Monday, July 30, 2012

Issue no. 13 of the Home, Yard & Garden Newsletter


IN THIS ISSUE:

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Seedcorn beetles, Stenolophus lecontei, have been reported in large numbers in turf in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and California. The adult beetles are slightly over one-quarter inch long, oval, and yellowish-brown to brown with two large, black oval spots on the back. In the past, only adult beetles were found burrowing into golf greens in September and October.

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Pearleaf blister mites, Phytoptus pyri, has been reported on ornamental pears. This is an eriophyid mite that attacks not only apple and pear fruit and ornamental trees, but also other rose family trees including serviceberry, cotoneaster, hawthorn, and mountain ash.

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FMC has just released three short videos concerning label changes associated with Talstar, their bifenthrin product. Similar changes appear to be in store for other pyrethroid insecticides.

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Cicada killer continues to be very numerous in many parts of Illinois this summer. These wasps are about 2 inches long, black with yellow markings, and have reddish, transparent wings. The females dig 1/2-inch-diameter burrows that extend about seven to twenty inches into the soil. This results in mounds of loose soil around the burrow openings.

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White grubs should be hatching or have hatched throughout the state. Our normal first date for determining grub numbers through scouting is around August 6. However, adults emerged ten to fourteen days early this year, so all of the eggs should have hatched. Fewer people appear to be irrigating their lawns this year, so the grubs will be concentrated in the few highly irrigated turf areas.

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When the ornamentals in your backyard are slowly dying off or developing poorly, this poor growth and decline may be symptoms of a Rhizoctonia root rot.  Whether it is an ornamental, vegetable, or a field crop; a wide range of plants are subjected to Rhizoctonia root rot disease. The disease is caused by a soilborne fungus of the Rhizoctonia spp.

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Powdery mildews are one of the most easily recognized diseases in the landscape.  Unfortunately, they are equally as common and can be a problem on annuals, perennials, shrubs, and even trees. Powdery mildews flourish when the days are warm to hot, the nights are cool, and humidity is high. They are often more severe on crowded plants growing in the shade where air circulation is poor.
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