September-October 2018

The Unwanted Guests

by janem on September 6, 2018

story and photograph by Steven Jakobi

The western conifer seed bug.

Autumn is a time for the arrival of a bunch of unwanted guests to the house. In reality, they are more like squatters, moving in for the winter. I am not talking about people but about insects, mammals, and other creatures. Field mice and shrews may inundate the basement and even an enterprising snake or two may set up shop in the dark corners of the cellar or porch of an old house.

Old or new, many homes are invaded by several kinds of insects looking for a place to ride out the cold months of winter. In my house, a large portion of which was built in the 1840s, we have to deal with cluster flies, Asian lady beetles, and western conifer seed bugs, the latter of which are often confused with the marmorated stink bug. Other folks I know also have occasional infestations by boxelder beetles.

All of these insects can be a nuisance if their numbers are big enough. Their populations may fluctuate from year to year, depending on a number of environmental and control factors, but in some years there may be hundreds or even thousands attempting to enter homes. Mind you, none come to eat or reproduce. They are simply searching for a suitable place to bide their time until the warmer months of next spring.

Of the insects I listed above, the most loathed species is the cluster fly. Slightly larger than house flies, they spend the summer months parasitizing earthworms during their larval development. In autumn, they enter homes through cracks or crevices and set up shop in any dark part of the house. These hiding places may be in walls, dark ceiling corners, base boards, or even behind curtains. If they are numerous enough, they may buzz around the house and occasionally fall into food, clothing, bedding, or even people’s hair. They can be quite a disgusting nuisance. Unlike the house fly, cluster flies do not eat or reproduce in the home and they don’t carry disease-causing germs. The best remedy is to keep them out in the first place by sealing any openings around doors or windows and caulking tiny crevices. However, this is easier said than done, especially in older dwellings. Once they are inside the house, the vacuum cleaner is the homeowner’s best friend. If there’s an annual influx a professional exterminator’s equipment and chemicals might be called upon to help prevent the entry of these flies. The use of over-the-counter insecticides is not recommended as an effective control measure.

Multicolored Asian lady beetles were brought to North America from Japan as biocontrol agents of aphids and scale insects in southern forests and fruit orchards. Another group of these beetles was accidentally introduced in shipping containers in the port of New Orleans, and they have since been spreading throughout the eastern part of the U.S. In New York, they were first recorded in Chemung County in 1994. Often mistaken for the common ladybug, this species invades homes in October or November and can congregate by the hundreds in ceiling corners, porches, or other structures. These lady beetles may range in color from pale yellow to dull red, and normally have numerous black spots on their bodies. Like cluster flies, the lady beetles do not eat or reproduce during the winter months. Many will die from the low humidity in our heated homes and litter carpets, floors, or tops of cabinets, but the majority simply leave the home when the weather turns warm. Control measures are pretty much the same as for the cluster fly: exclusion and the vacuum cleaner. The use of insecticides is not recommended by Cornell University entomologists.

For the past three or four years, I have had another group of unwanted guests: the western conifer seed bug. These insects are often misidentified as “stink bugs.” To be sure, they do produce a strong odor when handled improperly, but they are not related to the marmorated stink bug. A western North American native, the conifer seed bug has spread eastward and was first recorded in New York State in 1992. During the summer, they feed on the cones and seeds of pines, spruces, firs, and hemlocks. In the fall, they enter dwellings but they neither bite nor sting nor cause any damage. Because of the smell these beetles can give off when injured, some people prefer to handle them with paper towels or disposable gloves. Adults are about three-quarters of an inch long, slender with brown stripes and a darker abdomen. They have characteristic bumpy enlargements on their hind legs (see photograph), which easily distinguishes them from the shorter and wider marmorated stink bug. I don’t mind these beetles too much in the house, although they occasionally startle one of us in the bathroom or in the kitchen. For folks who do not care to have them at all in the house, exclusion is once again the best practice. The same goes for the boxelder beetle, a similarly shaped bug with handsome red-and-black coloring that is frequently encountered in areas where boxelder trees (a kind of maple) are common.

