Watch out for those insects that suck juice out of plants
and animals. Fleas, chinch bugs, mites,
lace bugs, aphids, white flies, and scale have been real bad this spring with
the dry weather. Mosquitoes anyone?
Powdery mildew (a fungus) has been very bad on the new growth of crepe
myrtles, dogwoods, roses and verbena. Twig borers have been active on magnolias,
oaks and dogwoods. The grilling season will bring flies to the party. Rats,
mice and other varmints including roaches will be looking for a cool house or
crawl space to call home.
With all the above prevention or protection is a lot easier
than curative action. Think of sunburn and applying sunscreen. It is a lot
quicker and easier to apply sunscreen than to have a painful burn that may have
long term expensive consequences. First you have discomfort, then visits to dermatologist,
then moles remove, then possible cancer, then…
If you grow squash, look around the plants and see if there
is any sawdust material. Also, cut lengthwise
along the vine and see if there is a white grub-like worm in your squash
vine. Inside the vine that you have cut,
you should also see the same sawdust.
Look for any holes along the stem of the plant as well. If you see any of these signs, you have
squash vine borer.
At this point there is not a lot you can do other than try
to bury the vine and hope it re-roots at a node, so water and nutrients can be
translocated to this point directly from the roots of the plant.
Squash vine borer is a tricky kind of guy. The female adult flies around in April and
May and deposits eggs on the vines. The moth
(the adult) flies similar to a dragonfly and and has metallic green wings and a reddish orange body. The eggs then hatch and the white
larva (the guy that does the damage) bores into the stem and begins to
feed. By feeding inside the stem, they
cut off the ability for the plant to move water and nutrients through the
stem. This is what makes it wilt and die
so fast! After the larvae feed on the
plant for 4-5 weeks, they crawl out of the stems and pupate. They overwinter as pupae until next spring
when they become adults, and the cycle continues.
The control of this borer should be a multi-faceted
approach.
·
Remove the infected vines, hopefully along with
the larvae.
·
Regularly till your garden throughout the fall
and winter to destroy over-wintering cocoons (i.e. pupae).
·
Plant very early spring to get ahead of their
life cycle.
·
Keep your eye out for the moth and remove eggs
as you see them appear.
·
During April and May of next year (the egg
laying period), consider using an insecticide that contains methoxychlor (DMDT,
Metox).
Always read, understand and follow product label. The
product label is a Federal Law.
Bill Lamson-Scribner
can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply.
Possum’s has three locations 481
Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant
(971-9601), 3325 Business Circle
in North Charleston
(760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd,
in Charleston
(766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum’s location, or visit us at
http://www.possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “ The
Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from noon to 1:00, on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is
available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com.
