How to keep snakes out of your garden.

Unless you are fond of snakes as pets, you probably don’t want them in your garden. Never mind that snakes have a beneficial side, i.e. eating vermin and similar pests. Venomous reptiles certainly pose a danger. Even non-poisonous species can give you a fright when encountered unexpectedly.

Here are a few things you can do to discourage them from taking up residence:

Install a “snake-proof” fence. When my father-in-law (of saintéd memory) would sit on my front porch and come up with more things for me to do, installing a snake-proof fence around my property was one of them. He was thinking of his daughter’s and grandchildren’s safety, of course, but I thought it was a little ridiculous. I had over 3,600’ of property line. I didn’t do it then, nor would I now. But a much smaller area – like a kitchen garden – would be considerably easier to enclose. Here’s how:

• Select galvanized or aluminum hardware cloth with small mesh.
• Fencing should be about 48 inches wide. That will allow you to bury about 10 inches or more in the ground and leave the rest above-ground.
• Slant the fencing outward to discourage determined critters from climbing over.

Remove hiding places from the area. Stacked wood, posts, overturned pots and such need to go. I admit my kitchen garden is not so tidy. I carefully turn upside-down pots with a long stick if they’ve been there for a while.

Discourage rodents. If serpents aren’t hiding under things, they’re searching for food. Rats and mice are on their menu. If you have outdoor pets, keep their kibbles stashed away until feeding time. Rodents just LOVE pet food. I once found a rat stash of dry cat food under the hood of my old Chevy Caprice! Well, rodents entice snakes. We won't let that happen again.

Keep weeds down. Doing so will discourage rodents and their reptilian predators.

Consider gardening in tall, raised beds. Many styles are on the market. Some range from 12” to 32” or more in height. The metal ones are much more difficult for snakes to enter for lounging among your bush beans.

Apply a protective barrier of snake repellent. Moth balls and vinegar are reputed to keep them at bay, or you can purchase commercially prepared repellents from your local lawn and garden store. Bear in mind that all snake repellents don’t repel all snakes, but many venomous snakes are most likely to be repulsed. Snake repellents will need to be re-applied.

To allay some of your fears, I suggest learning how to identify snakes native to your region. In the event that you come across a snake in the grass, you’ll know better how to react appropriately.

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What is this strange thing?

 

I asked that question about 40 years ago of a retired County Agent. "I dunno", he said. Then he commenced to cut it up into tiny pieces with his secateurs.

Sad.

This is a pair of Praying Mantis egg cases. You might find them hidden in your shrubs, small tree branches or vines. Some folks find them in their Christmas trees. They don't present a danger to yourself or your family. They are dangerous to other insects, and that can be a good thing.

The name, Praying Mantis, is derived from their prayer-like posture. While they are considered beneficial insects by humans because they hunt and eat insect pests, they are an unholy terror to little creatures. Not only will they eat other insects, they will even eat small lizards, tiny birds and other beasts small enough to be grasped in their strong forelegs. 

Here are some more interesting facts about Praying Mantis:

They are solitary, stealthy, lightening fast hunters. When waiting for prey, they either remain motionless or slowly stalk until the target is within reach. Then, like a flash, they seize it with their strong forelegs and eat it alive!

They can rotate their heads 180 degrees.

They are cannibalistic. Females will eat males during or after intercourse. Not surprising, then, that the females live longer than males. As you can see below, females are larger than males.

 

Poor unsuspecting fella.

 Photo Credit: I, Zwentibold, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

They have one ear on their stomachs, and they can hear ultrasound.

They assume a threatening pose before approaching danger by rearing up on their hind legs, spreading their wings and displaying their forelegs.

They are distantly related to roaches.

They are not native to the United States, but were introduced in the Northeast over a century ago for agricultural pest control.

Some Chinese martial arts strategies are based upon praying mantis hunting techniques.

Some folks keep Praying Mantis as pets.

What should you do if you find egg cases? That depends. If you find them outdoors, leave them alone. Know that the the hatchlings will come to your aid when the weather warms and reduce the excess pest population. If you find them on plants brought indoors - like your Christmas tree - snip off the branch where they are deposited and place them outdoors somewhere out of the way. If left to hatch indoors, you might find dozens of little hunters around the house. It's okay to pick them up. They won't hurt YOU.

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When Good Intentions Have Devastating Results

The following article is published here by permission of Fee.org.

Carson made a critical mistake and a lot of people died as a result. 

