insect control
Apples
Apples have long been an important crop for Americans. The settlers brought apple trees from Europe and planted them in the colonies and western frontier. Apples were stored in cellars, dried, and made into apple butter and cider. They were an important source of food for early Americans. Many apple orchards in frontier America were planted by seed. This seed propagation led to a large number of distinct cultivars. Some reports list over 4,000 named cultivars in the United States in the mid-1800’s. Only about 10 to 20 cultivars are routinely planted today.
What Are They?
Black flies are tiny, blood-sucking flies in the insect family Simuliidae and are often called buffalo gnats or turkey gnats. Contrary to their name, black flies may be gray, tan, or even greenish. They usually breed in fast-moving water of streams and rivers. They are tremendous pests of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife every spring in northern areas of the United States and Canada.
Fall armyworms are the most damaging insect pests of Mississippi hayfields and pastures. These caterpillars can destroy a cutting of bermudagrass in just a few days, and good bermudagrass can produce a few hundred dollars’ worth of hay per acre! Experienced cattle and hay producers know to look for fall armyworms throughout the growing season and to be ready to treat quickly when damaging infestations occur.
We have tens of thousands of different species of insects and mites in Mississippi. Only a tiny percentage of these are pests of ornamental plants, and even fewer attack roses. Still, there are some insects and mites that cause serious problems for rose growers. Being able to identify these pests and distinguish them from non-pest species is the first step in control.
Hydrangeas have been a part of the southern landscape since they were first imported from Japan in the 1750s. The most commonly grown species is the bigleaf, or French, hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla). This is the traditional hydrangea with the large, “mophead” bloom in shades of blue or pink. The color of the bloom depends on the pH of the soil.