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Hot summer weather is peak time for insects, both helpful and harmful. Bees and butterflies are plentiful and fun to watch darting through flowers as they pollinate. Mosquitoes are pesky but predictable. Spiders surprise us with webs both inside and out, but all these insects are a common part of summer.
Another common insect which begins to wander into homes in July are small, shiny, brown-black, strawberry root weevils. These crunchy-shelled, wingless insects cause no injury to humans or household furnishings but can be annoying inside where they seek shelter from summer heat. The best control is the vacuum cleaner, although some insecticides used according to the label are also effective outside around foundations to prevent invasion.
Dead spots in turf from white grubs and sod webworms can become apparent during the hot months too. The best way to avoid this damage to lawns is to keep turf healthy and well watered. Insecticide use for these pests should be considered only when caterpillar populations are so abundant as to threaten serious turf injury. In such situations call the Larimer County Extension Office at 498-6000 for recommendations.
Trees and shrubs show evidence of insect damage during hot weather too. Leaves on ash, plum, honeysuckle and viburnum may curl from aphids sucking plant sap from them. Aphids excrete large quantities of a sweet, sticky substance called honeydew, which attracts ants. The presence of ants on tree trunks or foliage often indicates that large numbers of aphids are on the trees. Ants even "tend" aphids and protect them from natural enemies such as lady beetles or lacewings. Exclusion of ants by sprays or sticky bands can allow the natural predators to do their job. A strong spray of water or insecticidal soaps can control aphids on tolerant plants. First test the soap on a small area of the plant a day prior to use, then spray the entire plant thoroughly.
Elm leaf beetles and pearslugs both skeletonize leaves on host plants. Elm leaf beetles can be controlled using Bt products which are labeled for use on these insects. Pearslugs, which attack sweet cherry, plum, pear and cotoneasters, can be washed off with a vigorous jet of water and are also susceptible to many garden insecticides.
Vegetable garden insects such as Mexican bean beetles, Colorado potato beetles and tomato hornworms are best controlled by handpicking although hornworms are easily controlled with most insecticides or Bt. Potato beetle larvae also are susceptible to Bt. Adult beetles are not but may be sprayed with rotenone/pyrethrins if too numerous to handpick.
Q: My flowers are pleasing to the eye, but are they pleasing to the palate?
A: Many garden flowers can be used as edible garnish or to lend flavor, texture and color to a cooked dish. Blossoms of borage, chrysanthemum, cornflower and Dianthus can float in a bowl of soup or punch. Violet, miniature rose, lavender and honeysuckle blooms add sweet flavor to salads or desserts. Daylilies and squash blossoms can be stir-fried, or batter-dipped and deep-fried. Culinary delights are endless, but read up before you begin, some flowers can lead to upset stomach, or worse, if eaten in large quantity. Refer to Fact Sheet #7.237 - Edible Flowers.
Q: Dining on my garden patio has become a competition. The flies are winning. What can I do?
A: Housefly elimination is accomplished through good integrated pest management (IPM) procedures. The best way to control them on the patio and in the home is to exclude them by screening. Sanitation procedures include the obvious (clean trash receptacles, etc.) but also clean outdoor receptacles, use covers, keep dumpsters away from structures and clean and dry as possible. Eliminate breeding areas of garbage, manure or other animal materials. Sprays and baits for flies are temporary and must be kept away from food. Refer to Fact Sheet #5.502 - Flies in the home.
Q: If you have ever seen pictures of Monet's garden you know how stunning nasturtiums can be. Is this a versatile herb?
A: Nasturtiums grow very easily and all parts are edible. They have orange, yellow, red, or bicolor flowers. This herb prefers full sun and will tolerate poor soil conditions. They will grow along trellises, walls, or banks, and hummingbirds are attracted to nectar in the floral spurs. Organic gardeners plant nasturtiums near vegetable gardens to keep aphids away from vegetables. The blossoms look very pretty when frozen in ice cubes and used to cool off iced teas or lemonades.
Bouquets from the Garden
For the freshest bouquets, cut flowers and branches early in the morning.
Use a sharp knife cutting at an angle to encourage the stem to absorb more
water. Make another cut under water to prevent formation of air bubbles.
Strip off all of the foliage that will be under water in the container
and mix a flower preservative in with the warm water. Preservatives
contain bleach that helps to inhibit the growth of bacteria and sucrose
that provides needed nutrients.
Lawn Disease
Fairy ring is a fungal disease of urban lawns. Symptoms include
circular or partial ring bands of deep green grass that vary in size from
less than 1 foot to many feet in diameter. Eventually the deep green
grass in the center dies. Mushrooms or puffballs of the fungus may
appear in the rings following periods of wet weather. To prevent the disease,
do not bury organic debris such as stumps and waste lumber before establishing
a lawn. Maintain optimum growing conditions for turfgrass with proper
watering, fertilization and thatch control.
To control the disease, aerate the entire diseased area every 4 inches plus an additional 2 feet beyond its visible limits and soak the infected area with water. Hand water these areas to prevent overwatering of adjacent healthy turfgrass.
The authors have received training through Colorado State University Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program and is a Master Gardener volunteer for Larimer County.
Fact Sheets are available at the Larimer County Extension Office, 1525 Blue Spruce Drive, Fort Collins, Colorado, telephone (970) 498-6000, or contact us by e-mail at larimer@coop.ext.colostate.edu
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