|
| |
- How do I get rid of mosquitos?
- How do I get rid of boxelder bugs?
- I have sowbugs in my
strawberries, how do I get rid of them?
- Is the Klamathweed beetle a pest?
- How do I get rid of
ladybugs in my house?
- I
have green caterpillars on my columbine in Ontario, how do I get rid of them?
- Is a ladybug really a bug?
- Where can I buy ladybugs?
- What insects
will you probably find on your cat or dog?
- What is the top speed of a
tiger beetle?
- What is another name
for "no-see-ums"?
- What
insect can shed and grow back it's legs when attacked?
- Which insect can look over
it's shoulder?
- What
is the growth produced by a plant around the egg of an insect called?
- How many spots does a ladybug
have?
- What flying insect lives
only a day or two?
- Which butterfly migrates to
Mexico?
- What are the larvae of a fly
called?
- Which
insect licks it's eggs to keep them free from infection?
- Where
can I get information about raising beneficial insects?
1. Outside -
a. Keep any areas of water accumulation drained. If you can't, then encourage dragonflies,
frogs, fish, bats, hummingbird and toads.
b. Also, you may want to try Bt israeliensis (Bti). Dunks or granular form can be spread
wherever mosquitos breed; around ponds, lakes, drainage ditches, pastures, sewage, animal
waste lagoons, roof gutters, etc. The granular can be broadcast at 2.5 to 10 pounds/acre.
The dunks kill mosquitos and their larvae for about 30 days when placed in standing water.
You may want to attach a string to keep them from floating away. Use dunks 1/100 square
feet of infested water. Bti does not hurt people, pets, fish or plants. Try your local
hardware store (they may use a trade name). It costs about 6 dunks for $9. Granular costs
about $3 per pound. Try Arbico (1-800-827-2847) if you can't find it locally.
c. Chemical sprays are also available but they may cost more, they are dangerous and must
be carefully handled to avoid harming humans, pets or fish and the results are more
temporary.
2. Inside -
a. Fly paper may be used safely indoors but is unsightly and can be annoying if you or
your pets touch it.
b. Be sure you have tight screens on your windows and door with no holes.
c. Electronic devices have not been scientifically proven effective but who knows what may
eventually found to work!
d. Insect repellants are available which may help when applied to the skin but that isn't
usually practical in a house.
e. Use a fly swatter for an occasional mosquito but if all else fails you may resort to
fogging the house with pyrethrin spray which is relatively safe. Put all food stuffs away
or cover them if you spray. Also cover fish tanks. Leave the house until the spray settles
unless you just spray the individual mosquito. Be sure and follow label directions
carefully.
3.The following is an E-mail message which relates to the above problem: I am forwarding
this article from the Iowa State Web Site. "This is consistant with a number of
"threads" on several lists regarding the usefullness of bug zappers for mosquito
control. There was substantial consensus on their ineffectiveness in controlling or even
attracting mosquitoes and other biting flies.
This consensus is documented in the article below. I've left the http: address for the
iowa web site in case you wish to explore their site further. You can also connect to
other entomological sites through this one. Colorado State U. has an excellent summary of
available sites, lists, newsgroups, etc.There may be some use in using them to attract
moths or other night
flying pests species during their peak flight periods only. And I have laboriously
eliminated a difficult yellowjacket nest by hanging a zapper near the nest opening late at
night and turning it on the next evening as the yellowjackets returned to the nest. As
they flew in they veered into the zapper, but were not immediately grilled. They buzzed
around until eventually they crossed two wires, then came an extennnnnnnnndeeedd sizzling
that was most distressing and worse then mere gnats. Nevertheless it did substantially
weaken the nest. The trap was not as effective in the following morning as wasps were
leaving. My guess it that the dark of night gave the trap light prominance which it did
not have during sunlight hours. In the morning I had to supplement with an insect net.
All very interesting, but not data and not science. Just a for-what-it's-worth. It
satisfied my curiousity and solved the nest problem where 3 cans of pesticide had failed
(another's just "slightly" excessive effort).See article excerpts below.
