Horticulture Hotline 08/22/22
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
Mosquitoes, roaches, fleas, flies, chinch bugs, army worms, wasps, spiders, spittlebugs, and mice have become much more visible with the hot weather. Localized pop-up thunder storms (gray leaf spot St. Augustine) have dominated our weather, so there is no telling how much rain we are getting across the area as a whole.
With three Possum stores in the area, I get a regular dose of how crazy our weather is in the Lowcountry. Possum’s West (West Ashley) might get a half inch of rain, Possum’s North (North Charleston) might get an inch and a half and Possum’s East (Mt. Pleasant) nothing at all. It is amazing how the waterways and sea breezes affect the weather patterns!
The Lowcountry is one area that a rain gauge is a must. Rain gauges come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very expensive and record your rainfall, and others are very basic and are less than five dollars. You can make your own “rain gauge” very easily from anything that has an equal top diameter and bottom diameter. Soup cans, tuna fish cans, a coffee cup, or an empty can of canned possum (the other white meat) make great rain gauges. Be sure to place your rain gauge in an area where your house or trees are not going to skew your results.
Fall mosquitoes seem to be the meanest mosquitoes. Probably because I spend more time outside in the fall when it cools down and because we usually get more rain in the fall, mosquitoes are out with a vengeance. Deer hunters know all about fall mosquitoes!
Over the weekend, I was surveying the yard for potential mosquito breeding sites. We have this roll around basketball hoop in the driveway that requires water in the base to stabilize it. Of course, someone lost the cap to the place you add water and now there is a great place for mosquitoes to breed. Mosquito larvae were swimming around this big water reserve like they were in the Atlantic Ocean. It looked like one had a long board and several with stand-up paddle boards! The slightest dent on my trash can lid also collects water where there was mosquito larva. I keep 3 sizes of measuring cups on a window sill near the hose where I mix up my “solutions” for killing weeds, fungus, and insects around the house. Rainwater had got in them, and you guessed it – more mosquito larvae. Tarp on my boat, tarp over the wood pile (away from the house so the wood doesn’t give the termites a bridge over the barrier around my house of termiticide), magnolia leaves, five-gallon bucket (s) ...Oh yeah, the rain gauge had mosquito larvae in it as well. Always empty out your rain gauge! Mosquitoes just need a very little amount of water for breeding – think of a plastic water bottle cap.
With all the insects that are active in the yard Cyonara Lawn and Garden Concentrate or RTS is an excellent product with a very broad label and a low price point. Cyonara is labeled to spray the outside of your house to keep roaches in check and even your vegetable garden, so you know it is safe. If you prefer organic products, EcoVia might be more to your liking.
Have you controlled your winter weeds with a preemergent herbicide this year? Now is the time. Pots can add color and diversity to your landscape. Plant now for the fall and winter.
Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.
