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| Help treated ash trees by watering If you have ash trees that you are protecting from emerald ash borer with insecticide treatments, be sure to water them during dry spells. Water-stressed trees are more susceptible to the borers. Keeping them watered will make them less attractive to emerald ash borer, and will help them recover faster from borer injury. |
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| MSU Extension Field Day: Fighting Emerald Ash Borer The MSU Extension emerald ash borer field day on August 16, highlights the successful protection of ash trees in southeastern Michigan with insecticide treatments such as imidacloprid basal drenches. This field day is an educational hands-on seminar that will illustrate ways insecticides can be used to treat emerald ash borer–infected ash trees, as well as prevent emerald ash borer infestations in healthy ash. Walk the golf course to see test results after four years of MSU field research on soil drench treatments and compare treated trees of all sizes with untreated control trees. Other insecticide treatments will be demonstrated and discussed. Afterwards, listen to university specialists and tree care professionals discuss what treatments and application methods are working in Southeast Michigan and ways that these practices can be applied in your area. Date: August 16, 2007 Where: BayPointe Golf Club, 4001 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield, Michigan When: 8:30 AM registration, 9:00 start time, program ends at 1:30, lunch included. Cost: $30 per person For complete information and a registration form, see http://www.ipm.msu.edu/cat07land/PDF/7-13EABFieldDay.pdf, or go to www.emeraldashborer.info. Participation is limited to the first 200 that register. |
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| Scouting for weeds: prostrate knotweed, prostrate pigweed, prostrate spurge and common purslane Landscape professionals and homeowners may encounter some common weeds in landscape beds, gardens and driveways with a prostrate, mat-forming growth. Four of the most common low-growing, summer annual weeds include prostrate knotweed, prostrate pigweed, prostrate spurge and common purslane. While similar in habit, these plants have specific characteristics that aid in their identification (see below). Just as with any other pest, correct weed identification is the first step to creating an integrated weed management program. Editor’s note: The identification information is from the new field guide An IPM Pocket Guide for Weed Identification in Nurseries and Landscapes. For ordering information, call 517-353-6740 or visit: http://www.ipm.msu.edu/pdf/pocketGuidesLandsc07.pdf Prostrate knotweed: Polygonum aviculare L. (view photo) Life cycle: Prostrate, mat-forming summer annual. Leaves: Alternate, narrow oval to oblong leaves with pointed tips, smooth margins and short petioles. Stems: Prostrate, tough, wiry stems with distinct nodes are highly branched and mat-forming. Plants perform well in compacted areas. A membranous sheath (ocrea) surrounds the stem at the base of each petiole Flowers and fruit: Small, inconspicuous flowers are white to pinkish and clustered in the leaf axils. The seed is enclosed in a single-seeded, dark reddish brown, three-sided fruit. Reproduction: Seeds. Prostrate pigweed: Amaranthus blitoides S. Wats. (view photo) Life cycle: Prostrate, mat-forming summer annual. Leaves: Alternate and pale green to shiny, dark green leaves are oblong, oval to egg-shaped with pointed, rounded to slightly indented leaf tips. Leaf margins are smooth and usually whitish. Leaves are numerous at the stem ends. Stems: Prostrate and nearly smooth, light green to red-dish stems form thick, circular mats. Stems may be 1 to 3 feet long and mostly erect at the tip. Flowers and fruit: Small, greenish flowers are found in dense clusters in the leaf axils. Flowers have bracts as long as the sepals and yield small, round, shiny black seeds. Reproduction: Seeds. Photo caption: Prostrate pigweed seedling. Prostrate spurge: Chamaesyce humistrata (Engelm. ex Gray) Small (view photo) Life cycle: Prostrate summer annual. Leaves: Cotyledons are oval with maroon undersides and short petioles. Opposite, pale green, egg-shaped leaves with rounded tips have small, irregular teeth along the margins and short petioles. The upper leaf surface often has a maroon watermark. Stems: Prostrate, densely hairy stems are highly branched from the base, forming circular mats up to 16 inches in diameter. Stems may root at the lower nodes and exude a milky sap when damaged. Flowers and fruit: Inconspicuous flowers are formed in the leaf axils. Fruit are hairy, three-lobed