On Jan. 24, 2017, PBS aired a two-hour special on Rachel Carson, the mother of the environmental movement. Although the program crossed the line from biography to hagiography, in Carson’s case, the unbridled praise was well deserved – with one exception.

Rachel Carson was an American hero. In the early 1960s, she was the first to warn that a pesticide called DDT could accumulate in the environment, the first to show that it could harm fish, birds, and other wildlife, the first to warn that its overuse would render it ineffective, and the first to predict that more natural means of pest control – like bacteria that killed mosquito larvae – should be used instead.

Unfortunately, the PBS documentary neglected to mention that in her groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, Carson had made one critical mistake – and it cost millions of people their lives.

Carson's Literary Acclaim

On Nov. 1, 1941, Rachel Carson published her first book, Under the Sea-Wind. Although written for adults, the book had a child-like sense of wonder. Under the Sea-Wind told the story of Silverbar, a sanderling that migrated from the Arctic Circle to Argentina; Scomber, a mackerel that traveled from New England to the Continental Shelf; and Anguilla, an American eel that journeyed to the Sargasso Sea to spawn. “There is poetry here,” wrote one reviewer.

Most people under the age of 40 have never heard of Rachel Carson, but in the 60s, almost every American knew her name.

In July 2, 1951, Carson published her second book, The Sea Around Us. Two months later, The Sea Around Us was #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, where it remained for 39 weeks: a record. When the dust settled, The Sea Around Us had sold more than 1.3 million copies, been translated into 32 languages, won the National Book Award, and been made into a movie. Editors of the country’s leading newspapers voted Rachel Carson “Woman of the Year.”

In October 1955, Carson published her third book, The Edge of the Sea, a tour guide for the casual adventurer. The New Yorker serialized it, critics praised it and the public loved it: more than 70,000 copies were sold as it rocketed to #4 on the New York Times bestseller list.

Today, most people under the age of 40 have probably never heard of Rachel Carson. But in the early 1960s, almost every American knew her name.

Demonizing DDT

On Sept. 27, 1962, Rachel Carson changed her tone. Her next book, Silent Spring, which she called her “poison book,” was an angry, no-holds-barred polemic against pesticides: especially DDT.

The first chapter of Silent Spring, titled “A Fable for Tomorrow,” was almost biblical, appealing to our sense that we had sinned against our Creator. “There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings. Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change… the cattle and sheep sickened and died… streams were lifeless… everywhere there was the shadow of death.”

DDT was an effective weapon against an infection that has killed more people than any other: malaria. 

Birds, especially, had fallen victim to this strange evil. In a town that had once “throbbed with scores of bird voices there was now no sound, only silence.” A silent spring. Birds weren’t alone in their suffering. According to Carson, children suffered sudden death, aplastic anemia, birth defects, liver disease, chromosomal abnormalities, and leukemia – all caused by DDT. And women suffered infertility and uterine cancer.

Carson made it clear that she wasn’t talking about something that might happen – she was talking about something that had happened. Our war against nature had become a war against ourselves.

In May 1963, Rachel Carson appeared before the Department of Commerce and asked for a “Pesticide Commission” to regulate the untethered use of DDT. Ten years later, Carson’s “Pesticide Commission” became the Environmental Protection Agency, which immediately banned DDT. Following America’s lead, support for international use of DDT quickly dried up.

The Global Killer

Although DDT soon became synonymous with poison, the pesticide was an effective weapon in the fight against an infection that has killed – and continues to kill – more people than any other: malaria.

By 1960, due largely to DDT, malaria had been eliminated from 11 countries, including the United States. As malaria rates went down, life expectancies went up; as did crop production, land values, and relative wealth.

Tens of millions of people have died from malaria unnecessarily. 

Probably no country benefited from DDT more than Nepal, where spraying began in 1960. At the time, more than two million Nepalese, mostly children, suffered from malaria. By 1968, the number was reduced to 2,500; and life expectancy increased from 28 to 42 years.

After DDT was banned, malaria reemerged across the globe:

• In India, between 1952 and 1962, DDT caused a decrease in annual malaria cases from 100 million to 60,000. By the late 1970s, no longer able to use DDT, the number of cases increased to 6 million.
• In Sri Lanka, before the use of DDT, 2.8 million people suffered from malaria. When the spraying stopped, only 17 people suffered from the disease. Then, no longer able to use DDT, Sri Lanka suffered a massive malaria epidemic: 1.5 million people were infected by the parasite.
• In South Africa, after DDT became unavailable, the number of malaria cases increased from 8,500 to 42,000 and malaria deaths from 22 to 320.

