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Author Archives: wizzie.brown
Squash vine borer
My neighbor asked me why her squash seemingly died overnight. Unfortunately, I had to tell her about squash vine borers (SVB). If you grow squash in Central Texas, you are most likely familiar with this insect and it’s damage. If you have not yet had the pleasure of encountering SVB, either lucky you or welcome to Texas or welcome to vegetable gardening! Squash vine borer refers to a moth that lays reddish-brown eggs singly on the base of squash plants. When the eggs hatch, the larvae bore int… Read More →
Chiggers
Ahhhh….the joys of rain. While we haven’t had rain in the past week, we are still dealing with the rain the we got in May. I’ve been getting a lot of questions about mosquitoes of course. I’ve also been getting questions on chiggers. This is one that we really haven’t had to deal with since it’s been on the dry side. Chiggers are the larvae, or immature stage, of a mite. These larval mites climb onto people when they walk through infested areas. The chiggers climb up the… Read More →
Flooding and fire ants
I think saying that weather has been interesting for Central Texas as of late is a bit of an understatement. We have had so much rain that has led to flooding in multiple areas, causing much loss and devastation. While clean-up efforts are underway for various parts of the state, people need to be aware of fire ant movement. I know this is one the the last things on everyone’s mind when looking at the results of the flooding, but it can be important information for those people… Read More →
Occasional invaders during heavy rain- millipedes and pillbugs
I’m loving the rain we’ve been getting in Central Texas, but it has been leading to some pest problems that people haven’t really had to deal with for awhile. I thought that I would touch on some of them. The first and foremost for me are millipedes. Yesterday afternoon when it was raining, I took the opportunity to head outside to look for millipedes for photos. I could not find a single one. While disappointed, I knew that I had seen some at home so I figured I… Read More →
Four-lined plant bug
Have you seen me? Not me, as in me, Wizzie, but me as in me, this bug. We have them in the demonstration garden and I’ve been getting reports of them from all over town. Some people have seen damage, which is often mistaken for fungal damage. I suggest that you head out to the yard and start looking. Four-lined plant bugs are brightly colored. Nymphs (immatures) are red while older nymphs star to have wing pads with yellow and black stripes. Adults have fully developed wings that… Read More →
Caterpillars- buck moth caterpillar, cankerworms and tent caterpillars
The insects seemingly have arrived in our demogarden the past week. I was out there with Master gardeners this morning and there was a lot to see….it makes me EXCITED (the Master Gardeners, not so much, as many of the insects are eating the plants they are tending so carefully). So two items have already been covered recently in blog posts written by Dr. Mike Merchant in Dallas, so I’m going to direct to those pages and you can get all your information there. First are the tent… Read More →
Termites
There are three main types of termites that can cause problems for homeowners in Central Texas- native subterranean termites, formosan subterranean termites and drywood termites. To identify termites you will need to obtain soldiers (ones with a hard head with large mandibles) or reproductives with wings. Native subterranean termites have nests in the soil and must maintain contact with soil or an above-ground moisture source to survive. If native subterranean termites move to areas above ground they make shelter (mud) tubes of fecal material, saliva and soil to… Read More →
Crane flies- Spring is here!
I saw my first crane fly of the year before the cold hit this week. In my mind, that means spring is officially here. Crane flies have a bunch of different names that are mostly regional. Around here I hear people call them crane flies or mosquito hawks. Many people think they eat mosquitoes, but the adults either do not feed at all or feed on nectar. Some people think crane flies are a giant form of mosquito. Adult flies are tan with very long legs. They are… Read More →
All Bugs Good & Bad Webinar Series- Fire Ant Management Using Baits
When: Friday, March 6, 2015 at 1PM CST Link: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/fireant Cost: FREE Learn how to make the biology of fire ants work for you not against you. This webinar presented by Dr. Lawrence “Fudd” Graham from Auburn University will discuss fire ant baits and other control methods. It will also provide the latest information on the Pseudacteon phorid flies, natural enemies of fire ants. Moderated by Dani Carroll and Bethany O’Rear, Regional Extension Agents, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and Vicky Bertagnolli-Heller, Extension Agent and Master Gardener Coordinator, Clemson… Read More →