borer or a bird? A: You are seeing the damage caused by a yellow-bellied sapsucker. This bird is a member...
Cucumber – Bitter Taste
Q: What makes my cucumbers so bitter? A: Cucumber stems, leaves and roots are naturally bitter, to stave off the attack of insects. In fact, the bitter chemical has a name: cucurbitacin. When a cucumber plant is stressed, the chemical...
Pine Beetle- Control
Q: My husband has been diligently treating the bark of our pine trees with a borer prevention treatment for ten years. Our neighbors brought home some pine lumber that we now know has borers in it. He thinks that one...
Japanese Beetle Control – Comparison of Chemicals
Q: I am not getting good control of Japanese beetles with Sevin. Are there alternatives? A: A University of Kentucky study compared several Japanese beetle control strategies. Their conclusion was that synthetic pyrethroid insecticides (deltamethrin, bifenthrin, Lambda- cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin)gave at...
Shrub – Planting Properly
Q: A few months ago I had a professional installer plant a large number of bushes around my house. He used a method that violates my own knowledge of planting. I was told his method was advocated by a UGA...
Citrosa – Use as Mosquito Repellent
Q: Is the citrosa plant effective against mosquitoes? Is it an annual or a perennial? A: The citrosa is actually a scented geranium. Many plant oils are somewhat repellent to insects – lemon balm actually contains more citronellal oil than...
Cigarette Beetle – Control
Q: My kitchen has been invaded by tiny little brownish-black bugs. They have a hard shell that “crunches” when you smash them. They get in cereal, baking goods, etc. They also get into the dog treats and can leave one...
Compost – Zoo Manure
Q: I would like to know where can I obtain free manure. Have you, or others you know, tried manures from the Atlanta Zoo? While on the subject, how long does it take for manure to be usable in the...
Lizard – Control
Q: My wife is deathly afraid of lizards and we just seem to have an abundance at our house. Is there any chemical I can apply to the area where they seem to live? A: No repellents work effectively and...
Aphids – Wooly Alder
Q: I have an elm tree that is covered with white stringy looking objects that move slowly. There are so many that I’m afraid they will hurt the tree. Do you know what they are? A: Many owners of elms...
