By Ralph E. Mitchell I hate pickleworms for attempting to ruin my summer squash! They slip into my zucchini, pattypan, and straight-neck squash unawares until I see the telltale hole and frass. Cut open, the squash is generally hollowed… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell One problem of roses, and hundreds of other plants, is a disease called crown gall. It is caused by a bacterial disease that produces tumor-like growths on the stem of the plant near the… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell Insect pests feed in a number of ways and caterpillars use chewing mouthparts to make their mark. One such caterpillar that does some real precision work is the palm leaf skeltonizer. This small drab… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell Out in the garden there are sometimes sinister pests gobbling up large portions of precious ornamental canna leaves. What’s worse is that you cannot find the culprit at a glance. What could possibly eat… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell Wasps are so amazing that I am going to continue on a roll with another beneficial wasp article. Imagine if you had a tiny automated drone programmed to find and kill cockroaches. How much… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell You may only have one opinion about paper wasps – bad! This opinion may have formed during a stinging encounter with one or more paper wasps after an accidental run-in. However, while paper wasps… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell The eastern cottontail rabbit is a natural part of both rural and urban environments in our area. When these rabbits become abundant in urban areas, things can get a bit ticklish when it comes… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell Tiny, but terrible, the two-spotted spider mite is the bane of many ornamental and edible plants. Only one-fiftieth of an inch in length, when working in groups, this plant pest mite sucks the sap… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell One spring/summer plant pest that really bugs me is the leaf-footed bug. Just as its name implies, the back legs of this insect have leaf-like projections easily seen by the naked eye. The leaf-footed… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell In early March, some residents of Charlotte County began seeing small, dark-colored grasshoppers in their landscapes. These are baby Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers which emerged earlier from the ground as they hatched out from last… Read More
