Are you noticing more insect damage this year?

5 years ago

There's always something or another doing some damage out there, but it seems more widespread to me this year -- four-lined plant bugs on the caryopteris, something chewing the heck out of my cactus zinnias, who knows what munching on the squash and cukes, explosion of asparagus beetles, and yowza did every ant in the county take up residence on my property? I've never seen so many ants in trees and shrubs. I thought some of my milkweed bit the dust but when I looked closer I noticed green stems had poked through but was chewed off -- all of the stems. I dug them up and potted them, figuring if I get them away from whatever's going after them they'll survive just fine, and then other milkweed had something eating just the tips, probably some sort of borer, so I had to cut those back to below the damage. I think it's just going to be an ongoing battle this year...

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prairiemoon2 z6b MA

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Ants...I've seen a lot of ant holes in so many places. So far I haven't noticed them interfering wtih any plants. I did see a Northern Flicker in the front yard in the bed where a lot of them have made a home for themselves. I was pretty happy about that.

Otherwise, I've seen the usual number of aphids, mostly on Asclepias and a few on roses, oh and actually a large Spirea I have, not only had aphids visible on it but stickly leaves too but I also saw a lady bug that probably made quick work of them because they look absolutely clean right now.

We had 6 years of severe winter moth damage on our trees that suddenly stopped 2 years ago. Thankfully! I think they've developed and released something to combat that. Same with the red lily beetle that very suddenly dropped in numbers to very few. They used to riddle the leaves with holes and make an ugly mess of them. So much so I just about stopped growing them.

The biggest pest this year and last are rabbits!

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Comments (10)

laceyvail 6A, WV
5 years ago
Yes, as the climate has warmed, I have been seeing new pests in both ornamental and vegetable gardens.
sw_gardener
5 years ago
So far this year I've seen two new types of pests that weren't here previously that seem to have migrated north.

We also have a plague of gypsy moth caterpillars crawling over everything in sight. This is supposed to be the year of cicadas as well .
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porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
5 years ago
Oh, those blasted gypsy moths -- beasts! They destroyed two Colorado blue spruce shrubs I had -- I was too late to save them. I caught them early last year and used spinosad -- that did the trick; they defoliated parts of a spruce but I got them before they got to the growth buds, so the plant recovered this year. Have seen a few this year and promptly got out the spinosad -- Captain Jack's Dead Bug works great. What it is about the blue spruce I don't know, must be like filet mignon to them.
sw_gardener
5 years ago
Sorry to hear about your spruce. Fortunately the birds here seem to be doing a great job so far of picking off the caterpillars.

So far this year I've come to a truce with the chipmunk and successfully repelled the Golden Tortoise Beetles. Time to prepare for the next
functionthenlook
5 years ago
I've heard from more than one source that there is an increase of ants this year. Something has been eating the foliage off my marigolds at camp. I first thought slugs, but the pan of beer didn't result in any slugs. I then mixed up some of my bug killer and applied it to the area. I will have to wait and see if I killed the culprit(s). Hope the foliage starts growing back.
porkchop_z5b_MI
Original Author
5 years ago
I wonder if the rise in ants corresponds with the rise in insects -- honeydew secretion and all that. Exterminator is coming this week about the carpenter bees, that is a recurring problem with a log-sided house, but there seem to be many more than usual this year.
sw_gardener
5 years ago
I spent this afternoon picking flea beetles, squash beetles, cucumber beetles and the cursed golden tortoise beetle.

I pick off all the cucumber beetles and 5 minutes later more have arrived. Then I found some new bug on the Iochroma, sucking the juice from the undersides of the leaves.

Started some Bronze Queen Nicotiana from seed, they survived a rough transplanting, unexpected hail and a late snow. Now the plants are big and lush and plagued by flea beetles. I keep squishing all the nasty eggs on the leaves and drowning the adults in soapy water.
functionthenlook
5 years ago
I think I got the insect that was eating my marigolds. Yesterday morning I found my planter that was sitting on a wall knocked over, holes dug around my newly planted seed geraniums, and my blanket flowers dug up but not damaged on one side of the driveway. Not the other side. This morning the blanket flowers were dug up again . I re planted them again and put rocks around them. Hopefully when I get back tomorrow night they are still in the ground. I'm guessing skunk, racoon or possum looking for bugs.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
wjr plant show.. 4 to 5 saturdays... the part i heard was all about bugs in mi ..... i thought of you ...

not sure it is posted yet at this page ...

ken

https://www.plantmichigangreen.com/aws/MNLA/pt/sp/resources