It’s That Time Of Year, Again … When Asian Lady Beetles Appear Indoors
Don’t Panic: They Are Not Toxic To Humans And Pets, And Can Even Help Reduce Aphid Populations It is that time of year when Asian Lady Beetles make an appearance indoors, and usually in large numbers. While they can be a major nuisance, they shouldn’t cause panic and some simple exclusion practices can help prevent this issue in the future. Multicolored Asian lady beetles have a marking behind their head that looks like an M....
Residents Across Northeast Texas Report Homes Invaded By Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles
A Texas AgriLife Extension Publication Recently, some Extension offices in Northeast Texas have received an unusually high number of calls about lady beetles inside homes. The culprit is an exotic lady beetle called the multicolored Asian lady beetle (MALB). While not new, high aphid populations in some trees last year are thought to have contributed to this year’s higher than normal number of these “naughty lady beetles.” According...
Asian Lady Beetle Infestation of Structures By Mario Villarino
The Asian Lady Beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), is relatively new to this country. The beetle is native to Asia (e.g., China, Russia, Korea, Japan), where it dwells in trees and fields, preying on aphids and scale insects. According to Potter et al, Extension Entomologist from the University of Kentucky, the first field populations in the United States were found in Louisiana in 1988. Since then the beetle has expanded its range to...
Ladybug, Ladybug … 450 Of 5,000 Species Are Native To North America
Submitted By Phyllis Kitten, Hopkins County Master Gardener Are there ladybugs flying around your house? Maybe inside as well? It may feel like an invasion. Where do all the ladybugs come from? They seem to be everywhere in the fall. Are they a sign of a harsh winter to come? Are they bringing good luck? Adult lady beetle eating aphids. (Photo: Pat Porter) Ladybugs are actually beetles, not bugs. And, while they are sometimes called...
Beetles By Mario Villarino
Beetles are a huge family of true insects that live in close contact with plants. The majority of the beetles are decomposers, and a high population of beetles in a tree is a sign of tree health decaying. Many beetle larvae also penetrate tree tissue causing real damage (as borers do).With temperatures increasing, insect population tend to follow trend and you will see more and more active insects and beetles coming back from...
When Encountering A Rain Of Wooly Aphids
Mario Villarino, DVM, Ph.D., Hopkins County Extension Agent By Dr. Mario Villarino, Extension Agent, Ag./Natural Resources, Hopkins County, [email protected] As we were walking away from the Hopkins County Courthouse earlier today after our Commissioner’s Court interpretation, we ran into a “rain” of woolly aphids just as we tried to get into our vehicle. A common name for woolly alder aphid (Prociphilus tessellatus) is...
Aphids in trees By Mario Villarino
Aphids suck plant sap from leaves, stems or even roots of plants. Most are very host-specific, meaning they feed on only one or a few related kinds of plants. Therefore, there is usually little danger they will move to other, different kinds of plants. If wilting is apparent, or the sticky honeydew (aphid droppings, may result in plant covered with black sooty mold) become a problem, control with insecticides labeled for aphid...
Plants Have Companions Too
by Joann Brennan is a Hopkins County Master Gardener I have learned a lot about gardening and herbs since I have been a Master Gardener. One concept that has come to my attention this year is companion planting. Companion planting is the planting of two or more plants together for mutual benefit. Companion planting is an effective alternative to pesticides, used to deter insects, prevent disease, provide nutrients to the plants, and...
Knock On Wood # 1353
Our annual first Saturday in October squirrel hunting camp lasted from midafternoon Friday until late afternoon Sunday with a Sunday morning break for church. Everyone is welcome to these gatherings but the crowd was shorter than usual since I couldn’t start texting folks until after the front came through Thursday. Very much rain would have prevented us from getting down the dirt road to the river. Fishing has been good the last...
Fuzzy bugs in Hopkins County: Woolly Aphids are the culprit
During early last week, I got several phone calls related to fuzzy white bugs falling from the sky. Early this week, a concerned citizen brought to the Hopkins County Extension Office a tree sample in a glass jar with woolly aphids (Family Eriosomatinae). According to Dr. Mike Merchant, Urban Entomologist and Extension Specialist, pointed out (Aug. 2012): Control is probably not necessary unless the honeydew is becoming unacceptable,...
