These two insects are similar in appearance and habit and appear at about the same time in Iowa. Both are common "accidental invaders" that crawl into houses and buildings from outdoors by mistake.
Fruit showing signs of downy mildew have been arriving in the Plant Disease Clinic. Infected berries are usually brown and wrinkled and are covered with the whitish fungus.
Household invasion by several / dozens / hundreds / thousands / millions of millipedes (take your pick) is again a common problem across Iowa. Some background information may be useful.
Austree, a hybrid willow, is sometimes used in windbreaks, hedges, or as a shade tree. They have become popular because of their ability to grow fast, advertised as growing up to 15 feet per year.
The brightly colored flowers on beebalm (Monarda) are an eye-catching treat in summer. The flowers may be white, pink, red, or purple. While beebalms can be beautiful plants, powdery mildew often makes them unsightly.
Cherry samples showing brown rot on the fruit have been arriving in the Plant Disease Clinic. Under wet conditions, light brown tufts of fungal spores form on the fruit, destroying the fruit rather quickly.
Several calls and samples from eastern Iowa counties would suggest this is another "banner year" for the false Japanese beetle, Strigoderma arbicola. The false Japanese beetle is a member of the Junebug family with a vague resemblance to
One of the best aspects of spring is the colorful floral display produced by several ornamental trees and shrubs. We wait so patiently for this spectacular spring show, that it can be a huge disappointment when it fails to occur.
Wet spring conditions and falling ash leaves should bring to mind a common disease problem - anthracnose. Samples of ash anthracnose from across the state have been arriving daily in the Plant Disease Clinic.
Learn how to cultivate healthy and productive raspberry plants with essential tips on fertilization, irrigation, weed control, and pest management. Maximize your raspberry yield with expert advice!
There are more than 5,000 known species of rust on plants. The majority require two unrelated host plants to complete their life cycle (heteroecious) and others need only one (autoecious).
There are many species of ants that occur in lawns and other turfgrass areas. Most ants do not require controls and are considered beneficial. The ants found in Iowa lawns are not biting or stinging pests.
Right now is the time to check pine trees for European Pine Sawfly larvae. These grayish-green "worms" feed in clusters on the old needles of mugho, Scots and red pine trees and shrubs.
The warming weather of April and May causes some people to venture outdoors on mushroom seeking missions. Morel hunting is especially popular at this time of year. The short morel season usually lasts about 4-5 weeks.
It is time again for the annual migration of clover mites. These very tiny arachnids live and reproduce outdoors in the lawn, but they are only noticed when they migrate into dwellings by mistake.
Lawns across Iowa have turned a beautiful, dark green with the recent rains. The greening of the lawns signifies the arrival of spring and the start of the lawn mowing season.