capsules that contain three wrinkled, three-sided, pale brown seeds. Reproduction: Seeds. Similar weeds: Spotted spurge [Chamaesyce maculata (L.) Small] Differs by having stems that do not root at the nodes, narrow oval to oblong leaves, and ridged, not wrinkled, seeds. Common purslane: Portulaca oleracea L. (view photo) Life cycle: Prostrate, mat-forming summer annual. Leaves: Cotyledons are oblong, hairless and succulent. Cotyledons and young leaves are maroon-tinted on the undersides. Thick, fleshy, succulent leaves are hairless, spatula-shaped and about 1 inch long or less. Leaves are alternate but appear opposite and are often crowded near the stem tips. Stems: Prostrate, purplish red or green stems have multiple branches that form circular mats. Stems are thick, fleshy, succulent and hairless and up to 20 inches long. Flowers and fruit: Small, yellow, star-shaped flowers with five petals are produced in the leaf axils, opening only on sunny mornings. Fruit are egg-shaped capsules that split around the middle, scattering many tiny, black, shiny seeds. Reproduction: Seeds.
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| Scouting for diseases: Septoria leaf spot Pathogen: Septoria spp. (view photos) Hosts include: Artemisia, Baptisia, Campanula, Chrysanthemum, Coreopsis, Delphinium, Dianthus, Echinacea, Gaillardia, Heuchera, Lamium, Lathyrus, Lupinus, Lychnis, Monarda, Potentilla, Ratibida, Rudbeckia, Stachys, Veronica and Viola. Symptoms: Tan to brown leaf spots. Small, black fruiting bodies (pycnidia) may be visible in the lesions. Lesions on Rudbeckia and Echinacea are purple. Lesions may be more severe on older foliage. Spread: The disease may be introduced on infected material. Spores are splash-dispersed to nearby foliage. Disease can also be spread by workers moving through wet foliage. Management: There are many species of Septoria. Each is relatively host-specific, affecting only a few plant genera. Remove and destroy infected plant material. Avoid overhead irrigation or carefully time it to limit the duration of leaf wetness. Protectant fungicides can be used to manage Septoria leaf spot. |
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| Scouting for viruses: Impatiens necrotic spotted wilt virus Pathogen: Impatiens necrotic spotted wilt virus (INSV). (view photos) Hosts include: Ajuga, Aster, Bracteantha, Camp-anula, Delphinium, Dianthus, Digitalis, Echinacea, Gaillardia, Gaura, Heuchera, Hosta, Leucanthe-mum, Lobelia, Lysimachia, Monarda, Oenothera, Penstemon, Phlox, Platycodon, Primula, Salvia, Scabiosa, Sedum, Tradescantia and Veronica. Symptoms: Symptoms vary depending on the host but may include necrosis and spotting, ringspots, mosaic, mottling, distortion of new growth, stunting and plant death. Spread: INSV is spread by western flower thrips. Once a thrips acquires INSV, it can vector the virus to susceptible hosts it feeds on throughout its lifetime. The pathogen can also be spread by sap transmission. Plants can be infected and show no symptoms; the virus can be spread from these plants. INSV can overwinter in the roots of infected plants. Management: Scout incoming plant material for signs of disease and for thrips. Susceptible plants should be scouted regularly for thrips (see thrips section for more information). Avoid intermixing of more and less susceptible crops within the same greenhouse. Also avoid intermixing seed- and cutting-propagated crops. Eliminate weeds from the propagation area. Immediately remove symp-tomatic plants from the growing area. Diagnostic testing can be done by a plant diagnostic lab or at the growing facility with testing strips available from plant diagnostic companies. |
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| Scouting for pests: Blister beetle Blister beetle adults are 19 mm long and elongated. They vary in color from black and blue to brown, with or without stripes (view photos). They possess a characteristic constricted neck. These beetles overwinter as larvae in the soil. Adults feed on flowers and leaves, creating small rounded or irregularly shaped holes. Management Adults can be hand picked, but it is important to wear gloves because these insects release a caustic substance when crushed that can cause blisters and welts on the skin. Contact insecticides may be used to control the adults. Individual plants can be sprayed with Sevin (carbaryl) to protect them from grasshopper or blister beetle damage. Repeat sprays may be needed if blister beetles or grasshoppers continue to move to sprayed plants from the surrounding area. |
