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by Rett Davis | |
Gardening Q&A by Rett Davis appears in
Alamance County's daily newspaper, The Burlington Times-News,
every Sunday in the Accent section. Each week's installment is
posted to this
website, beginning with January 1998. Scroll to the bottom of
this page to navigate to other Gardening Q&As. Please contact
Rett via e-mail with questions
or
comments in regard to this column.
Answer:
This is typical flea beetle damage. These
oval black beetles have jumping hind legs and can be very
destructive to young eggplants and potatoes. They are most
active in early spring when their feeding riddles the leaves with
small holes. New leaves can often be totally destroyed. You can
use either Sevin or malathion in the dust or liquid form on a
weekly basis. If you do not want to use an insecticide then
covering the plants with a fine netting will exclude them. Flea
beetles are more of a problem in the spring than during the
summer months.
Question:
I have been spraying Sevin several time a
week to stop potato beetles on our potato plants. It seems that
I can't even slow them down. Why does Sevin not work anymore?
Answer:
Resistance to Sevin is getting more common
with the Colorado potato beetles. I would suggest that you
change to another insecticide altogether. Try using Thiodan and
do not exceed 6 applications per season. Thiodan can be
purchased at farm supply stores and many hardware stores.
Commercial growers follow a different management strategy and are
advised to call me for those details.
Question:
In the downstairs living quarters of our home
we are getting attacked by very small insects. They jump on our
legs and have gotten in our upholstered furniture. They are so
small and not like anything we have seen before. What are they
and what can be done about them?
Answer:
Blame this problem on dry weather. The
insect is called a springtail. They live outdoors in areas of
high moisture such as garden mulch and moist soil. During
prolonged periods of drought they will show up indoors. The most
common area where they are found are along exterior doors,
windows, bathtubs, and around commodes. This problem is
unpredictable and can stop very quickly if rains should return
with some normalcy. Chemical control is a mixed bag. Outdoor
sprays of insecticides such as those for general purpose insect
control will give some temporary relief. These products are made
by Ortho, Bayer, and Spectracide and contain one of the
pyrethroids, cyfluthrin, permethrin, or tralomethrin. Spraying
2-3 feet from the foundation will help using a hose sprayer to
get adequate coverage. Indoors use general 'Ant and Roach'
sprays by Raid, Enforcer, or Hot Shot around baseboards,
doorways, and windowsills. The only consultation in all this is
that springtails don't bite. If you are incapable of doing this
yourself, then hire a professional pest control operator.
Question:
Four of my five dwarf nandinas fell over
during the wind storm last week. When I picked them up it was
obvious that they had been cut off at ground level. What caused
this?
Answer:
You have some hungry voles on your property.
These small mice have an appetite for nandinas, hosta, daylilles,
Siberian iris, painted fern, fruit trees, mahonia, tulip bulbs
and many more of our favorite ornamentals. They are not moles.
Vole activity can be spotted with the presence of small holes
about 1 to 2 inches in diameter in the lawn or around the stumps
of trees. Sometimes all you will see are runs under the mulch
when it is carefully pulled back. You can control them by
placing Rozol Rat and Mice bait down each hole for a week or by
using a mouse trap. Mouse traps can be baited with peanut butter
or dried apple and placed under a pot over a vole hole. Have fun,
a friend of mine caught 18 voles in one week using a mouse trap.
So don't stop after catching just one.
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If you have any horticultural questions, please direct them to Rett Davis