Since the mid-1970s, when DDT was eliminated from global eradication efforts, tens of millions of people have died from malaria unnecessarily: most have been children less than five years old. While it was reasonable to have banned DDT for agricultural use, it was unreasonable to have eliminated it from public health use.

Costing Lives

Environmentalists have argued that when it came to DDT, it was pick your poison. If DDT was banned, more people would die from malaria. But if DDT wasn’t banned, people would suffer and die from a variety of other diseases, not the least of which was cancer. However, studies in Europe, Canada, and the United States have since shown that DDT didn’t cause the human diseases Carson had claimed.

The only type of cancer that increased in the United States during the DDT era was lung cancer. 

Indeed, the only type of cancer that had increased in the United States during the DDT era was lung cancer, which was caused by cigarette smoking. DDT was arguably one of the safer insect repellents ever invented – far safer than many of the pesticides that have taken its place.

Carson’s supporters argued that, had she lived longer, she would never have promoted a ban on DDT for the control of malaria. Indeed, in Silent Spring, Carson wrote, “It is not my contention that chemical pesticides never be used.” But it was her contention that DDT caused leukemia, liver disease, birth defects, premature births, and a whole range of chronic illnesses.

An influential author can’t, on the one hand, claim that DDT causes leukemia (which, in 1962, was a death sentence) and then, on the other hand, expect that anything less than that a total ban of the chemical would result.

In 2006, the World Health Organization reinstated DDT as part of its effort to eradicate malaria. But not before millions of people had died needlessly from the disease.

Reprinted from The Daily Beast.

Paul A. Offit

 

Paul A. Offit is a professor of pediatrics and director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is the author of Pandora’s Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong (National Geographic Press, April 2017). 

This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article.

Furry Puss Caterpillar - Cute But Dangerous

 

Puss Caterpillar - Photograph by Donald W. Hall, University of Florida.

It's oh-so-cute, but oh-so-dangerous - the Southern Flannel moth (Megalopyge opercularis), especially in its caterpillar form. The caterpillar looks kind of like a little pussycat, but it is not to be touched. The soft hair hides venomous spines. 

The severity of the sting depends a lot on the sensitivity of the individual and the thickness of the skin where it's stung. One first feels an intense burning sensation and a red grid-like pattern on the skin where the person is stung. But that may only be the beginning of it. Much more serious symptoms such as headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, rapid heart rate, low blood pressure, seizures and even abdominal pain, muscle spasms and convulsions can occur.

Who is most likely to encounter the Puss caterpillar? Children can certainly be stung. Its soft fur looks like it'd be fun to touch. Or, one might accidentally brush against it while walking in meadows or woods.

The Furry Puss caterpillar is found from New Jersey to Florida and westward to Arkansas and Texas. One year, its population in Texas grew to the point that school children were threatened and schools were closed.

Once the Furry Puss reaches the adult stage, the venomous spines disappear. At this point it's known as the Southern Flannel moth. It's still cute, but not to be welcomed.

By Patrick Coin (Patrick Coin) - Photograph taken by Patrick Coin, CC BY-SA 2.5

If you live in this caterpillar's native range, be sure to warn your children of it, and take care yourself.

Learn more about the Furry Puss - aka Southern Flannel moth. 

Nootkatone Is Now Registered By The EPA

 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces, "A new active ingredient, discovered and developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in insecticides and insect repellents.

"Studies show that when products are formulated from the new ingredient, nootkatone, they may repel and kill ticks, mosquitoes, and a wide variety of other biting pests. Nootkatone is responsible for the characteristic smell and taste of grapefruit and is widely used in the fragrance industry to make perfumes and colognes. It is found in minute quantities in Alaska yellow cedar trees and grapefruit skin.

"Nootkatone can now be used to develop new insect repellents and insecticides for protecting people and pets. CDC’s licensed partner, Evolva, is in advanced discussions with leading pest control companies for possible commercial partnerships. Companies interested in developing brand name consumer products will be required to submit a registration package to EPA for review, and products could be commercially available as early as 2022."

When applied, it is able to repel ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects for hours. It is nontoxic to humans. Nootkatone is already used as an approved food additive, and is commonly used in products for human consumption.

Read more.

Who's afraid of the big, bad coywolf?