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| Scouting for pests: Grasshoppers Grasshoppers have long hind legs that are adapted for jumping (view photos). They tend to feed during the day, creating large, ragged holes in plant leaves. High numbers of grasshoppers can cause extensive plant damage within a short period of time. They overwinter as eggs in the growing medium. Management Grasshoppers are difficult to control with spray applications of contact insecticides because they are strong fliers and highly mobile. One option is to place a covering over plants until adults are no longer present. Remove weeds from adjacent areas. Individual plants can be sprayed with Sevin (carbaryl) to protect them from grasshopper or blister beetle damage. Repeat sprays may be needed if blister beetles or grasshoppers continue to move to sprayed plants from the surrounding area. |
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| Landscape Professionals- Summer Field Day 2007 Interested in increasing your skills as a landscape professional? If so, attend this year’s Landscape Professionals Field Day held at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The field day begins at 7:45 AM with registration and ends at 3:15 PM. Workshop topics include: understanding pesticide labels; regulatory updates; spray nozzle performance and managing drift; the fate of pesticides and the environment; landscape pruning; a landscape or turfgrass walk. MNC and M.D.A. recertification credits are available. Cost is $15 for AGRLP members and $25 for non-members, if you pre-register. Lunch will be provided. Please view PDF for more information at: http://www.ipm.msu.edu/cat07land/PDF/7-13Landscapefieldday.pdf or call Rebecca Finneran at 616-339-3282. |
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| Verticillium wilt refresher Reprinted with permission from Branching Out, An IPM Newsletter for Trees and Shrubs, Vol 14, No.7 http://branchingout.cornell.edu/ Verticillium wilt (120,121) is caused by a soil-borne fungus, Verticillium dahliae that commonly attacks maples, especially Norway maple, as well as about 45 other woody plants in the Northeast. Verticillium does not affect yews and conifers. V. dahliae survives in the soil as clusters of thick-walled cells known as “microsclerotia.” Microsclerotia are extremely resistant to drought and cold and can survive for a decade or more as dormant propagules just waiting for exudates from a suitable host to wake them up. Then they germinate much like a normal fungus spore and infect plants through the roots. Once in the vascular system, the fungus grows up into the stem and branches, plugging the vessels as it goes and eventually causing leaf wilt and branch death. Symptoms Symptoms of verticillium wilt can be confusing because they are so variable. They include marginal scorch and complete wilting of leaves on individual branches in the crowns of potential hosts. Symptoms can occur at any time of the year but often show up when hot, dry weather begins. Sometimes a single branch or the foliage on one side of a tree will die. Trees can go through years where no symptoms are present and then the symptoms show up again several years later. Some trees can struggle along for years, while others may die soon after symptoms appear. In addition to wilting, other symptoms may include: small leaves, stunting shoot growth, poor radial growth, sparse foliage and abnormally large seed crops. (view images) There are many other factors that can cause leaf wilt and branch dieback. In general, adverse site conditions and environmental stress such as girdling root injury, drought, flooding, compaction, deicing salts or gas leaks can cause symptoms similar to verticillium. In addition, canker-causing fungi that grow through the bark and cambium to almost girdle a branch can cause wilting. Bark beetles, wood boring insects or sapsuckers can attack selected branches in a tree and cause enough girdling to result in branch failure as well. The question of whether the cause is verticillium or something else is best answered by having the sample tested. Vascular streaking One reasonably reliable diagnostic feature is that sapwood plugged by verticillium may be stained green (in maples) or brown (in other species). However, this discoloration is not always easy to find because it may occur up to several feet below the point where leaves are actually wilting. If you suspect verticillium, begin looking for the stain in the outer sapwood of wilting branches, but if it’s not there, continue removing small pieces of bark to expose sapwood closer to the main stem. You may have to examine portions of the tree all the way back to the junction of the suspect branch with the main stem. The vascular discoloration can vary in prominence depending on tree species and sometimes isn’t visible at all, especially on young twigs. Diagnosis Conclusive diagnosis