Living in the suburbs or in the country, we have to contend with all kinds of wildlife—from mammals, like deer and skunks, to a variety of birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians. It is a constant “battle,” although we might remember that these creatures need pretty much the same things we do: food, water, and shelter to protect them from the bitter cold months of western New York’s harsh winter climate.

 

Steven Jakobi is a Master Gardener volunteer for the Allegany County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

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Asian Worms

by janem on September 6, 2018

by Walt Nelson

Mature jumping worm, with characteristic milky white clitellum (band near the head of the worm). Photo by Susan Day / UW- Madison Arboretum

Earthworms, good in the garden, right? Maybe, but not in our natural landscapes. Earthworms have
not been native to our temperate zone since the last ice age. Our forest and landscape ecosystems have evolved without them.

European colonists inadvertently brought their native worms (Amynthas spp. and Metaphire sp.) to North America. Those worms colonized much of the area and have had an adverse impact on the soil ecology. But even more recently introduced worms are wreaking havoc in
the forest and landscape.

Asian worms were accidently introduced to southern Appalachia in the late 1880s. They migrated via human activity to the upper Midwest, New England, the Northwest, and the Northeast, including many areas of upstate New York.

The three species in the two genera are visually indistinguishable. Their cloudy, white-to-gray smooth clitellum differentiates them from European worms, which have a raised pink to dark-red band.

The Asian worms move in a snakelike fashion, rather than compress and stretch as do the European worms. When disturbed they thrash about, jumping or moving in an erratic manner, hence some of their common names, which include Alabama jumper, crazy worm, Asian jumping worm, and snake worm.

Their preferred habitat is the top two inches of soil or within leaf litter or mulch. The poop, or castings, of the Asian worms is courser, almost granular, in comparison to European worm castings. Organic duff degrades to their castings in a single season. All worms consume organic
matter, releasing the nutrients previously tied to the organic matter. However, the faster nutrient release by Asian worms results in a soil environment less suitable for native plants and microbes that are dependent on partially decomposed organic matter.

Asian worms are parthenogenetic, requiring no mate for reproduction. Adults die as winter approaches, but their cocoons, containing one or two eggs, survive the winter and hatch in April. These young feed, grow, and reproduce during the growing season.

There are no registered pesticides for use against any worms. Researchers and gardeners have attempted to manage the Asian worm with diatomaceous earth, sulfur, or mustard. The results are erratic and inconclusive. Best management practices in minimizing their spread when moving plants from areas where the Asian worm is present includes washing roots and removing both adults and cocoons. Plant these bare root plants in a “peat-lite”—type medium. If keeping these potted plants outdoors, avoid ground contact to prevent worms from migrating up into the pots.

Census for the presence of worms in soil by drenching a one-square-foot area with one gallon of a ground mustard solution (1 gallon of water, 1/3 cup ground yellow mustard) and count the worms that will appear at the surface.

Practically, the “cat may be out of the bag” with the Asian worm. That said, best management practices can slow their spread. Research is underway in New York and elsewhere to help us learn more about these worms and hopefully provide solutions for their management.

Walt Nelson is a horticulturist with Cornell Cooperative Extension, Monroe County.

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Almanac: September-October 2018

by cathym on September 5, 2018

What To Do in the Garden in September & October

Planting spring flowering bulbs

AUTUMN GARDENING CHORES
Remove, pick up, and discard any diseased plants or leaves. Disinfect your pruners as you move from plant to plant to prevent spreading fungal spores, bacteria, phytoplasma, and viruses.

Divide early-summer–blooming perennials that have become overgrown, show diminished bloom, or have a bare spot in the clump center (doughnut). Do this in early fall while there is still enough time for the roots to settle in for the winter.

Deadhead (cut off the flower/seed heads) plants that seed freely unless you want seedlings. This will cut down on your weeding next year. Leave the seed heads of astilbe, black-eyed-Susan, coneflower, and daisies intact to provide food for birds and winter interest.

