Question: We have been invaded by lady bugs starting last fall and they get into the house someway. Someone told me that these are not the lady bugs that thrive in our gardens but were released by the government to control some sort of creature that devastates the pine trees.
Answer: There are many species of lady beetles that exist in the U.S. It is possible that the ones in your home are the multicolored Asian lady beetle, an introduced species that feeds on aphid and scale insects on trees. They commonly invade the home in the fall looking for a place to overwinter. When it gets warm again in the spring they start to migrate back outside. These, like all lady beetles, are beneficial insects. We do not recommend controlling them with insecticides. To keep them out of the house, seal up all openings with caulking or weather stripping. If they get into the house, it is recommended that you vacuum them up and release them back outside. ***************************************************************************************************************************
Question: I own a Golden Rain Tree and for the last few years I have been having problems with a certain kind of bug. My neighbors say that they look like the Florida love bugs. But they are everywhere. I was wondering if you could guide me in the direction of how to prevent them from coming back. I have sprayed the tree several times with Diazion and I even put it around the base of the tree but so far I see no end in site. They are black and red in color and they fly. Any information that you could give would be welcomed.
Answer: Love bug is one name, red shoulder bug is another. They are attracted to the tree but pose no real threat to the tree or anything else in your garden. The only problem is they are a nuisance!
Controlling is more or less difficult. One way to reduce problems is remove the tree they are attracted to. However, bugs may still invade your home by flying some distance from host plants. Caulking, or otherwise closing, openings around windows and doors, in walls or foundations, and under siding will help prevent bugs from entering the home. Bugs in the home may be removed with a vacuum cleaner.
Spraying infested trees during the summer while the bugs are in immature stages and still concentrated on the trees is helpful. As the bugs mature and leave the trees they are far more difficult to kill. It has been reported that somewhat better control may be realized if you add a high phosphate detergent (e. g. Tide, Def. etc.) to your spray (at the rate of 1 to 2 tablespoons per gallon or up to 1 cupful of powdered detergent in 3 gallons of water).
Inside the home you can get partial control with ready-to-use household sprays applied to cracks and crevices and other areas outlined on the label. *************************************************************************************************************************** Question: We have a place under one of our large oak trees where it looks like something small and brown has collected, coming from the tree. It looks like dirt, sort of. It's falling on one of our hostas and is an area not much bigger than the diameter of the medium-sized hosta.
I can't see any certain place on the tree where it looks like something is going on, and the tree looks like its healthy and normal. Do you have any suggestions?
Answer: It sounds like there could be some cavities higher up in the tree where possibility ants have taken up residence and are excavating some of the decayed wood to make their home. They will carry out one small piece at a time and drop it. You may have to get some binoculars or have someone climb into the tree to find the location. If this is true, I would not worry too much about the ants. They will not contribute to the health of the tree, they do not eat but rather excavate decayed wood. You may want to look for broken or dead limbs in the tree and remove them if they look like they could be a future problem.
If this doesn't match what you have described, then I would suggest you contact the Tulsa County Extension Office for further diagnosis. You may need to send or take some samples of the material in for examination.
********************************************************************************************************************************** Question: How do I control cutworms in the garden?
Answer: A simple and safe method is to use a collar around the base of each plant.
Place foil or paper wraps or cardboard collars around the transplants; extend a few inches into the soil and several inches up the stem.
Other suggestions:
Lightly dig in the soil around damaged or adjacent plants in the row; find and destroy the cutworm. Since the cutworm is active at night and hides during the day, inspect plants at night with a flashlight and pick off and destroy the pests.
Catching and placing toads in the garden.
Placing a toothpick or 16d mail alongside each transplant stem.
Cultivate the soil in late summer and fall to expose and destroy eggs, larvae, and pupae.
Use an appropriately labeled insecticide.
********************************************************************************************************************************** Question: Gophers or moles are tearing up my yard. Do you have any suggestions?
Answer: Currently there are not any rodenticides available to homeowners, most are restricted use pesticides. Moles are after insects in your garden. Sometimes you can discourage or make them leave by controlling the insects. Baits do not work well on moles. Gophers might be controlled with baits. However, the best method of control for moles and gophers is by trapping. The University of Missouri has a fact sheet available called "Controlling Nuisance Moles" and it is available via internet at the following address if you have access to it: http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/wildlife/g09440.htm
Another good fact sheet comes from Washington State Univ. at: http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/lawn001/lawn001.htm
If you are not able to access these through your own computer check with your public library for printing these fact sheets. Be sure to identify exactly what you have so that you can determine the best control strategy available.
********************************************************************************************************************************** Question: I NEED HELP! My home landscape is being attacked by armadillos. I live in eastern OK, near Kansas, OK. Is there some product or method available I can utilize, to discourage the critters from my property?
Answer: Unfortunately I do not have earth shaking news. There are no chemicals or particular methods I am award of that have proven effective. There are a number of animal repellants available, but I have not heard if they work on armadillo.
Usually armadillos are after insects (like grubs) and such in the ground. It is often recommended you treat for the insects so that the armadillo has nothing to feed on. During really dry periods they are often attracted to our lush landscapes because digging and the pickings are usually better. We had a real problem a couple of years ago when the severe drought occurred as we kept the gardens lush, and it was easy for the armadillos to dig. All we could do was live with the damage. I've had some people tell me they hired college students to sit in their backyards all night to chase them away. Trapping and shooting them are also alternatives depending on where you live.
*********************************************************************************************************************************** Question: Over the past two weeks there are worms (caterpillars) crawling everywhere. At night the ones on the patio dry up and die then as it warms up again they are all over. At first, I thought they were cut worms or army worms but I'm not sure. The critters are brown with strips on their back almost like a corn worm We live next to an alfalfa field could they be coming from there?
Answer: Apparently what you are seeing is call an "army cutworm," another species of cutworm, and completely different species from the armyworm. They are currently eating up much of what is green right now. They will continue to move through the alfalfa field and seek new green material as they go. Unless you have some green plants in your yard that you are worried about I don't know that much needs to be done. A product listed for control of caterpillars would help protect plants in the yard if necessary. They should be disappearing soon (early March) as they pupate and then migrate to the north. There is only one generation per year in Oklahoma. They may also seek warm areas in and around your home and can be vacuumed up if finding their way into the house.
********************************************************************************************************************************* Question: Do you have any suggestions on how to get rid of the moths that are living in the flower beds. My flowers are dying rather quickly. I live in the Lawton/Fort Sill Area.
Answer: It does no good to try and control the moths themselves, they are not doing any damage and insecticides have little affect on them. Besides, the damage to your flowers may not even be a result of the moths. However, the larvae (caterpillars) of the moths could be munching down on your plants. If you are noticing holes and ragged edges on your plant leaves you should inspect them for caterpillars. If you find them you can take several steps to remove them. If you don't have an overwhelming amount of flowers the caterpillars can be picked off by hand and destroyed. Otherwise we suggest you use insecticide products that contain B. t. (Bacillus thuringiensis). These are specific to caterpillars of the moth/butterfly family and are safe to use and safe for the environment. B. t. may be sold under different trade names such as Dipel, Thuricide, and Javelin. ALWAYS FOLLOW LABEL INSTRUCTIONS! Spraying late in the evening will provide better control.
Also look for other creatures that may be munching on your plants. Slugs and snails can destroy a bed of flowers pretty quickly. Watch for these slimy little guys late at night or early in the morning. Often they leave silvery slime trails behind indicating they have been in the area. If you find these critters munching on your plants then a slug/snail bait is in order.
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