of verticillium requires laboratory culture of the pathogen from symptomatic wood. Other injuries to wood can also cause vascular discoloration. Don’t be too hasty to make the conclusion that verticillium is the cause, because if it isn’t, decisions about management and selection of replacement trees will be quite different. The Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab at Cornell, as well as diagnostic laboratories at other state universities, are able to provide this service - sometimes for a modest fee. Fortunately, verticillium doesn’t colonize its hosts with the speed that some other pathogens, like Dutch elm disease, do. There is time to do the culture, get the results and then plan a course of action. The sample you send to the lab should preferably be a 1 inch or larger diameter symptomatic branch (but NOT DEAD) that is 8-12 inches long. Life cycle V. dahliae can persist in the soil as resting structures called “microsclerotia” for many years without a host. When roots of a potential host are placed near the fungus, exudates from those roots stimulate the microsclerotia to germinate, and the fungus attempts to invade the plant. Wounded roots are especially likely to be colonized. Once infection has occurred, verticillium grows upward within the xylem vessels (the vascular tissue that transports water) of its host, causing the plugging that eventually leads to wilt. It apparently does not grow well from one growth ring to the next, so new vascular tissue, including that surrounding previously infected wood, must usually be colonized by new root infections each year. The microsclerotia, however, do function as large, durable spores and can be spread in contaminated soil, on infected roots, or even in some infected fruit. Management There is no fungicide treatment available to control verticillium wilt. However, some other measures may be taken to prolong the life and to improve the aesthetic value of an infected tree. Management of this disease includes proper pruning, watering and fertilizing. If so little of the crown is affected that branch removal will still leave an acceptable specimen then prune symptomatic branches back to their junction with the next largest asymptomatic branch. Severely infected trees, which would be unacceptable as landscape specimens after symptomatic branches are pruned, might just as well be removed completely. Water during dry periods, especially if they occur in summer or fall. Fertilize if needed with a low nitrogen, high potassium fertilizer. Excessive fertilization apparently increases problems with this disease. Do not replant in the same site with a verticillum-susceptible species because the fungus can survive in the soil for years. Instead, choose resistant or immune trees such as birch, ginkgo, sweetgum, mulberry, willow, hornbeam, hawthorn, honeylocust, crabapple, London plane, oak or mountain ash. Also, where maples are desired, be aware that red and sugar maples are more resistant than silver or Norway maples. Of the Norway maples, ‘Jade Glen’ and ‘Parkway’ have shown more resistance than other cultivars of the species. There is no guaranteed way to get rid of the fungus once the soil has been colonized. Where the disease has been confirmed and the tree has been killed, replacement with a verticillium-resistant tree may be the only feasible option. Verticillium spread by woodchips? Colleagues at the University of Wisconsin have looked at potential hazards associated with use of wood chip mulch from trees infected with Verticillium dahliae. They discovered that the pathogen will survive in chips for up to one year, albeit at relatively low levels. Furthermore, 13 months after Amur maple, green ash, and redbud saplings were planted in a potting mix amended with chips from a verticillium-infected tree, up to 28 percent of the trees became diseased. While there are still considerable differences between the “real world” application of wood chip mulch and the parameters used in these experiments, the threat of the chips is of sufficient concern that arborists are advised not to incorporate debris from verticillium-infected trees into chip piles planned for landscape use. Verticillium as a bioherbicide? Our colleagues at Penn State have recently made the intriguing discovery that verticillium wilt can be a devastating disease on invasive Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) in forest stands and Christmas tree plantations. In fact, preliminary results suggest that the pathogen may be far superior to traditional herbicides for suppression of the “weeds”. So far, there appear to be no adverse effects on maples, oaks, cherries and other desirable species, but additional work is needed to confirm that a purposeful introduction of verticillium would be safe for non-target organisms. |