Remove weeds to prevent both perennial and annual weeds from getting a head start in the spring.

Add compost to your beds to improve soil texture and promote beneficial microbes to prepare the garden for next spring.

Spread fallen leaves to serve as a protective mulch for your plants.

Don’t heavily prune trees or shrubs at this time. Pruning now may prevent hardening off and encourage new growth that can be killed back during the winter.

Don’t prune lavender, azaleas, viburnums, rhododendrons, forsythias, or spiraea.

BULBS, TUBERS, AND CORMS
Plant spring flowering bulbs from mid-September through October to allow bulbs to set strong roots—resulting in more successful blooms.

It’s difficult to tell the top from the bottom of some bulbs. The skin is loose at the top and attached at the bottom. If you can’t tell, plant them sideways.

To deter moles, voles, and squirrels, ring the planting area with a mixture of soil and gravel or put small chicken wire between the bulbs and soil surface.

Plant bulbs two-to-three times as deep as their height, or a little deeper for naturalizing varieties.

Dig and store summer-blooming tubers such as caladium and elephant ear before frost and tuberous begonias, cannas, and dahlias after the foliage is blackened by frost.

FRUITS – VEGETABLES – HERBS
Pot up some of your garden herbs and bring them in the house for fresh herbs during the winter.

Cover plants if early frost is expected.

Harvest frost-tender veggies and herbs such as basil, tomatoes, beans, peppers, eggplants, squash, and pumpkins.

Don’t wait too long before picking pears—they ripen from the inside out. Take a fruit in your hand and tilt it horizontally. If the fruit comes off the branch it is time to pick your pears.

Cut off the growing tip of each tomato stem to prevent new flowering. The energy will then go into the tomatoes already on the vine.

Continue watering into the autumn so developing vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers mature.

Allow winter squash such as butternut and acorn to fully ripen on the vine. The rind will be hard and not easily punctured. Harvest before the frost.

Harvest onions when the bulbs are mature and the tops start to turn yellow. Store in a dry place.

Plant radishes, kale and spinach for your last crops of the season.

Plant your largest garlic cloves around Columbus Day about three inches deep.

Plant cover crops or spread composted manure or compost over unplanted areas.

Mulch carrot rows for winter harvesting.

LAWNS
September is the best time to fertilize your lawn or seed a new one. Remember to water newly seeded areas regularly to keep the soil moist. Choose high quality seed appropriate for your site.

Overseed bare spots in the lawn. Filling in bare spots helps prevent weeds in those areas next year.

Check your lawn for grubs by lifting up about one square foot of sod. If there are more than 10–12 grubs per foot you may want to treat the lawn.

GENERAL

Don’t spread mulch until the ground freezes.

Trees, shrubs or any newly planted perennials should be  kept well-watered until the soil freezes.

In late September, bring in any houseplants that have been outside or annuals you want to winter over. Give the foliage a good soapy bath and check them carefully for insects. Keep them isolated from your other houseplants for two to three weeks. Do this is before you have to turn on the furnace. This cuts down on the shock of moving inside.

Harvest sunflowers when the seeds are firm. (Cover with mesh if birds are a problem.) Cut the heads with about a foot of stem. Hang in a dry area to complete seed ripening.

Watch out for Asian ladybugs, stink bugs and western conifer seed bugs that enter homes looking for warmth and shelter. Caulking and weather stripping helps prevent their entry. They are not harmful and can be vacuumed up. Empty the vacuum bag to dispose of them.

This is the time for fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea). Spraying is not necessary. Consider hosing down the webs to disturb the cycle.

Take pictures of your gardens. Make notes for next year’s gardens now—what worked, what didn’t; what to add, remove, or move. You think you will remember next year, but you won’t!

Plant winter pansies, ornamental kale, and mums. In October bring some pumpkins and gourds to the landscape for seasonal interest.

—Lyn Chimera and Carol Ann Harlos, Erie County Master Gardeners

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