Winter is an important time for home gardeners to reduce pest and disease problems before the next growing season begins. Good garden sanitation during the dormant months can greatly limit the number of insects, pathogens, and weeds that survive to cause trouble in spring. Many common garden pests overwinter in plant debris. Insects such as […]
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Along with the first rains of the season arrive, comes the potential for botrytis – a disease that can turn lush rose blooms into a brown, soggy mush. This wide-spread disease is also known as botrytis blight, bud rot, gray mold, wooly mold and when growing on grapes, the “noble rot” where it can either
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World Pollution Prevention Day that is observed every year on December 2nd, serves as an urgent reminder for all of us to address the environmental challenges that our planet faces. With human activities continuing to degrade the Earth’s natural resources, pollution has become a pressing issue that necessitates immediate attention. A close look at the
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The mere sound of their name produces the ewwww factor – cockroaches! These insects thrive in both indoor and outdoor environments where there is food, water, and shelter. During the day, roaches hide in dark, moist areas like cracks, water meter boxes, sewers, and crawl spaces. They come out at night to feed. Good sanitation
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If you recently planted cabbage, broccoli, or kale, (often called Brassicas and cole crops) keep an eye out for cabbageworms! The adult cabbageworm is a white butterfly with one to four black spots on its wings. They lay eggs individually on the leaves of brassica plants. Larvae are green caterpillars that chew on the leaves
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Monarchs, the beloved butterflies in North America, are in trouble. The monarchs that breed in western North America migrate toward the Pacific to overwinter in tree groves scattered along the coast from Mendocino County in California to Baja California in Mexico. For twenty years, counts have been made of overwintering butterflies thanks to volunteers with
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It may look like an ethereal puffball, really rather pretty, but don’t be fooled. Dandelions are tough weeds! Also known as lion’s tooth, blowball, and monk’s head, it can be a problem in gardens, lawns, pastures, and tree and vine crops. Introduced from Europe where it has been used as an herb and medicinal plant
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You bet! Rat poisons or rodenticides are pesticides designed to kill rodents, like mice and rats. They are formulated as baits that include tasty ingredients like peanut butter, molasses, and grains to attract animals. These ingredients can be also attractive to children and pets. Rodenticide baits are not only poisonous for rodents, but they can
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July 16 is World Snake Day: an opportunity to celebrate snakes and raise awareness about their preservation. While snakes are threatened by many of the same issues that affect all wildlife (habitat loss, climate change, and disease), negative attitudes toward snakes may be the biggest barrier to their preservation because it often impedes efforts to
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Summer is here and so are yellowjackets – those one-half to one-inch-long bright yellow wasps with black strips and their signature “narrow” waist. Yellowjackets prey on other insects and scavenge on human food and garbage. They will fiercely defend their nests – in holes in the ground, inside wall cavities or hanging gray paper-looking ones,
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