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| Armyworm caterpillars scalping turf in some places The big flight of armyworm moths into Michigan back in mid-June has resulted in enough caterpillars to cause turf injury in a few places. Outbreaks are often found in turf under or near bright lights. What happened is the moths were attracted to the lights and settled nearby. Some of the female moths deposited eggs in the turf near the lights, resulting in hundreds or thousands of hungry armyworm caterpillars in early July. By the second week of July the caterpillars were nearly full grown, eating much more than they did when they were small. Elly Maxwell at Dow Gardens found 5 to 10 armyworm caterpillars per square foot at one place in the gardens, and sent a few photographs of the turf injury (see photos). Heavily infested turf turns brown because all the green grass blades are eaten down to the ground, causing the “scalping” damage. Although it looks bad, the scalped area usually recovers quickly after the armyworms are gone. The armyworms have started pupating, so the feeding damage is almost over for this year. Don’t worry about continuing problems with the armyworm. Elly said 75 percent of the caterpillars had little white eggs stuck to their bodies. These are the eggs of a tachinid fly parasite. The female fly glues eggs onto armyworms. When the eggs hatch, the fly larvae tunnel into the caterpillar eventually killing it. Several other parasites also help keep the armyworm under control. |
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| Grub damage last fall or this spring? Apply grub control products now July is the best time to apply imidacloprid or halofenozide products to home lawns for grub control. There is no need to use one of these products unless you have had grub damage last fall or this spring. New damage won’t appear again until September. For homeowners, look for GrubEx, Season-Long Grub Control, Grub & Lawn Insect Control, or Grub Stop Once & Done. Professional turf managers can use Merit, Meridian, Mach II or Arena. |
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| Chinch bugs beginning to “cook” spots in home lawns Chinch bug larvae have been feeding and growing in June and early July. Now they are large enough to cause visible turf injury. Look for large brown patches in the driest parts of your lawn. Get on your knees to examine the ground around the base of turf plants on the edge of these brown spots. Chinch bugs are most active in warm, sunny afternoons. If you can find more than 20 bugs in two minutes (sometimes it only take about 10 seconds), the chinch bugs are the most likely cause of your problem Spot spray brown patches and an additional 10 to 20 feet around the brown patches with Dylox (trichlorfon), Sevin (carbaryl) or Merit (imidacloprid). Also, make sure the turf gets plenty of irrigation. Well-irrigated lawns rarely have a problem with chinch bugs. |
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| Weeds in the heat In the last several issues of the Landscape CAT Alert, I’ve discussed different weeds that may be thumbing their nose at you this summer. Now that the heat has increased to the point where air conditioners are a valued commodity those weeds may become even more persistent. Crabgrass is certainly enjoying this latest stretch of high temperatures, and I’ve also seen some nice patches of yellow nutsedge taking hold in turfgrass. Yellow nutsedge control options for professional applicators include Certainty (a.i. sulfosulfuron) and Sedgehammer (a.i. halosulfuron). Repeat applications will likely be required to achieve control. As with any herbicide applications at this time of year, be very careful of applications to turfgrass that is under drought/heat stress. General recommendations are to avoid herbicide applications when temperatures are above 80°F due to the risk of burning the turf. In addition to the crabgrass, nutsedge, and black medic, clover is catching a lot of attention right now with its white flowers seeming to dominate the landscape. When clover is not flowering, it’s amazing how often it is simply ignored, but once it flowers it gets everyone’s attention. Clover often becomes a problem in turfgrass areas that are not receiving adequate fertilization, so the easiest recommendation for reducing clover infestations over time is to fertilize the turf. Broadleaf herbicide applications at this time of year can be effective for controlling clover, assuming you can avoid the high temperatures. However, fall is still the best time to control broadleaf weeds including clover. |
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| Christmas trees insect update
