Pests
Q - I have problems with rabbits eating the flowers I plant every spring. I have spent a lot of money on flowers just to end up feeding the rabbits. I really do not wish to harm the rabbits and I like watching the babies play in my back yard. but when it comes to eating all my plants I get very discouraged. Any suggestions on what I could do? Or plants that they are not interested in? A - Rabbits are so cute and fun to watch when they play, but that appeal ceases when they start to havoc in your flower and vegetable garden. It seems that they will eat almost anything, and they sneak around and do it at night when you can't see them. We had a dog (who was rabbit size herself) and she would chase rabbits and squirrels without ever catching them, so after a while the animals finally stayed away. If you don't have such a dog, you might try a product called Ropel, which has a good reputation with many gardeners. You might be interested in reading the article on Rabbit Control, which also suggests the possibility of live trapping. |
Q - I have a severe mole problem in my yard and really can't find anything to take care of them. I have heard of the concoction that you mentioned that contains caster oil and I was wondering if it had worked for you. I have tried several different things and nothing has worked. If you have any other information please let me know. Thank You A - There are two methods used to deal with moles--trapping and spraying-- and most of my resources indicate that the only sure way to rid your lawn of moles is to use traps. I have never been successful with traps, but perhaps that is because I have not located them properly in the past. I recently read that there are two kinds of tunnels--the main den tunnel and the tunnels that are dug to look for food. The main tunnels are usually straight and range in size from 8' to 15' long, and the food tunnels branch off from that. The tunnels that are dug for food are not reused, and that is why the tunnels in my yard seem to just meander. If you push the tunnels down, the moles will push the den tunnels back up within two days, and that is where you need to set the trap. Our mole problem has been so bad that, out of frustration, I decided I was going to use chemicals. When I expressed my decision to a sympathetic ear, however, I was guided toward the use of the spray. Sprays treat the soil to make it unpleasant to moles, thereby convincing them to move over to the neighbor's yard instead. There are several sprays available, and the secret ingredient is castor oil. One spray is called Whole Control. Mole-Med is another such product. These sprays require water to be effective--about 1/2 inch before applying, and about another inch after the application. It is important to follow the directions, and, of course there is always the statement that if the infestation is heavy, you will probably have to make more than one application. The product has been tested successfully and is effective for a period of 30 days up to four months. The product does seem to work if you are persistent and re-apply it whenever you see mole activity. The tests of Mole-Med indicated that it is effective against voles and ground squirrels as well. If you prefer to save some dollars, you might want to try to make your own spray by mixing 6 ounces of castor oil, 2 Tbsp. of dish washing liquid ( a brand known for its degreasing capabilities) and 1 gallon of water. Then apply it at a rate of 1 ounce/1 gallon of water. Jerry Baker advertises in his recent catalog that he now has a product that works even better than castor oil. I haven't tried it, but if your are interested, check out his website. Good luck with your mole problem and know that I, too, will be trying to keep the pests out of my front yard while attempting to convince them to vacate my back yard as well this year. |
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Q - Is there any way to get rid of magpies? We can't shoot them.
They A - We don't have magpies in Indiana, so after receiving your inquiry I did some research. As with many other subjects, there seem to be two different camps--magpie lovers and magpie haters. There are many websites for the former and few for those who want to get rid of them. Although the magpie is a rather attractive large bird, it can be a quite a nuisance, damaging trees and crops, as well as becoming aggressive during the nesting season. According to my uncle who lives in Idaho (NOT a magpie lover), these birds are protected in that we cannot shoot them because of an agreement between Canada and the U.S. So what are we to do? Fort Worth, TX, reports much success with a form of "bird relocation" for the grackles that threatened their beautiful downtown Water Gardens. Their program consists of machines making "bird distress" sounds and the shooting of "cracker" shells (which are not live ammunition) high into the air. This might also work with magpies. A couple of years ago, the city fathers in Bedford, IN, contracted with a business outside the state to humanely reduce the pigeon population downtown by trapping the birds and sending them to a "pigeon ranch" where they were raised for food. Many citizens were amused, and I suspect this was a waste of money since there are still seems to be an overpopulation. I would say that the best solution for your magpie problem is a trap. An Improved Magpie Trap is a website you may find helpful. It shows how to build the trap and explains how to lure the birds into the trap. What you do with the birds at that point is entirely up to you. The idea may work if your magpie population isn't too large. Perhaps you could organize a neighborhood project to make your magpie relocation program more effective. Good luck, and let me know if it works!! |
