Kuidzu Bugs on the Move

Kudzu bugs

As the weather has begun to cool, I have started getting calls about large numbers of insects trying to get into people’s homes.  Most people are familiar with the Asian Lady Beetles, but they do not recognize this insect.  This insect is the kudzu bug.  The cooler temperature has caused them to move from the kudzu patches and start looking for a place to spend the winter.  And your nice warm home is a good spot.

The kudzu bug was first reported in Mississippi in 2012 and is rapidly spreading throughout the state.  The most recent report has this insect in 33 counties.  It was necessary to spray some soybean fields in some areas to prevent economic damage from them.

This time of year they are just an annoyance.  To keep them out of your home, seal all window/door cracks. Screens will also help prevent kudzu bug entry. It is important to make sure soffit vents and peak vents on homes have good screening in addition to window and door screening.

       Sweep the kudzu bugs that do get into your home into a dustpan and put them in a bucket of water.  If you vacuum them up, they will release their stink into the vacuum canister and that can stay in it for several weeks so change canister bags as soon as you get through.  It is not a good idea to pick them up in your bare hands either.  It takes multiple applications of soap and water to remove the odor.

To further reduce entry into your home, you can apply insecticides around doors and windows.  You can use any labeled outdoor insecticide to kill them.   If you kill large amounts to them, you need to sweep and remove since they will produce a foul odor as they decompose.  Their carcasses can also attract ants.

BIG, Scary, Yellow Spiders!

 Golden Silk Spider with scary human.

          Does your yard look like it is already decorated for Halloween because of all the spider webs covered with huge spiders?  In the fall we see an increase in these large webs.

One of the more colorful ones is the Golden Silk Spider (Golden Silk Orb Weaver), Nephila clavipes: This is a large orb weaver (web builder) with webs that are several feet wide. They are often called ‘banana spiders’ by people in south Mississippi know them by this name. Mature females range from 1 to 1 ½ inches long and have a leg span of 3 to 4 inches. The abdomen is orange or yellow with white markings and is elongate and tube-shaped; the front part of their body is silver. The legs are yellow, banded with black, and have distinctive tufts of black hairs concentrated at the joints

           

Golden silk spiders suspend their webs between trees and shrubs in open woods and wooded landscapes. They can be quite numerous in the southern part of the state, and it is not uncommon to see several spiders nesting near one another, presumably sisters that developed from the same egg mass. I have several webs suspended between trees and shrubs lining my driveway.

 

Like regular garden spiders, they can inflict a painful bite if mishandled, but they are not aggressive and the bite is usually not serious. Because their webs can be so numerous, these spiders can be a nuisance to hikers, bikers, and people who work in the yard or play outside. It is shocking to feel one of these large spiders crawling up the back of your neck after you have unknowingly walked through its web.

 

This spider produces one of the strongest silks, and hence one of the strongest fibers, known to man. It gets its name from the golden color that the silk has in certain lighting. Golden silk spiders occur throughout the Southeast and in Central and South America. They are quite common in the southern third of the state, but it is unusual to encounter them much north of I-20.  I live in Meridian just a few miles north of I-20 with several large webs in my yard.

           Leave them alone and these spiders will not bother you.  They will silently and colorfully catch insects for you.  Not to mention they will provide free Halloween decorations.

 

Ragweed---Something to Sneeze At

Common ragweed hiding in the goldenrod.

   My eyelids are swollen, and tears are flowing.  And, if my nose runs anymore, there will no longer be any liquid left in my body.  People avoid me because they think I have some dreaded disease.  I sniff and sneeze in my private torment, taking little comfort in the knowledge that 25 million others commiserate with me.  All this misery is because of a condition known as Allergic rhinitis.

            The culprit that causes this condition is ragweed, whose billions of grains of pollen are released on these wonderful fall days.  Ragweed is indigenous to most of the United States; however, the greatest ragweed concentrations occur in the Midwest.  Around Cincinnati, a square mile of ragweed might shed 16 tons of pollen a year.  Nationally, an estimated 250,000 tons or more of ragweed pollen are released into the atmosphere year and each grain can travel more than 100 miles from its source.    No wonder allergies symptoms run wild in the fall each year!  The persons who count and weigh these near-microscopic pollen grains must lead a monastic lifestyle.

            Ragweed is a pest that invades horticultural and agronomic crops, pastures, and highway rights-of-ways.  There are 2 species of ragweed - giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) and common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) that cause most of the misery.  Before common ragweed becomes a tear-making culprit, it exists as a plant with a distinctly unique appearance.  The grayish-green leaves are deeply lobbed, giving them a lace-like appearance.  Careful pruning will keep this plant compact.  These characteristics make ragweed a candidate for pot culture.  Just remove the flowers before they release their pollen.

