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Tag Archives: pest
“Murder” ?! Hornet Sensationalism
What headline can draw people away from their thoughts dwelling on the current state of the world and Coronavirus? That would be MURDER HORNETS! I cannot think of a more sensationalized headline, so kudos to whomever came up with that attention grabber. This headline is popping up everywhere from social media outlets, television, newspapers, and others. Quite frankly, it makes me cringe each time I see it. Let’s begin with the terminology “murder” hornet. The definition of murder is “the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by… Read More →
Stink bugs- have you seen me?
Yesterday as I was perusing the demo garden outside the office for insects (it’s how I take a break…) when I came across a plethora of stink bugs. There were adults. There were nymphs. There were even eggs! I took photos and planned on using them for some future endeavor at the time unknown to me when….. ….today seems to be the time for the photos. I received an email this morning asking what the bug was that I had discovered in such high numbers yesterday. I am… Read More →
FREE Webinar series- 2017 All Bugs Good & Bad
The 2017 webinar series All Bugs Good and Bad starts today (Friday, February 3, 2017). Please join us for this webinar series for information you can use about good and bad insects. We used your feedback to bring topics that you suggested for 2017. We will discuss troublesome insects such as invasive ants, landscape pests, vegetable pests, and house dwellers as well as arachnids too. Not all insects are bad, though, come and meet some of our native pollinators! The series kicks off today with “Don’t let tramp… Read More →
Lygus bugs
I’ve been getting email and calls about small “stink bugs” on cruciferous crops lately. I went out to our demonstration garden to see if I could rustle some up on what we have planted out there and I hit the jackpot. I found Lygus bugs on the cabbage and some other plants (that I have no idea what they are…I went back out to look- they’re fava beans). Lygus bugs have a wide host range and have been found on over 350 plants. These bugs commonly begin the… Read More →
Aphids
It seems that the cooler weather and moisture have disappeared and we’ve moved into sweltering temperatures. While it will be nice to dry out a bit, expect pest populations to be on the rise. One to watch for is aphids as their populations can increase rapidly. Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects with “tailpipes” (better known as cornicles) coming off the tip of the abdomen. Aphids come in a variety of colors and may or may not have wings. They have an incomplete life cycle (egg- nymph- adult) with… Read More →
2016 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series- FREE!
Please join in for the 2016 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series. This webinar series provides information about good and bad insects. Webinars are free and open to everyone. We will discuss how you can help pollinators and other good insects by using pesticides properly. We will also talk about how to control insects we think of as bad, like fire ants, vegetable bugs, a new invasive fruit fly, and cockroaches. We will even have a webinar about snakes, although they’re not really insects but can be a pest or a beneficial, depending on… Read More →
Kissing bugs and Chagas disease
Triatomine bugs, also known as kissing bugs, reduviid bugs and cone-nose bugs, are almost an inch long with elongated cone-shaped heads. The body is grayish-brown with a wide abdomen that has flattened sides. The flattened sides of the abdomen stick out beyond the wing margins and are marked with red, orange or yellow stripes. Nymphs (immatures) look similar to adults, but lack fully developed wings. There are other insects in Texas that look similar and can be mistaken for kissing bugs. Many of these insects do NOT bite and do NOT… Read More →
Seasonal Crickets
Prepare thy-selves people of Central Texas…..they are coming. I’ve seen immature crickets around various buildings in Central Texas. The adult masses are building. Crickets are about 1″ long, dark brown to black with large hind legs used for jumping. Female crickets have a large, sword-like structure, the ovipositor, protruding from the tip of the abdomen. The ovipositor is an egg laying structure. Crickets feed on plant material and other insects. They can cause damage to seedlings and be destructive to plants when in high numbers. Males can become… Read More →
What to do when bees move in
I know that many people are concerned about honey bees and the decline in their population. I don’t want to get into a dissertation on that topic, but instead provide information on what should be done when the turn into a pest. What? Did she just say honey bees and pest in the same sentence? How is that possible? Well, a “pest” is something that is considered to be out of place, so when honey bees move into an unwanted area (under sheds, water meter boxes, wall voids,… Read More →