Newspaper Page Text
The Champion, Thursday, April 21 - 27, 2016
LIFESTYLE
Page 9B
EXTENSIONSERVICE
Mvice akoit caterpillar aid bee control and the neaning if “gren”
by Jessica Hill and
Lynwood Blackmon
DeKalb Cooperative Ex
tension answers home
and garden questions in
many different ways. Call
(404) 298-4080 Monday
through Friday, 8:30 a.m.
to 5 p.m. or leave a voice-
mail message after hours.
E-mail gardening ques
tions to dekalbmaster-
gardener@dekalbcoun-
tyga.gov and all others
to uge1089@uga.edu.
Our website address is
www.ugaextension.com/
dekalb. Here is a sam
pling of recent questions:
Q. Is there anything I
can do to control
hundreds of sev
eral small caterpil
lars from eating the
leaves of my oak and
maple trees?
A. Cankerworms, or inch-
worms, are common
shade tree defolia
tors in Georgia. Hosts
include elm, apple,
hackberry, basswood,
oak, boxelder, maple,
and ash trees as well
as shrubs growing be
neath heavily infested
trees. Most trees can
tolerate even heavy
infestations of spring
cankerworms and will
usually leaf back in a
few weeks after the
“spring feeding frenzy”
is over. However,
young, newly trans
planted, or weakened
trees are more sus
ceptible to injury from
defoliation. Therefore,
a tree’s age, size,
vigor, and previous
Hill
Blackmon
history of defoliation
should be considered
before choosing man
agement tactics.
Several insecti
cides are effective for
treating cankerworms
when applied at the
correct time including:
Carbaryl (Bayer Ad
vanced Complete In
sect Killer for Garden);
cyfluthrin; esfenvaler-
ate (Ortho Bug-B-Gon
Max Garden & Land
scape Insect Killer);
malathion (Ortho
Malathion Plus insect
Spray Concentrate);
permethrin (Cutter Bug
Free Backyard Spray);
bacillus thuringiensis
(Dipel, Thuricide).
However, the bacte
rial insecticide bacillus
thuringiensis should be
used when possible.
This environmentally
compatible product
has the advantage of
being specific for the
caterpillars of moths
and butterflies and
does not harm benefi
cial insects, wildlife,
or humans. Bacillus
thuringiensis must
be applied while the
cankerworms are still
small (less than %
inch) to achieve good
management.
Q. I have large black
bees coming out of
holes in my eaves,
can you tell me what
they are and is there
any way to get rid of
them?
A. Sounds like carpenter
bees, which prefer to
attack wood that is
bare, weathered and
unpainted. Therefore,
the best way to deter
the bees is to paint all
exposed wood sur
faces, especially those
that have a history of
being attacked. Wood
stains and preserva
tives are less reliable
than painting, but will
provide some degree
of repellency versus
bare wood.
Liquid sprays of
carbaryl (Sevin), or a
synthetic pyrethroid
(e.g., permethrin or cy
clotron) can be applied
as a preventive to
wood surfaces which
are attracting bees.
Residual effectiveness
of these insecticides
is often only one to
two weeks, however,
and the treatment
may need to be re
peated. Tunnels which
have already been
excavated are best
treated by puffing an
insecticidal dust (e.g.,
5 percent carbaryl)
into the nest opening.
Aerosol sprays labeled
for wasp or bee con
trol are also effective.
Leave the holes open
for a few days after
treatment to allow the
bees to contact and
distribute the insec
ticide throughout the
nest galleries. Then
plug the entrance hole
with a piece of wooden
dowel coated with car
penter’s glue, or wood
putty. This will protect
against future utiliza
tion of the old nesting
tunnels and reduce the
chances of wood de
cay.
Q. How can I save on
food costs this
year?
A. Fewer shopping trips
can help save on
fuel and food cost.
According to the De
partment of Agricul
ture there is a 4 to 5
percent increase in
food prices this year.
Save time and lower
food cost by shop
ping less frequently.
Fewer trips means
less money spent on
fuel and transporta
tion costs to the store.
This also saves time.
Stock up on low-cost
frozen and pantry
items when they are
on sale. Pantry and
freezer foods have a
longer shelf life than
refrigerated items.
Lastly, choose less
processed foods. By
purchasing items that
are less processed
one will spend less
money and get items
that are healthier.
Q. Is there a standard
definition of the term
“green”?
A: There is no standard
ized definition of the
term “green.” The
government promotes
the use of “environ
mentally preferable
products and services
to reduce pollution.”
These are products
and services that
have less of an ef
fect on human health
and the environment
than similar products
and services used for
the same purpose.
The term “green” is
not regulated, so you
need to shop care
fully and not assume
that all environmental
and health claims on
the label are true.
Terms; such as, “en
vironmentally friendly”
and “biodegradable”
are loosely defined.
Generally the term en
vironmentally friendly
refers to a product
or packaging that
causes no harm to the
environment. Biode
gradable refers to a
product or packaging
that will break down in
nature.