Giant ragweed, on the other hand, can grow to 15 feet tall.  My first experience with giant ragweed was as a child when I removed insect larvae from stem galls to use as fishing bait.

So, how do we cope with ragweed (and other) pollen?  To reduce exposure to ragweed pollen, it is best to avoid the outdoors between 6-10 AM and also dry, hot, windy days.  The best time to be outside is in the late afternoon or after a heavy rain because pollen levels are lower during these times.  When gardening or mowing the lawn, wear a particle mask.  Take your allergy medications before going outdoors.  Wear sunglasses to keep pollen from getting into your eyes.  After being outdoors, it is best to shower and change clothing.  Pollen can adhere to clothing, skin, and hair.   Be aware that your pet can also transport pollen into your home. 

Ah choo!  In case you haven't figured out what Allergic rhinitis is, it is hay fever ... no hay and rarely any fever.  Remember hay fever is mostly caused by ragweed pollen, not goldenrod flowers.   However, goldenrods are usually blamed because their glorious yellow flowers distract one from seeing the incipient green flowers of ragweed.

Giant ragweed

Fall Webworms Are Here!

It is not even fall and they are back! I am getting calls from people asking, “What is that web stuff on my pecan trees!” That stuff is the webbing created by the fall webworm

The fall webworm appears on pecans in summer as well as in the fall. The fall webworms build larvae nests on the ends of branches. In our area they appear mostly on pecans and up to 90 other deciduous trees.

Damage is caused by caterpillars that eat leaves within the nest and enlarge the nest as they grow. Damage to the tree is seldom serious, but several severe infestations can defoliate and stress a tree, particularly small ones. The adult insect is a one inch, snowy white moth, with dark spots on its wings. The caterpillars are one inch long and covered with silky hair. Their color varies from pale yellow to green with a black stripe on the back and yellow stripe on each side. People usually do not notice the caterpillars until the large, white webs with skeletonized leaves appear.

Although the fall webworm is not considered a deadly pest it does gets lots complaints due to its ugly web that detracts from the aesthetic value of the tree.

You usually do not need to worry about losing your tree is because the webworms are eating leaves relatively late in the growing season. Therefore the defoliation is much less damaging to the tree than had it occurred earlier.

Control of this pest is rarely needed or even effective. You could use stick or high water pressure to break their silk web nest and expose them to their natural predators: birds, yellow jackets, and wasps. Also, you could prune infected branches and burn or otherwise destroy them. Some people attach some newspaper to the end of a long pole, set it on fire, and burn the webs in place.

If using pesticides for the webworm, there are a few that are effective. For severe infestations, spray nests and leaves with Sevin, permithrin, spinosad, or malathion, according to label directions. The best way to apply these chemicals is to spray them around the nest, on branches that the worms may spread to, and inside the nest after first breaking it with a stick. There is an organic product called “B.t.” (Bacillus thuringiensis), sold under the product name of Biotrol, Dipel, or Thurcide. To apply break up newly formed nests, then spray with B.T. in early evening during mid-summer when the caterpillar nests are small. B.t. is slow acting so be patient.

Natural control is preferred whenever possible so poke that hole in the web and let Mother Nature take charge.

Pest Alert: Leaf-footed Bugs on Blueberries

Adult leaf-footed bug

      I have found and had a call about leaf-footed bugs in blueberries.  The call came from Lauderdale Co. and the ones I saw are in Clarke and Perry counties.

Leaf-footed bug cause damage when feed on leaves and fruit by piercing the blueberries with their proboscis and sucking the juices. The saliva of leaf‐footed bugs contains a toxic secretion, which further injures plant tissue. They may cause wilting and death of leaves and deformation and loss of fruit. Leaf-footed bugs can damage larger green and ripe fruits.  Feeding on fruit with piercing‐sucking mouthparts causes pitting, distortion and discoloration. Puncturing of fruit also allows secondary pathogens to enter and cause rotting.  



Immature leaf-footed bugs

Leaf-footed bugs also raise their young within the fruiting cluster which is annoying when harvesting.



     Insecticides should target the nymph and adult stages. Carbaryl (Sevin) and malathion should provide adequate control but be aware of preharvest intervals.   Homeowners can usually catch and kill the bugs by hand since they are relatively slow moving.  You might want to wear gloves since these bugs are in the stinkbug family.