  

There was a time when wolves were generally feared. They roamed wild across continents. Travelers feared for their own safety. Herders feared for their flocks. As marauders, wolves were ensconced in history, legend, and popular stories.

They were hunted relentlessly. Now these shy and reclusive creatures are seldom encountered, except in remote wilderness areas.

Not so with their relative - the coyote. While shy, coyotes are not so withdrawn, more comfortable with life at the edge of human civilization, or closer. 

Sometimes their paths cross. The wolf whistles. The other appears coy and blushes. Animal instincts take over. They are soon the proud parents of little coywolves.

This happens more often than one might expect. It's believed that most of the "coyotes" seen in the eastern North America are actually coywolves. Not only that. They are probably hybrids of wolves, coyotes and domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), and may number in the millions.

Not surprisingly, coywolves will possess characteristics of their parents. This makes them very adaptable and wide-ranging. They've been spotted as far south as Virginia. No doubt their range will increase.

Have you seen a coyote by the road? Did one just cross your yard? It was probably a coywolf.

What is to be done if coywolves have been spotted in your area? Should they be feared? A little research on the internet, and common sense, reveals the following:

• If one crosses your path, give it plenty of space.
• Avoid physical contact. Coywolves are wild animals. As such they can attack, and injure or kill. They can also carry diseases.
• Avoid threatening postures if one crosses your path. Do NOT make eye contact. Do NOT turn and run. DO back away slowly.
• Remove food sources.
• Clean up around dumpsters and trash cans.
• Avoid feeding pets outdoors.
• Secure small or weak farm animals indoors at night, including poultry and young livestock.
• Bring pets indoors at night.
• Supervise children when they're playing outdoors, or have them play in fenced enclosures. Warn youngsters against approaching them.
• Notify animal control authorities.

Be cautious; be safe. 

For further reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coywolf

https://coywolves.weebly.com/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/coywolves-are-taking-over-eastern-north-america-180957141/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-citys-newest-immigrant-population-coyotes-180954860/

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How Can Hurricanes Effect Your Garden?

Lord of the winds! I feel thee nigh,
I know thy breath in the burning sky!
And I wait, with a thrill in every vein,
For the coming of the hurricane!

From The Hurricane - Poem by William Cullen Bryant

Okay. Let's be honest. Those of us near the coast are not that thrilled about hurricanes. We prepare as best we can, study the forecasters' spaghetti models, pray that the mega-storm won't affect us personally, but will make landfall elsewhere. 

While I was waiting on the last one, I started thinking about how hurricanes can impact gardeners, even if it's a glancing blow. Here are some observations.

Hurricanes may bring different pests

When Hurricane Irma blew through the Southeast in 2017, the region’s agriculture was affected in various ways. Ayanava Majumdar, Extension entomologist for the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, pointed out that the storm could have surprising consequences with insect populations in our gardens.

Hear Dr. Majumdar speak about it.

Read more about hurricanes and pests.

The effects of salty soil

Salt is good, right? We say someone is “salt of the earth” if they are virtuous. Salt is a valuable commodity, sometimes used for barter or as money. Roman soldiers received part of their salary – salarium – in salt. A worthless soldier (or slave) wasn't "worth his salt." But, salt can be a bad thing. Just ask any coastal gardener. Storm surges from hurricanes - even minor flooding - increase salt content in the soil.

Why, and so what? 

Read more about storms and salty soil.

Effects on pollinators and pollination

The two obvious characteristics of hurricanes are very strong winds and heavy rainfall. Gardeners affected by direct hits are immediately concerned with the devastating impact upon their gardens. But there are other less obvious but important consequences – pollinator injury or displacement, and pollination degradation.

What happens to pollinators such as butterflies and bees during hurricanes? And what happens with the pollination? 
Read more about storms and pollinators.

Unique birding opportunities

As much as we hate them, hurricanes can make a bird-watcher’s dream come true. Powerful winds send birds from distant locations far north along coastlines, or even inland. You might even find some rare species from Africa or the Caribbean in your own backyard. 
Read more about storms and birds.

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Unwanted Immigrant - The Spotted Lanternfly

Credit: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

"An invasive insect species native to China, India and Vietnam is posing a problem in at least two states" reports Fox News. "The spotted lanternfly is harming crops in Winchester, Virginia", and has been spotted in Pennsylvania. Apparently, the pest was observed in Pennsylvania as early as 2014. 

