Garden Checklist

From The Fresno Bee, August 13, 2009 (edited):

Prepare for Insect Pests--Elinor Teague

"We have two distinct, rather short periods of time when several of the more common pest insects cause problems in our Central Valley gardens."

In early spring, rose aphids serge in numbers and feed on the new rose growth. Also, hoplia beetles (see picture) start chewing on light-colored flowers and flower buds. These insects are finished by early June.

"Our second pest insect surge occurs as plants are stressed by high mid-summer day and night temperatures and by dry, dusty conditions . . . stressed plants attract pest insects."

--Leaf miner larvae leave wandering trails under the surface of plant leaves.
--Spider mites leave webs on the underside of dusty leaves.
--White flies increase as it gets warmer.
--Aphids of summer are more host plant specific: crape myrtle aphids and squash aphids are the most common.
--Budworms feed on the immature petals of buds of petunias, Gerber daisies, geraniums and nicotiana.
--Tomato hornworms damage tomato plants.

These pests appear in our gardens annually, so we can keep a lookout for problems and plan control efforts ahead of time. Firstly, encourage beneficial insects to live in our gardens. "Soft-bodied insects and caterpillars are the favorite foods of several types of beetles as well as thrips, dragonflies and praying mantis. Tiny parasitic wasps lay their eggs inside spider mites and inside leafminer larvae." Frequently the pest insect population will explode after broad-spectrum insecticides have killed off the beneficial insect predators. There are some methods to kill the bad insects and not harm the good insects:

--A blast of water will knock down aphids and spider mites.
--Apply bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) for caterpillars.
--Yellow sticky traps will catch whiteflies [I tried this once--it caught the white flies, plus the tiny wasps (the good bugs) that eat the white flies--Gard'n Judy]
--Beneficial nematodes will kill the grubs of the hoplia beetles that pupate in lawn areas near the host plants.

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Garden Checklist:

Catch up on the TLC for your houseplants

Tasks: Water citrus on a regular schedule to maintain even soil moisture
Pruning: Cut back selected annuals and perennials to encourage growth and rebloom--alyssum, dianthus, coreopsis, petunia, penstemon and chrysanthemum
Fertilizing: warm-season lawns
Planting: iris; from seed--chives, dill, endive, fennel, green onions, knolrabi
Things to ponder: Dispose of fallen fruit, which harbors pests