A variety of insects are showing up this month. Some are repeats, and others are common this time of year.
1. Slugs – Humidity is up and the temperatures are beginning to gradually decline, initiating the planting of fall vegetable and flowers. These plantings and the environmental conditions present a great time for the aggravation from slugs and some snails. With the recent scattering of showers and the lower temperatures, we are seeing the little slime trails around the bedding areas of flowers and vegetables. The mulches are ideal hiding places for slugs until we put out some tender green material for them to feed on. Unless we manage these slimy little pests when they emerge, we will have to replant. There are two ways of managing this population. First is the beer trap. Although effective, it is sometimes time consuming – putting the traps out and then having to empty them and then reset them. The second method of management is easier – just buy and broadcast bait. The baits are Metaldehyde, Mesurol and Niban. The first two are chemical insecticides, and the third is more of an organic pesticide – boric acid. Be sure to watch how you water when you use these and note the difference between Metaldehyde (use on vegetables and ornamentals) and Mesurol (use only on ornamentals). Figure 1.
2. Yellow jackets – With the harvesting of crops and the changing environment, the normal food sources for these aggressive predators is dwindling, and they are becoming more like scavengers -- feeding at any food source available. Not that they didn’t before, but now they are just more actively feeding at trash cans and outdoor gatherings such as tailgating at sports activities, not to mention hunting and fishing ventures. Nests are in the ground or mulches or walls or vehicles or even boxes of clothes or peat pots. When disturbed, yellow jackets are very aggressive. Management depends on if you know the location of the nest. When known, it can be treated directly by spraying with a solution of a pyrethroid and a cup of liquid soap per gallon of water. When you have occasional visitors checking out potential food sources, they should be trapped to prevent them taking a sample of food to the nest to bring others back. Several traps can be purchased and set in areas where scouts are observed or a party is about to start. Figure 2.
3. Stinging caterpillars – Now is the time to watch for the saddleback and puss moth caterpillars. The spines on these caterpillars contain a venom that can sting, causing reddening, swelling and burning and in some cases death from anaphylactic shock. They can be found on numerous plants around the home and can be very harmful to young and old alike. Small children can even pick up these interesting-looking larvae and put them in their mouths before getting stung. Should this occur, pull the caterpillar out of their mouth and swab the mouth with toothpaste. Where populations are found, it is best to treat them and remove them before accidents happen. Using any one of a number of materials can be effective. Insecticides such as Orthene, any pyrethroid, Sevin or organic materials like Spinosad or Bt. could prove effective. If stung, any basic solution will help to relieve the stinging, burning sensation and possibly the reddening and swelling. Material such as ammonia, chlorine bleach, tobacco juice or a slurry of baking soda or meat tenderizer or toothpaste can be effective. If none of these is available take a piece of tape and press it over the sting and then rip it off. This will help to remove some of the spines, thus closing the wounds and preventing the venom from entering the skin. Figure 3.
4. Fire ants – It’s time to make the fall bait or insecticide application for the management of fire ants. Be sure to follow label directions for the material you use. Where granules or baits are used on large areas remember the county agents have spreaders that can be attached to your riding lawn mower or a four wheeler to make the application simpler. Be sure to contact your agent early to reserve the spreader. To see if your parish has one, please see the Fire Ants section of the LSU AgCenter Web site. Spreader can be borrowed from neighboring parishes if arrangements are made early. The best time to treat is from now to the first cool spell. Before you treat, make sure the ants are actively foraging by baiting them with a food source placed in two or three locations in the area to be treated. Use hot dogs, potato chips, sardines or anything that has some oil content. Place them out and check in 20 minutes to observe the foraging ants’ activity. Figure 4.
5. Love bugs – It’s football time, and the rains have brought a little love with them – the love bugs. We have had a small population emerge this spring because it was dry, but with the showers now, we can expect to see a large population emerge shortly. St. Tammany Parish has had a good population for the last few weeks, and isolated pockets of light populations have been observed in several parishes. Now that we are having good soaking showers, the emergence could be anytime for the next 4 or 5 weeks – particularly since we are on the warm side. Remember they can blur your windshields, clog your radiators and discolor the paint on your vehicle. Have a good washer solution in your windshield washer, flush off your radiator after going through a heavy swarm, and clean the front of your vehicle to remove the dead bugs and their body acid. The cleaning is fairly easy now with the use of Bounce or one of the other fabric softener towels. Simply wet the front of your vehicle and wet a fabric softener cloth and gently rub the bugs off, and then rinse. Be sure to do the area just above the front window. Most of the populations are located along the roadways because the grass clippings make a good food source for the larval population and the adults are attracted to heat and the exhaust from vehicles. Figure 5.