Sharon J. Collman OR Sharon J. Collman
c/o Center For Urban Horticulture Box 354115 13720 23rd Ave. NE ,University of Washington
Seattle, WA. 98125-3322
Seattle, WA 98195-4115 Phone: 206-543-8616 206-364-6966 Fax: 206-685-2692 EMail:
collmans@wsu.edu
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 05 Jul 96 22:18:38 -700
From: Sharon J. Collman <collmans@wsu.edu>
To: collmans@wsu.edu
Subject: http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/hn1996/6-14-1996/bugzapper.html
>
> Bug Zappers are Harmful, Not Helpful
>
> Insect electrocuter light traps, also known "bug zappers" have been
extensively marketed for the past several years with claims they can provide relief from
the annoyance of biting mosquitoes and other pests in your back yard. Their effectiveness
has been widely doubted and a few studies have shown they are very poor at killing
mosquito females (the sex that bites).
> Now comes another study indicating black light traps are not only useless for
mosquito, they are potentially harmful to the environment (and not just to the sensitive
ears of neighbors trying to sleep next door). Results of a survey of insects caught in an
electrocuter black light trap in Newark, Delaware indicate that nearly all of the insects
caught are either harmless or beneficial. Pests, and especially biting pests, do not end
up in the traps.
> According to an article by Timothy Frick and Douglas Tallamy of the
> University of Delaware published in Entomological News [107(2): 77-82]
> only 31 insects out of 13,789 trapped and counted (0.22%) in a suburban setting over
the course of an entire summer were biting flies. "Biting flies" includes both
female mosquitoes and biting gnats.
> The largest number of insects (6,670 = 48.4%) were harmless, nonbiting aquatic
insects from nearby rivers and streams. These insects, of course, are a vital part of the
aquatic food chain and are valuable "fish food." Another important group
unfortunately caught in the traps were predators and parasites, that is, biological
control organisms such as ground beetles and parasitic wasps that help keep insect pest
populations naturally low. Predators and parasites accounted for 13.5% of the insects
caught (1,868).
> So how good are bug zappers? This study would indicate they are worst than worthless
because of the large number of harmless and beneficial insects they kill. Extrapolations
calculated by the authors indicate that 4 million bug zappers (4 years worth of
approximated sales in the U.S.) operating for 40 nights each summer, would destroy in
excess of 71 billion nontarget insects each year. And the number of mosquitoes would still
be the same as before. It is clear you should save your money!
>
> This article originally appeared in the June 14, 1996 issue, p. 97.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Prepared by Donald Lewis, Department of Entomology
> Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. [Horticulture and Home Pest News] [Integrated Pest
Management]
> Last updated 6/25/96 by John VanDyk
> http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/hn1996/6-14-1996/bugzapper.html
The boxelder bug is a nuisance type bug. Once they build up over a period of years they
can be all over the ground, lawn, house, etc. They especially like boxelder trees so if
you can get rid of that tree that will help. The females lay their eggs in the early
Spring so their nymphs are growing to adults by Summer. Warmer temperatures accelerate
growth and drought will cause them to look for alternate food sources so they migrate
allot looking for food. Below you will find some information that may prove helpful. You
may need to go to the hardware store or nursery for chemical sprays or call an
exterminator; both sources will provide appropriate remedies for extreme cases!
Bug, Eastern Boxelder (Leptocoris trivittatus) Order: Hemiptera; Family:
Rhopalidae
Description: 10 to 15 mm long. Grey brown to black with red stripes on the thorax and
thin diagonal red lines on the upper part of the wings. Pointed head with large eyes and
two long antenna.
Life Cycle: In the Spring, adults lay eggs in bark crevices and leaves. Nymphs are
bright red which adds black as it grows to adult.
