Bugs, Bugs, Bugs: April 2006

This is going to be an interesting beginning to what appears to be a long, hot, buggy year. Several problems are being affected by the hot dry weather, and some bugs are being found early and in areas where they are not usually a problem.

1. Armyworms: We are seeing a massive outbreak of this pest in several areas of the state. They are eating everything in sight: grass, sugarcane, oats, wheat and hay. The only area that should not need to spray is the sugarcane, as they feed on the blades and leave the midribs and do not hurt the cane. The best thing that could happen here is for a little rain to wet things and get the other grasses growing. In other places it will require some management. It will possibly require several treatments, as we can have a generation every 30 days now that it has started. We really have 2 different armyworms that can do this type of damage: the true and the fall armyworms. They can be readily identified by checking their mandibles. The fall armyworm has a mandible with five (5) teeth, and the true armyworm has an angular mandible that resembles a knife blade and no teeth. There are several management tools that can be used to reduce the populations and save your lawns. Any of the pyrethroids available to the homeowner, Spinosad and Bacillus thuringiensis (both biologicals), Sevin and Thiodan are effective. Be sure to check the water pH and adjust it to make the spray more effective.
   
   
2. Eastern and Forest Tent Caterpillars: This population is back from last year, and there seem to more of them, if that is possible. In the last week, they have hatched out and have begun to strip the foliage from sweet gum, oaks and several other plants including roses and other ornamentals. It is important to be sure to add a little spreader sticker or soap to the spray solution to assure better contact with the caterpillars. Without the soap or spreader, the spray may sit on top of the body hairs and never touch to caterpillar, giving the impression that the material is not working. The soap allows the material to contact the body and give better control. Also adjust the water pH.
   
   
3. Fire Ants: The weather has warmed, but with the dry soils do not treat too early. The ants need moist soil to swarm out and begin to build new colonies. Before treating it is best to check foraging by the ants to make sure enough are out and foraging before you treat, particularly with the baits. Individual mounds can be treated when found, and be sure to use enough water in your treatment to penetrate the mound to the area where the queen is, otherwise the colony will simply move over a few feet. It is best to use about a gallon of solution per mound. There are several baits (insecticides and growth regulators), sprays and granules that can be applied for management. Be sure to read the label to apply the material properly for optimum management results. We have a program on the management of fire ants on a community- or area-wide basis. For information on this program contact, Dr. Dale Pollet or Ms Patty Beckley at the LSU AgCenter Department of Entomology, 225-578-2180.
   
   
4. Carpenter Bees: Notice any neat half-inch holes bored in your fence, wooden garden tools, wooden patio furniture or the eaves of your house. These could be caused by the carpenter bee. They drill these tunnels in the wood and over time can weaken the structure of the wood. To reduce this problem on your home, you can treat the wood, if unpainted, with a material called Timbor or Bora-Care. The wood should be wet, and then the material sprayed on allowed to dry and repeated the next day. This is a borate material. When sprayed on the wet wood as it dries the borate crystals are pulled into the wood. These crystals help to cut up the mandible, so as the bees try to bore into the wood, the mandibles are cut, and this stops the bees from boring. This is not as functional for lawn furniture, fences or garden tools. When damage is observed, spray a pyrethroid with soap into the holes late in the afternoon for optimum management.
   
   
5. Honeybee Swarms: This is the time of year when honeybees divide their colonies and swarm out of the old colony to start another one. One can encounter a swarm anytime in the next 8 to 10 weeks, which is the normal swarming time. Should you see or find a swarm, usually a ball of bees hanging from a branch, your home or a structure in your yard, you can contact a beekeeper on the LSU Web site for assistance in removing it. The site is www.lsuagcenter.com. This will bring you to the home page, and on the left is a listing. Scroll down to Environment and Natural Resources, click on it, and on the right you will find another list. Scroll down to Insects and related Arthropods. Clicking here will give you a list of insects, and under Bees and Wasp you will find a list of beekeepers that remove bees and collect swarms. The information provided tells you their name and phone number, what they do and how far they will go to assist you. If you are a beekeeper and you are not listed here, I can add your name if you will call 225-578-2180 and give me the necessary information. At this time many plants are blooming, particularly the hollies, and these are excellent producers of both pollen and nectar. The density of honeybees working these blooms sometimes makes people think they have a swarm, but the bees are only foraging and gathering the nectar and pollen. Remember, do not needlessly kill honeybee colonies, as they are necessary for the pollination of many fruits, nuts and berries, flowers and vegetables that we grow around the home and garden. They are worth about $400 million annually to Louisiana, and the service is free, although we do have some commercial growers who hire colonies to pollinate their crops. This service in many cases increases production between 20 percent and 40 percent. While performing this service, the bees will gather the nectar from the flowers and make honey. Random killing of honeybees can create problems for local beekeepers, and if you are in an area with African honeybees (Calcasieu, Cameron and Caddo parishes), you provide them with an open opportunity to move into your area.
   
   
6. Spider Mites: The dry weather also creates a situation where the plants that have a good water source are succulent, and with everything around them dry, mites become a problem for those plants. These little arachnids create a stippling effect on the foliage of the plants, particularly roses and citrus and many other garden flowers. One of the best management tools is Ultra Fine Oil. This is safe oil that can be used on fruits, vegetables and flowers to reduce mite problems with no phytotoxic effects. It can also be used with a miticide for more effective control. If used alone it will require one of two additional sprays, depending on density of the infestation. Remember to get complete coverage, as mites are usually on the under surface and spraying only the top surface of the plants will not give adequate control.
   
   
7. Aphids: Daylilies, roses and many vegetables are now being infested with these small pests. They can harm the plants from three aspects: first the feeding reduces the plants' vigor and normal growing pattern. Second, they excrete the excess sugars they get from the plants as honeydew. This is an excellent medium for the growth and development of sooty mold, the black crusty material on the leaves of infested plants. And third, some are capable of transmitting diseases. There are several good materials that can mange this population: Merit, Orthene, Malathion, talstar and others. Be sure to use the material properly for optimum control.
   
   
8. Diamondback Moths: Several growers and gardeners are having problems with this little moth larva on their greens or cole crops. There are a couple of things necessary to manage this pest. Get rid of old crops that you have stopped picking; this is a prime source for infestation of your new plantings. Use one of the recommended Bacillus formulations like Xentati or Centari or Condor or Javalin, and use a spreader sticker to help it adhere to the plant surfaces. Where infestations are heavy, two to three applications may be necessary at 10-day intervals. Remember, these are biological materials, and they do not kill instantly but over a period of 3 to 7 days. The caterpillars will be alive, but once they ingest the bacteria, it begins to feed on them and they walk about for a few days without feeding before dying.
   
   
9. Buck Moths: Although we saw numerous moths flying around in the fall, we are seeing only small pockets of these stinging caterpillars. They are out, however, so check under the oaks before allowing small children to play outside. The control is a pyrethroid and a little liquid soap for better coverage. There are several pyrethroids available at local markets and stores. Those who prefer not to use chemicals may try spinosad or a Bt., Bacillus thuringiensis. Both options will gradually reduce the populations.
   
   
10. White Marked Tussock Moths: These caterpillars will add to the defoliation problems of trees and some ornamental shrubs. They do not sting, but they can still be an irritant. If a large number infest a small area, the amount of hairs that break off of the caterpillars can cause some membrane irritation, (nose eyes, and throat). Controls of these are the same as the other caterpillars.

Until next month,

Dale