6. Green June beetle – These large, colorful beetles are out and about now. They have metallic-green hind wings with a rusty-orange border edge. The adults do little feeding but are attracted to overripe and rotting fruit. Their feeding on the fermenting juices allows the spines on the legs to pick up spores and transfer them to other fruit. The larvae feed on decaying organic matter such as grass clippings. Their tunneling through the soil and feeding can damage the turf and cause it to die. They have a one-year life cycle with adult emergence in late August and September. Populations can be managed using Merit, Mach 2 or Sevin. Figure 6.
7. Loopers – Several different species of looper – or inchworms as we call them – have been reported this month. Cypress trees in the Metairie area, flowers at the Hammond Research Station and a few homeowners all have been fighting this group of caterpillars. They have one or two abdominal prologs, and their body loops as they move along the plant. Some camouflage themselves with pieces of the plant material on which they are feeding. When disturbed, some will drop down on silk threads. These caterpillars are foliage and flower feeders, and the adults are small moths. Some have multiple generations and others a single generation. They are usually managed with pyrethroids, Orthene, Spinosad or Bt. Figure 7.
8. Eloganated tree ants – Once again we are seeing more people being stung by these ants roaming around, foraging on honeydew. These ants are normally not aggressive. But when disturbed or encountered you’re when working in the yard, they can retaliate with a sting. They have become more noticeable since Hurricane Gustav when many trees were uprooted or dead branches and other plant material were collected and disposed of. This ant is long and slender and is orange and black. They normally nest in the trees and dead plant material and forage about for food. With all the cleanup and removal of plant material since the storm, the elongated tree ant has become more visible. No control is recommended because they are only encountered occasionally when outdoors. Avoidance is the best measure. Figure 8.
9. Armyworms – Armyworms have been out and about for the last few months, and now we are beginning to see some natural controls on them by parasites. You may see masses of waxy, cottony material with what looks like large eggs in them as well as some individual ones on foliage, grasses and nearby plants. These are the pupal cases of the parasites that have been feeding on the armyworm population. Do not disturb or kill these because they are beneficial. The adults will soon be emerging from these cases and seek out other armyworms or caterpillars. With the planting of sugarcane, armyworms moths are attracted to the young, tender, growing shoots to lay their eggs. The larvae feed on the foliage, making it look ratty. There is a strong urge to spray them, but that would be a waste of money and time. A large percent of these larvae will be parasitized by wasps and never develop. Figure 9.
10. Diaprepes weevil – This new, invasive weevil has been found in Plaquemines Parish on citrus trees. Although found there, it has a host list that encompasses more than 270 plants, including sweet potatoes, sugarcane and many ornamentals. The typical damage observed by the adult weevil is notching of the leaves. The larvae are root feeders and can injure or kill infested plants. The adults are multicolored with yellowish green-and-black coloring, which almost appears iridescent. Some plants like sweet potatoes can have an infestation on the roots and no signs on the foliage because the weevils do not eat sweet potato foliage, so they could be moved unknowingly in potted plants to other areas of the state. It will be critical to be careful with plants moving out of Plaquemines Parish. Management strategies are still being evaluated as the only option available for homeowners is Malathion and oil. Commercial growers and the nursery industry have some other options. Report any finding of the weevil to your county agent, and save the specimens for positive identification. Figure 10.
Till next month,
Dale
[Image: snails on foliage]
[Image: yellow jacket nest.]
[Image: stinging caterpillars]
[Image: fire ant mounds in pasture]
[Image: lovebugs] | [Image: green june beetle]
[Image: inch worm]
[Image: stinging ant]
[Image: pupal stage of armyworm parasite]
[Image: pest in citrus and sugarcane and sweet potatoes] |