Hosts/Damage: Adults and nymphs suck juices from boxelder tree leaves, maples, ash and
deciduous fruit trees. Nymphs concentrate on the new, tender growth. Usually does little
damage to trees but causes blemishes and deformities in fruit. Can be a major nuisance if
they get into buildings by causing stains and unpleasant odor. The boxelder bug can bite.
Controls:
Cultural - Hand picking (when crushed they emit a strong, unpleasant odor). Vacuum and
dispose in sealed garbage bags if close to electrical power.
Biological - Parasitic nematodes.
Chemical - Spray pyrethrums or insecticidal soap solutions on trees periodically. Various
other sprays and baits are available at your nursery or hardware store. Follow label
instructions carefully to avoid injury to your plant, yourself, your pets or the
environment.
Keep fruits off the ground by using sawdust or other dry composts around and under your
strawberries. Water early so area dries out by afternoon. Drape plastic or other covers
above strawberries with sides open for ventilation at night (at least) to keep dew off of
strawberries. Grow strawberries in ground that drains well (maybe use raised beds). Lay
down old boards or flat rocks near strawberries so sowbugs can hide under them and uncover
and scoop up sowbugs daily and put them in compost pile where they can do some good or
mash them. Normally sowbugs are beneficial by eating decayed matter!
Order: Coleoptera Family: (Leaf Beetles) Chrysomelidae
"Chrysolina quadrigemina" and "C. hyperici"
If you check your local University Extension service they should have a bulletin on the
subject. It was introduced to control the Klamathweed in Southern Oregon and Northern
California which was not only crowding out desirable range plants needed for cattle but
was also poisonous to the cattle. The beetle has effectively suppressed the weed.
Welcome to the unique group of homeowners who suffer from ladybug invasions. It seems
that every year the ladybugs (and sometimes other insects) find a home or garage, etc.
which is not sealed well and enter through various cracks to find a haven for the winter
for hibernation. The only sure cure is sealing up entry points because trying to kill them
is somewhere between difficult and impossible and their residue is smelly. While they are
in your house, you can sweep or vacuum them up and put them outside or put them in a box
with a bunch of crumpled up newspapers or rags and put them in your garage. When Spring
comes they will find their way outside where they will eat up lots of aphids which are
much less desirable than ladybugs and repay your kind efforts. Insecticides are useless
because the little critters die in the walls and other hiding places!
You probably have European skippers (butterflies) laying eggs on your columbine which
hatch into velvety green caterpillars (grow to about 3/4" or 19 mm long with black
heads). They were introduced into North America around 1910 in the Ontario area. The
butterfly is tawny orange with a dark border which is generally hatched in June - August
time period and the adult eats nectar and lays eggs for the next generation. The eggs
overwinter. I suggest you use Bt in the Spring when the eggs hatch. The young caterpillars
are most susceptible to Bt when rapidly growing. If you can wash the butterfly eggs off
the columbine leaves that will work too!
No! A ladybug is really a lady beetle. Bugs are in the insect Order Hemiptera whereas
lady beetles are in the insect Order Coleoptera and the family Coccinellidae. There is a
large variety in North America of about 400 species.
There are many places where you can buy ladybugs. Here is one:
Ladybug Farms, %Jerry Bachman, P.O. Box 186, CA 95660-0186
Phone: 916-348-1917 E-mail: ladybugfarms@webtv.net
Fleas.
1-1/2 miles per hour (2.6 kilometers per hour).
Biting midge.
Stick insect.
Praying mantids.
A gall.
0 - 24 depending on the species and it's variability.
Mayfly.
Monarch butterfly.
Maggots.
Earwig.
- People or businesses that sell beneficial insects sometimes are helpful.
- Insect zoos where they raise insects for public viewing.
- Researchers such as the USDA Agricultural Research Service who have a site on the
internet.
- The internet has many useful sites:
www.tesser.com/minibeast (Young
Entomology Society)
www.amazon.com (Amazon Bookstore lists 13 books)
Do a search on "beneficial insect rearing".
Revised: May 09, 1998.
|
