If you notice insects in your house a few days after bringing in a load of firewood or setting up your Christmas tree, you may have picked up an insect hitchhiker. Don’t worry! These bugs are rare and almost always harmless. Learn how to deal with them here!

Drive out insect intruders before they drive you crazy.

As the fall weather starts you might be tempted to put away your bugspray along with your shorts and flipflops but hold up! You still might need it. Some ticks may still be active well into the fall and even in the winter. These tiny animals are more than just a nuisance. They often carry…Read more about The Cold Never Bothered Ticks Anyway (well, kinda)[Read More]

Most experienced gardeners will tell you that removing the dead foliage and stems of perennials and annuals in the fall is a great way to help next year’s garden get off to a good start. Removing the stubble and leaves can remove overwintering fungi and insects that can attack plants in the spring. It also…Read more about Protect Pollinators and Plants with a Balanced Fall Garden Cleanup Plan[Read More]

Have you noticed large, messy webs on trees? You may have seen a colony of fall webworms. These caterpillars hatch in mid-July but tend to become more noticeable as the summer progresses. They often eat branches bare of leaves but are they a threat to tree health?   What do they look like? Fall webworms…Read more about Fall webworms: Should you manage them?[Read More]

Remove dead and dying trees to prevent further decline of trees in a planting.

Found a tiny “pot” attached to a plant? Find out what it is and if you need to be concerned!

Several caterpillar pests feed on trees and shrubs in July. Although most trees can tolerate some defoliation, the injury can be unsightly for much of the summer. Damage to plants can be reduced by timely applications of insecticides. Proper choice of insecticides can reduce impacts on pollinators and natural enemies of spider mites that do…Read more about Safe Caterpillar Control[Read More]

Late frosts and wet weather were especially hard on oaks this spring. Surviving leaves on many oaks did not grow normally. Sustained warm weather in the summer will allow oaks to grow past their injury and thrive. Oak tatters is a common response to cold snaps in the late spring.  Leaf growth is distorted. Affected…Read more about Oaks Will Persist After Ugly Summer Start[Read More]

Jumping worms (a.k.a. snake worms, crazy worms, Amynthas spp.) While you’re gardening in the coming weeks keep your eyes peeled for jumping, wriggling worms. Asian jumping worms are spreading in the Midwest and they can do serious damage to your yard.   Where are they from? No one is sure exactly how jumping worms were…Read more about Asian jumping worms: ID, impact, and prevention[Read More]

Tent caterpillars have started hatching. How should you handle them?

When houseplants and garden seedlings are kept too wet, roots can rot and the fungus that grows in the soil can feed fungus gnats. For houseplants, fungus gnats are usually just a nuisance. When growing seedlings or in a greenhouse adults can spread fungal diseases to flowers. Larvae can spread fungal diseases when they feed…Read more about Proper Watering Prevents Problems with Fungus Gnats[Read More]