- Author: Anne E Schellman
As weather cools, you may notice ants coming indoors. Large numbers of ants may invade your kitchen, bathroom, garage, bedrooms, or even your living room! Spraying the offending ants with a pesticide or household cleaner (not recommended) may kill the ants you see, but it won't stop more from invading.
Why do ants invade?
Ants are looking for food, water, and sometimes shelter. They live in colonies composed of worker ants and reproductive ants. The workers leave the nest to “scout” for resources. As they travel, they leave a scent trail for other ants to follow. Once food or water is found and that information is communicated to the colony, more ants arrive to help gather the resource.
Prevention
Your first step is to find out where the ants are coming from. Follow their trail until you find where they are entering. Then, use a caulking gun to seal up the cracks.
Sanitation
Is someone in your household inviting the ants? They may unknowingly do so by leaving sandwich crumbs or other foods on your kitchen counters. Pet food is also enticing to ants. Consider feeding your pets and then removing the food. Or, place your pet's food bowl in a larger bowl of water to create a “moat” that ants can't cross.
Management
Wipe up invading ants and their trails with soapy water. This destroys the scent trail left behind that helps attract more ants and kills the ants that are present.
If you've followed all the directions above but ants continue to invade, you may need to use bait to manage the infestation. Baits are a combination of insecticides mixed with a material to attract ants. When ants take the bait, they taste it and pass it along. The insecticide builds up in the system of the worker ants and the queen, eventually killing them. The bait is slow-acting, so it may take a while to see a reduction in ants. If you choose to use a bait, make sure to follow the directions on the label for best results.
For more information about ant management, visit the UC IPM website to read the Ants Quick Tips card from UC IPM. You can also call the Master Gardener helpline at 525-6802 or send us a message at ucmgstanislaus@ucanr.edu.
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The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Stanislaus County Master Gardeners are available to answer questions on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Drop off a pest or gardening problem sample anytime during business hours to the Stanislaus Agricultural Center at 3800 Cornucopia Way Suite A in Modesto, 95358, and we will get back to you.
- Author: Anne E Schellman
Pomegranate trees are often used in gardens and landscapes in Stanislaus County. They make a great tree and usually have relatively few problems. Recently, someone contacted the Master Gardener help line to describe some odd-looking insects she found on her tree, so we asked her to send a few photos.
The insects are called leaffooted plant bugs. They use piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on fruits, nuts, and ornamental plants. When they attack pomegranates, their feeding may cause the seeds inside to darken and wither. Large groupings of the bugs can leave behind an unattractive excrement on the fruit, although it is still safe to eat.
Adults overwinter in large groups this time of year, so we advised our caller to take a bucket of soapy water out to her tree and to brush the leaffooted bugs into it. This would help decrease the population before the adults could lay more eggs in spring. (up to 200!) We were impressed the caller was able to find the eggs and capture this image. Can you find them on this pomegranate twig below?
For more life cycle and management information, read the UC IPM Pest Notes: Leaffooted Bug. And remember, if you have a gardening or pest management question, you can call our help line at (209) 525-6802 or send us an email at ucmgstanislaus@ucanr.edu
- Author: Anne E Schellman
Last week, someone called our helpline about a strange phenomenon happening on her backyard plants. She described the symptoms as “big, white, masses of fluffy cotton.” I asked her to email some photos our helpline address (ucmgstanislaus@ucanr.edu).
When I opened her email, I was surprised to see images of what appeared to be giant whiteflies. This pest invaded California in the early 1990's and was until recently only found in Southern California and along the coast. The Stanislaus County Agricultural Commissioner's Office confirmed that giant whiteflies are present in our County.
If you've heard of whiteflies or dealt with them in your landscape, you may wonder how giant whiteflies are different, aside from being larger. Both pests suck plant juices and weaken plants. The main difference is that giant whiteflies tend to feed together in large groups. This large population creates waxy looking deposits that create a “bearded appearance” or what the caller described as “fluffy cotton” on plants. If you look closely at the infestation, you may see the pests living on the undersides of the leaves.
If you find giant whiteflies in your landscape, there are a few things you can do. For small infestations, pull off affected leaves, place them in a sealed bag, and discard them. For larger ones, direct a strong stream of water at the undersides of the leaves to knock giant whiteflies off and kill them.
Visit the UC IPM publication Pest Notes: Giant Whitefly for more information about this pest, or call our helpline at (209) 525-6802 to speak with a UCCE Master Gardener.
- Author: Ed Perry
Aphids are a common garden pest in spring and are attracted to new, succulent plant growth. This year, heavy aphid infestations can already be found on roses and fruit trees.
Aphids often first show up along the edges of the garden. Many species infest the undersides of leaves first, so turn leaves over while looking for aphids. On some plant species, especially plum and apple trees, aphid feeding causes the leaves to curl. Once this happens, it's harder to obtain control because the curled leaves protect the pests from natural enemies or sprays.
When you find aphids, check for evidence of natural enemies like lady beetles, lacewings, syrphid fly larvae, and the mummified skins of parasitized aphids. Learn to recognize aphid “mummies,” as they indicate the presence of tiny parasitic wasps that lay eggs inside the aphids. The wasp larva hatches and feeds inside the aphid, killing it. The skin of dead aphids turns crusty and golden brown or black, a form called a mummy. Not long after, the adult wasp chews an exit hole and emerges from the aphid's body. During warm weather, parasitic wasps may have several generations and cause a rapid decline in aphid populations.
There are fungus diseases that infect aphids, especially when it's warm and humid. Entire populations of aphids may be killed when conditions are right. While aphids thrive under mild temperatures, populations of many species are reduced by hot summer weather conditions. If you have any of these natural controls at work, the aphid population may crash rapidly.
You may be able to control aphids in your trees by controlling ants. If large numbers of ants are seen climbing up and down tree trunks, it may mean an aphid infestation. Ants are attracted to the honeydew produced by the aphids. If you plan to use pesticides for ant control, first seek out and treat the ants' nests in the ground near the tree. Or, place sticky barriers around the tree trunk to keep the ants from reaching the aphids. Unprotected by the ants, the aphids may then be attacked by natural enemies.
You can help prevent aphid infestations, especially in vegetables, by removing weeds where aphids may be building up. Also, check transplants for aphids and remove them before planting. If you notice a few curled leaves on your fruit trees, the best control may be to simply prune out and dispose of the infested shoots and leaves.
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
[From the Pests in the Urban Landscape blog]
Spring is here which means pest activity is on the rise. Termites are one of the top pest concerns for many city dwellers and rural residents alike. The infographic shows some interesting facts about termites.
Here in California, there are three kinds of termites considered pests including subterranean, drywood, and dampwood termites. The Formosan termite is one kind of subterranean termite found in California, although in limited areas.
Treatments differ for each type of termite, but there are many things you can to reduce infestations. This includes removing wood piles and scrap wood around the home, keeping substructures dry and well ventilated, and finishing exterior wood with sealants or paint.
If you are experiencing termite issues, consult the UC IPM Pest Notes publications Subterranean and Other Termites, Drywood Termites, and Hiring a Pest Control Company.