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Q - How do you get rid of grasshoppers. I have a sudden infestation (I had heard that they would be bad this year) and I have already used diazinon to no avail. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. - ALS A - After spending January '99 in Fort Worth, I would believe that grasshoppers down there are probably big enough to hitch up to a plow! In all seriousness, the grasshoppers have been really bad in Indiana this summer, too. Meanwhile, during years with bad outbreaks a two-pronged approach might help. Some people claim to have had good luck with Nosema locustae, but it acts slowly, and timing of the treatment to match up with the proper developmental stage of the grasshopper is crucial in the control. Read about the life cycle of a grasshopper at http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/nebfacts/nf327.htm . Even chemical treatments aren't very effective against the adult hoppers, and often the adult hoppers will migrate into your yard from adjacent fields. We are told that grasshopper outbreaks are cyclic, so I guess that might be the light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck for next year! |
Q - Help! We have been invaded by millions of lady bugs that are crawling their way into our 150 year old brick house. I know the bugs are beneficial for the farmers and that they only destroy aphids and nothing else. However, we have had to move our bedroom to the first floor because of this invasion. I have tried sweeping them up with the sweeper but it's a losing battle. Five minutes later they are back. It's impossible to caulk and seal a house this old. We know they have wintered over in the attic and they are getting ready for an exodus this spring. But, meantime, we need some sleep! Any ideas on what we can do? A - A weed is a plant that grows profusely where you don't want it. I imagine the thousands of homeowners from Maine to Oregon who are experiencing the profusion of ladybugs in their homes would agree that even a beneficial insect such as the ladybug becomes a pest if it is interfering with daily existence inside one's own house! Last fall there were so many ladybugs hitting the windows and the outside of our house that it sounded like hail. One writer on the Internet commented, "Thank God! They're not roaches!" The most common advice seems to be to vacuum them, but I'm sure this advice comes from those who have not had to vacuum for two hours at a time and still have the ladybugs return by the droves. Exterminating companies have entered the picture now and some of their products are available on-line. They seem to focus on spraying the outside, as well as the inside, of the house. However, the use of insecticides is somewhat worrisome, especially inside the house. Some homeowners have tried a homemade bait to attract the ladybugs for disposal. Using as much of the solution (proportions are 1 T water to a pinch of brown sugar) as you want, soak it up in a sponge, and place it on a plate, making it possible for you to empty them by the plateful. There may be help on the horizon from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, where scientists have invented a trap that will humanely capture these insects. In the performance tests the trap (using a black light to attract the insects which are then caught in a bag) captured almost 100 percent of the Asian lady bugs. That sounds like great news, doesn't it?!! The bad news is that it is not yet available commercially. However, the positive side is that the researchers have applied for a patent and the ARS is evaluating applications from those companies interested in the commercial aspect. |
Q - The last couple of years have been really bad for my garden. Grasshoppers have eaten everything in their path, from veggie plants to weeds. I don't use any chemical insecticides and would really like not to get into using spore type controls. I've heard bits and pieces about using a mix of laundry soap, Murphy's wood soap, tobacco juice and a few other ingredients I forget. Are you at all familiar with this type of control? Do you suggest anything else? Last year come harvest, my garden and lawn were a disaster. Appreciate any help you can give. A - Grasshoppers can be a real problem. The recipe you mention sounds like a Jerry Baker concoction, but I haven't seen that one. To help with insect control, he recommends bathing your garden every couple of weeks with a mixture of 1 C liquid dish soap, a C antiseptic mouthwash, 1 C chewing tobacco juice in a 20 gallon sprayer, but I don't know how this would work on grasshoppers. I don't know of another non-chemical control. Many people rely on Bacillus Thuringiensis, Nosema locustae, or Grasshopper Spore. The spore treatments are effective on the young grasshoppers and are not harmful to humans or beneficial insects in your garden. However, they don't work on the grasshoppers that move into your yard late in the summer. A Guide to Grasshopper Control will give you more information about grasshoppers. |
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Q - Regarding your suggestion about dealing with slugs--First, I was wondering if there is any one brand of beer that is better than another. More importantly, I am wondering if you have to leave the beer out all the time - even after the slugs disappear. Slugs are eating my turnip greens. How many saucers of beer to I put out for this? My husband poured salt on them to kill them, but I'm sure there are more. A - Slugs aren't particular about their brand of beer, but they do like it fresh! Slugs are mollusks ranging in size from 1/2" to 4" and they like moist surroundings. It is often hard to see slugs because they like to work at night, and for every one you DO see there are a lot more you DON'T see! However, it isn't hard to see the result of their efforts. Natural predators are ants, beetle grubs, earwigs, flies, birds, snakes, toads, and turtles. To get rid of the slugs fill several jar lids or foil pie pans with beer and sink the lids to ground level among the plants--every 3 feet or so. The slugs will drown when they climb in to drink the beer. No, you don't have to leave the beer out after the slugs disappear. There are other slug solutions available if you don't like the beer approach. You could go slug hunting after dark with a flashlight (seriously!) and handpick them, then dropping them into a container of soapy water. Another way is to attract them by setting out boards or inverted flowerpots so the slugs will hide there during the day, at which time you will "run the traps" daily and destroy the slugs. Warm, sunny weather will also help your problem. |