According to the USDA, "spotted lanternfly feeds on a wide range of fruit, ornamental and woody trees, with tree-of-heaven being one of the preferred hosts. Spotted lanternflies are invasive and can be spread long distances by people who move infested material or items containing egg masses. If allowed to spread in the United States, this pest could seriously impact the country’s grape, orchard, and logging industries."

The USDA advises:

• Inspect your trees and plants for signs of this pest, particularly at dusk and at night when the insects tend to gather in large groups on the trunks or stems of plants.
• Inspect trees (in particular, tree of heaven), bricks, stone, and other smooth surfaces for egg masses.
• If you find an insect that you suspect is the spotted lanternfly, please contact your local Extension office or State Plant Regulatory Official to have the specimen identified properly.
• Locate the Extension specialist near you
• Contact your State Plant Regulatory Official 

If you live in Pennsylvania, an interactive plant pest quarantine map is provided to see if you’re in the spotted lanternfly quarantine.

As noted, spotted lanternfly is particularly attracted to "tree of heaven." Ironically, "tree of heaven" is not heavenly at all. According to the Nature Conservancy, "It is a prolific seed producer and can thrive in even the most unfavorable conditions with little management. Its rapid growth also means that it can crowd out nearby native plant species, and its aggressive root system can cause damage to pavement, sewers and building foundations."

It also attracts spotted lanternfly, which can be a bad thing or good. The bad thing is that it's a host plant for the little creatures. The good thing is that, as a spotted lanternfly magnet, a whole gathering can be eliminated in one place.

I guess those "No matter where you are from, we're glad you're our neighbor" yard signs don't actually apply to all.

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What's eating my liriope?

Image of damaged liriope #1

Image of damaged liriope #2

Image of damaged liriope #3

Image of damaged liriope #4

Image of damaged liriope #5

Q. Hi John! I was watering the liriope plants yesterday that I purchased from you this past April, and while the plants were in great shape, I feel it has been an embattled operation trying to get these plants to thrive. I've spent a small fortune on chemicals, devices, animal sprays, slug killer, etc. and an enormous amount of time, but I still have not figured out what is eating my plants down to the ground. Of the 50 that I planted, at least half of them have been eaten completely down to the ground. Another friend suggested that I throw moth balls around each plant to keep animals away, and I think that was a very bad idea, because I saw a lot of dead leaves on the plants after the fact.

So I am hoping that next year they will all come up and grow beautifully. I saved 5 or 6 of the plants which I will keep in my house over the winter. I'll use these in places where plants didn't make it through the winter. 

The only animals I see regularly in my front yard (and I Iive in a suburban development) are squirrels. I still have not determined what is eating these plants to the ground, and I am sooooooo disappointed because they are beautiful when thriving.

A. I think slugs are the culprits, for the following reasons:

Looks like there are plenty of places for them to hide, e.g. under mulch, the edging, etc. Such hiding places also provide a moist environment for them.

You don't see them during the day. Slugs like to feed at night.

Slugs usually attack the middle of broad leaves, and sometimes the edges. But liriope doesn't have broad leaves, so it stands to reason that the edges are being eaten.

Liriope grows close to the ground, easily accessible to slugs.

If the damage is limited to these plants within the mulch bed, not evident on shrubs or trees, it points to slugs. Insects capable of flight would eat some tree and shrub leaves, too.

I don't believe deer or rabbits are eating them. They wouldn't just eat the leaf margins, but the entire leaves.

Yes. It looks like slugs.

R. Well I initially treated them for slugs at your suggestion, but I guess it wasn’t long enough.

A. Yes. It takes a bit of sleuthing to finger the culprits. Since they didn't leave calling cards, we have to deduce. I could be wrong, so I appreciate you allowing me to share your photos to see if someone has a better idea.

Thankfully, liriope is a tough plant. As long as the roots are viable, it can regrow. Eventually, of course, if a plant is deprived of food via photosynthesis due to leaf loss, it can succumb. But one of your photos seems to show young foliage emerging.

Dear Reader, take a look at the photos provided. What do you think is eating the liriope? Does it look like slugs to you? We'd love to hear from you. Tell us what you think in the comment section.

FAQ: "...to neutralize dog urine?"

Image of a dog

Q. Would you recommend I flush the ground really well (although we've had tons of rain) or amend the soil in some way before planting to neutralize dog urine? 

 

A. Flushing usually works, but you could remove the top inch or so of soil in affected areas. Replace with some potting soil, mixing it in with native soil. Then plant on that. It would also be a good idea to take a soil sample to your Cooperative Extension Service for analysis.