Redheaded pine sawfly We found a large population of redhead pine sawfly severely defoliating Jack pine (Pinus banksiana) in Mecosta county. This can also be a problem on red (Pinus resinosa ) and Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris). Redheaded pine sawfly is a native insect that is occasionally an important pest. Larvae feed from mid-to late summer on one-year-old and older needles. New foliage is rarely consumed unless sawfly populations are very high. Young pines can generally survive the loss of older needles, but if they lose the new needles too, they will die. This insect seems to cycle every 10 to 12 years, causing injury for two to three years before collapsing. Larval colonies strip the needles and can severely defoliate trees (view photo 1), killing branches, tree tops or the whole tree. One colony of 100 larvae (view photo 2) can completely defoliate a tree two feet tall: 15 to 20 larval colonies can completely defoliate a tree six feet tall. Larvae feed for five to 6 weeks. After feeding, larvae drop to the soil and spin cocoons. (view photo 3) Treat individual trees as soon as you notice colonies, you can knock scattered colonies of larvae off and crush them. Spider mites Growers should still be checking trees for spruce spider mite. Growers in Montcalm County have reported large populations especially on spruce- Norway (Picea abies) and Colorado blue spruce (Picea pugens). We have also seen high populations on Fraser fir (Abies fraseri). Look on the oldest needles near the stem of the tree for webbing and the bronzing or grayish, dirty-looking foliage that is indicative of spider mite feeding. If you see some mites, but damage does not appear to be heavy, give it another seven to ten days and check the trees again. Several predators feed on spider mites and you want to give them a chance to do their thing. Predatory mites are the most important predators of spider mites, but are very difficult to see without a microscope. If you check the trees and mites seem to be abundant, especially if you plan to sell trees this year, then you may want to apply a miticide. |
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| Cicada killers out and terrorizing residents I received several phone calls this week about gigantic wasps that folks were finding digging holes in their lawns. Terry McLean at the Genesee MSUE office sent me three specimens (see photo) that a local pest control guy thought might be some kind of exotic species. These spectacular insects are known commonly as “cicada killers” and scientifically as Sphecius speciosus (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). They are the largest wasp that occurs in Michigan. The cicada killer wasps attract attention due to their large size and the burrows they dig in home lawns. These insects occur in all states east of the Rocky Mountains and prefer to dig their burrows in sandy, bare, well-drained soil exposed to full sunlight. The wasps feed on flower nectar, while the immature or larval stages feed primarily upon cicadas that are brought into the burrow by the female wasp. Like other solitary wasps with no large colony to defend, cicada killers usually ignore people as they go about their business of digging holes and hunting for cicadas. Although pretty much docile, they can give a painful sting if bothered. A mound of fine soil surrounds the burrow of each female cicada killer. Since colonies of burrows are common, infested lawns usually contain several mounds that can smother the grass. However, they prefer to nest in areas of sparse vegetation, and rarely infest thick, vigorous turf. Cicada killers overwinter as larvae in the soil. Pupation occurs in the spring and the adult emerges in mid-June to early July. Emergence continues throughout the summer. Females feed, mate and dig burrows for several weeks before preying on cicadas. Excess soil thrown out of the burrow forms a regular, U-shaped mound at the entrance. The females search tree trunks and lower limbs for cicadas. The wasp stings its prey, turns the victim on its back, straddles it and drags it or glides with it to the burrow. Each burrow includes several cells where larvae are raised. Each cell is furnished with at least one cicada (sometimes two or three) and a single egg before being sealed off. Two to three days later the egg hatches. Depending on the number of cicadas in its cell, the larva feeds for 4 to 10 days until only the cicada's outer shell remains. During the fall, the larva spins a silken case, shrinks, and prepares to overwinter. Only one generation occurs each year. Cultural practices can prevent or eliminate the establishment of cicada killer colonies. Adequate lime and fertilizer applications accompanied by frequent watering promote a thick growth of turf and can usually eliminate a cicada killer infestation in one or two seasons. In case of severe infestation, chemical control may be necessary to prevent danger from stinging wasps. Treating the nest area with Sevin (spray or dust) will eliminate the wasps in the treated area. See better cicada killer photos at the Forestry Images web site at: http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/subthumb.cfm?sub=2350&start=1 Read more than you will ever care to know about cicada killers at: http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~hollidac/cicadakillerhome.html |
