We’ve had lots of lively discussion on my post regarding the Mark Davis et al. comment in Nature on natives and exotics. I have been traveling and otherwise occupied and have not had a chance to comment so I feel a little like the kid that kicked the anthill and then ran away. Fortunately, Holly was gracious enough to forego her post today (I promise to return the favor, Holly!) so I can chime back in.… Continue reading this article “Does native matter?”
Tag: pests
Getting to the root of the problem
After getting off to a cool and soggy start, summer has come with a vengeance to Michigan, with heat indices expected to push 100 degrees by Wednesday. Along with warmer temperatures, summer also means our research season is getting into full swing as well. One of our biggest efforts these days involves our project to look at pre-plant storage and handling on shade tree liners.
As many GP blog readers are aware, emerald ash borer (EAB) has dominated the conversation regarding shade trees in the Midwest for the past 6-8 years. … Continue reading this article “Getting to the root of the problem”
Mortal Kombat – garden version
Soil solarization is regarded as an environmentally friendly alternative to pesticides for controlling nematodes, weeds and disease. Sheets of plastic (generally clear) are spread over the ground and solar energy heats the soil underneath to temperatures as high as 55C (or 131F). Since the soil environment is usually insulated from temperature extremes, the organisms that live there are unlikely to be resistant to heat stress.
This is a practice best suited to agricultural production, where monocultures of plants have attracted their specific diseases and pests. … Continue reading this article “Mortal Kombat – garden version”
Interesting and useful web site about invasive insect pests
Just heard about this from a colleague. This website has a link to a great image gallery of exotic insect pests. Though it’s primarily geared towards forest pests, the urban forest is just as susceptible.
Off-label Use of a Chicken*
[Extremely] Preliminary research results from the University of Maryland indicate
chickens may be of interest in the fight against Halyomorpha halys, the brown
marmorated stink bug.
There are good stink bugs and bad stink bugs. The brown marmorated stink bug is a bad one. A relatively new introduced pest, it is piercing, sucking, and generally ruining vegetable and fruit crops (as well as some ornamentals) across a good part of the U.S. There are apparently few natural predators for this imported species and they reproduce like mad, thus the potential for this to become a very serious economic issue.… Continue reading this article “Off-label Use of a Chicken*”
An Early Valentine’s Story
In honor of Valentine’s day I have a story about love and betrayal to share….OK, maybe not….perhaps something more along the lines of branches and ants. Same difference right?
There was once a tree that was much loved. It was planted in a cute little corner of a street next to a historic building and was well cared for by its owners. Its many limbs rose to the sky in a seething mass which made the tree look vigorous and robust…and those who planted the tree were very happy.… Continue reading this article “An Early Valentine’s Story”
Scrambling for Answers
Yesterday a good friend of mine who works for a well respected tree company in town asked me whether I would be willing to talk about tree conservation as it relates to the emerald ash borer. Specifically he wanted me to make people aware of a statement produced by a group called the Coalition for Urban Ash Tree Conservation which you can find here which was produced by a number of well respected industry people and academics. … Continue reading this article “Scrambling for Answers”
Bounce – it’s not just a fabric softening sheet…
…it’s an Integrated Pest Management tool!
[Note added after-the-fact: this was a tongue-in-cheek bit of hyperbole – kind of like “it’s not just a Job, it’s an Adventure.” Did not mean to imply that it actually IS an IPM tool. Very badly worded. Hence the beating I took in the comments. Live and learn.]
Fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.) are a pain in the bottom for commercial greenhouse growers. The adults are more of a nuisance than anything else –it just looks bad when a customer picks up your 6” pot of pansies and a bunch of little black gnats take flight. … Continue reading this article “Bounce – it’s not just a fabric softening sheet…”
Saving your ash
My earlier post regarding plans to replace the monoculture of ash trees at the Gateway Arch Monument in St. Louis, MO with a monoculture of Lindens prompted a question about options for treating ash trees for emerald ash borer. This is a complex topic so I wanted make sure I had time and space to respond completely.
First, the best and most current source of information regarding treatments for EAB is the Multi-state bulletin “Insecticide Options for Protecting Ash Trees from Emerald Ash Borer” which is available as a full-color .pdf… Continue reading this article “Saving your ash”
Are Fertilizer and Insecticide Spikes a Good Idea?
One of the products that I often hear gardeners raving about are their fertilizer / pesticide combination spikes which are supposed to not only feed your plants, but also kill all of the insects which attack them. I, personally, have not used these products, but I’m generally the kind of person who says “If it works for you then keep using it”. Still, these spikes bug me a little. Here’s why.
First of all I should point out that I’m not opposed to fertilizer spikes by themselves. … Continue reading this article “Are Fertilizer and Insecticide Spikes a Good Idea?”