Dear reader, if you've had this problem and come up with a good solution, we'd like to hear about it. Let us know in the comment section.

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Junipers turning brown.

Q. I have a lot of juniper ground cover and have a problem of them turning brown after having been in ground for 2 plus years. What can I do? 

A. You need to know the source of the problem before you can remedy it. Here are a few things to consider.

First, your Juniperus species might not be getting enough water. While it's true that junipers are generally drought-tolerant, gardeners often rely too much on drought tolerance, and neglect watering when necessary. There is a point of no return. If junipers show drought stress by exhibiting dull, dry foliage, it's already too late to save them. By the way, the same is true of most conifers.

Second, your junipers might be suffering from a pest infestation. Mite and bagworm populations can easily increase to the point that they kill host plants. Miticides (also known as acaricides) might be effective. Follow label instructions. The best way I've found to control bagworms is to identify the bag-like cocoons early on, remove and destroy them. The cocoons are easy to overlook. They're covered with brown twigs and resemble small pine cones.

Third, your junipers might be afflicted with a type of canker. These diseases are caused by fungi that enter plants through wounds. Affected plants are often already under stress for other reasons. Dying branch tips and weeping wounds are notable symptoms. Fungicides are seldom effective. The best course of treatment is to remove the diseased plant portions. If the disease is advanced, remove the plants and replace them with another species not affected by canker. Fungal spores will continue to be present in the soil.

Return to Juniperus at goGardenNow.com.

Large black worms attacking in large numbers...

1st instar larvae on Vitis rotundifolia

Help again? I was checking the vines this morning and there are small black worms attacking in large numbers the leaves of the scuppernongs and muscadines.  I would assume this is some sort of moth or butterfly larvae, but cannot find suitable information on the internet.  Any ideas would help.  I hate to attempt to get rid of them with the wrong pesticides if I have to use them at all.

They might be Hyalophora cecropia , 1st instar phase. The reason they don't show the coloration and size that you might see in photos of the big, green caterpillars on the internet is due to their immature phase.

I don't think you need to bother getting rid of them. More grape leaves will appear. They won't denude your vines. There are probably enough predators to keep them in check. Some type of BT dust might benefit.

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What is eating my koi?

Photo by FOX from Pexels

Q. We recently installed a small garden pond in the back yard and stocked it with a few small koi. Now a couple of the koi are missing. A friend suggested that raccoons have been eating them. How can I tell if he is correct, and if so how can I keep the raccoons out of the pond?

A. Since the koi are missing, you might not have a raccoon problem, but a heron problem. Raccoons won't eat the whole fish. They'll leave some scraps behind. Herons, however, will gulp down the entire koi.

To prevent herons from doing more damage, buy a heron decoy to set in or near the pond. You might find one at a garden center that carries pond supplies, or online. Real herons will avoid your pond if they think another one is already feeding there. In the mean time, temporarily cover your pond with bird netting like you would drape over berry plants. It's not very attractive, but will prevent herons from eating all the koi until you obtain the decoy. Cover your pond soon because it doesn't take long for a hungry heron to eat all the koi.

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Become A Beetle Detective

Dutch government [CC0]

In 1996, Asian longhorned beetles (ALB, Anoplophora glabripennis) were discovered on some hardwood trees in Brooklyn, New York. The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture declared an emergency in order to combat the pests. The beetles are believed to have come into the U.S. in wood pallets and packing material with shipments from Asia.

Any invasive and destructive insect presents a problem. But the problem with these beetles is greater because they attack a wide range of tree species including Norway maple, silver, red and sugar maple, box elder, buckeye, horsechestnut, London plane, birch, elm and willow. The economic impact could be enormous.

In 2002, another devastating beetle was identified in Michigan and neighboring Ontario, Canada. Emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) turned out to be the culprit behind the loss of ash trees in the state. Another non-native pest, it is distributed with the helping hand of humans when infested wood (firewood, for example) is moved from place to place. Emerald ash borer has now spread to at least 14 states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The war on the Asian longhorned beetle and emerald ash borer is essentially a seek-and-destroy mission, and the USDA is soliciting the help of citizens such as you. By learning the tell-tale signs of beetle damage, you can become a Beetle Detective and be on the lookout for these pests. The USDA wants to know not only if the beetles are present, but if they are not. By periodically reporting your findings, you aid in the effort to control or eradicate them. Learn more about becoming a Beetle Detective.

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