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| What to do about ticks and fleas in yards With our spring mosquitoes on the decline, now may be a good time to write about controlling ticks and fleas in home yards. Both of these blood sucking parasites can be a nuisance in yards and several people have asked about using insecticides to reduce their numbers. Sprays containing carbaryl (sold as Sevin) or permethrin will kill both fleas and ticks. Permethrin has the added advantage of acting as a repellent. Before treating a yard with either of these products, all kid and dog toys should be collected and removed from the yard as a safety precaution. Kids and pets should not be allowed back into a treated yard for at least two days after treatment. Many lawn care providers offer this service to clients who do not want to tackle this job themselves. For those that do, be sure to read and follow all instructions and safety precautions found on the label before using any pesticide. |
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| Weather news
Peter Kurtz Geography The heat wave that began last weekend and continued through Tuesday, July 10 in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula, came to an abrupt end Wednesday with the passage of a strong cold front. Some areas in the central part of the state received over 0.5 inch of rainfall on Tuesday. Unfortunately, many locations in the southern and western parts of the state, which have been unusually dry since early June, were missed completely. A large trough still exists in the eastern part of the United States, and its influence extends westward to the Great Lakes region. A secondary cold front came through the state yesterday bringing with it unseasonably cool weather for this time of year, but unfortunately not much precipitation. A stationary upper level low in Canada will supply the cool air aloft. Today will be the coolest day for the foreseeable future with temperatures, struggling to reach 70 degrees in many locations. The northern part of the state will remain in the 60’s. There is a small chance that we might even see lake effect clouds in the extreme western part of the state, quite unusual for mid July! The anticipated major warming trend with highs approaching 90 degrees again now appears to be delayed since the upper level low in Canada is not moving out of the picture as fast as originally thought. We should see a backdoor cold front traverse through the state from north to south on Monday delaying the warm-up and just bringing temperatures in the state to more seasonal levels. Highs today will range from the upper 60’s north to lower 70’s south warming to the mid 70’s north and lower 80’s south by Sunday. Highs should increase a bit further Monday and Tuesday with temperatures near 80 degrees north to the middle 80’s south. Lows will range from the mid-50’s through this entire period up north, but increase to the low and middle 60’s south by Tuesday. The best chance for showers the next few days will occur tonight and Saturday in the Lower Peninsula. There is even a chance of some severe weather with the precipitation on Saturday. Right now, Sunday appears dry statewide with some isolated showers possible again on Monday and Tuesday. The models differ on their assessment of Wednesday’s precipitation potential with a warm front lifting north out of Indiana. One model hints at a possible heavy rain event south that day. Hopefully, this will occur since that area is in great need of rainfall. The 6-10 day outlook covering the period July 18-22, which was issued yesterday, is calling for above normal temperatures, especially in the western half of the Upper Peninsula and western sections of the Lower Peninsula. Unfortunately for many areas, precipitation is expected to be below normal statewide. The 8-14 day outlook, which covers the period of July 19-25, continues this warm and dry pattern with a good chance of above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation statewide. |
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