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
By Ralph E. Mitchell I have heard that one of our soil’s best attributes is for keeping plants upright – our Florida terra firma takes a great deal of ridicule! “Moon sand” or “beach sand” are common terms… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell A landscape without a hibiscus is like a day without a sunrise! These beautiful, well-developed flowering shrubs are readily available and in great demand across the gardening spectrum. Hibiscus have their share of problems… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell We receive many calls from homeowners having issues with worm-like, several inch long critters that turn out to be millipedes. Millipede populations periodically increase and they migrate to other sites – maybe your lanai… Read More
By Ralph E. Mitchell Palms are a big part of our landscape and as such are fairly closely observed and sometimes obsessed over. Amongst the “normal abnormalities” that may be observed on palms are the weird roots they… Read More
