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In this issue…
1. Harvester Ants
2. Biting Mites
3. Grubs
4. Q&A What are
Wild Bees
5. Quick Facts
Harvester ants gather seeds from grasses and other plants and storing them in their mounds. They also eat a variety of insects, including fire ants.
These ants are known for building distinctive mounds at the entrance to their nests, which are built up from gravel and debris. The area around the mound is usually cleared of all plant life. This cleared area may range in size from a few inches to as much as 50 feet in diameter. There are time when one mound will have only one entrance, and other times when a mound will have as many as eleven. Some species may even plug the entrance(s) at night or during storms.
The purpose of the mound and clearing can only be speculated. The mound may help prevent flooding, or it may serve as an incubator for the eggs. Some species coat their mound with saliva to waterproof it. Again, it can only be speculated that the clearing helps maintain temperature and humidity. It may also give protection from fire and predators, or serve as an area for drying seeds or eggs. Surrounding plants could also cause unwelcome shade, or damage from their roots. Some ants cover the mound with charcoal, perhaps to aid in heat retention or to absorb chemical markers produced by the ants to communicate with each other.
Beneath the mound, the colonies are an extensive network of tunnels and chambers, which are used as food storage areas, nurseries, and garbage areas. Tunnels can be as much as a half an inch wide, while chambers can be up to six inches long. When the garbage areas are filled, they either seal them off from the rest of the nest, or empty the waste from the nest, piling it up at the edge of the clearing around the mound.
One of the most remembered characteristics of the harvester ant is their sting. It is considered to be one of the most painful of all North American insects, even much worse than the fire ant.
Due to their tiny size, mites that originate from animals can easily enter a home through tiny entrance points around windows, doors or any other space large enough for them to squeeze through. Mites that originate from plants do not migrate as well as other mites can enter our homes on anyone that works in gardens, hot houses, nurseries or even children playing outdoors. Most plant mites do not bite but they can be an annoyance when their numbers are high. These mites can also cause an allergic reaction in some people.
To eliminate biting mites from your home it is very important to eliminate all possible sources. Identifying the pest is the key to this problem, but also not an easy task. These arachnids are related to spiders more than insects, and are so small that a microscope must be used in identification. Even with a proper viewing device, a professional or entomologist is usually required to make a correct identification.
For the average person, your time is better spent looking for possible sources of the infestation. This can be simple if you know the kinds of animals that have been seen in the area. The animals for sources of biting mites are birds, raccoons, rats, mice or other animals that nest in, below or very near the home.
Once an animal dies or leaves its nest, the mites left behind in the nesting material will begin to move about as they search for another host. Biting mites can live for a couple of weeks without a blood meal, which makes it easier for them to migrate to another warm- blooded host.
Getting rid of rodent infestations and cleaning up or destroying all possible nesting materials will be a great help in reducing the mite populations. Inspect beneath eaves and other over hangs, window ledges, fireplaces, chimneys, attics and crawl spaces. If no evidence of birds or animals are found, you should inspect plants around the home. Contacting a pest control professional is important in order to know which type of treatment to use for safe and adequate control of the mite infestation.
If no wildlife evidence in your home can be found, turn your attention to shrubs, grasses and other plants that are near your home. If you find evidence of mites on plants or see damage from mites you should treat the plants with an approved miticide.
The grubs that you see in the lawn are the larvae of Japanese beetles, June beetles, and chafers. These grubs are C-shaped, off-white in color with a dark head. They eat the roots of grass, causing the grass to die and form brown patches. Lawns that are heavily damaged by grubs will have a yellowish tinge and will feel spongy when walked on.
Adult beetles emerge, mate, and lay eggs from late June until early August. The eggs hatch in about two weeks and the tiny grubs grow quickly. The yellowing patches of sod usually appear in late August and September, when the grubs are vigorously feeding and the turf is otherwise water-stressed. In October or November, when soil temperatures begin to cool, the grubs stop feeding and move deeper into the soil, where they spend the winter. They return to the root zone and resume feeding early the following spring.
The younger the grubs are, the easier they are to control. The best time to apply grub control measures is from mid-July to August and September when the grubs are small and near the soil surface. Although treatments can be made after this time, grubs will be more difficult to kill (because of their larger size). The second best time is March to April when the grubs are once again near the soil surface but a little larger.
Lawns that are heavily managed and watered regularly may actually attract beetles. They prefer grassy areas where the soil is constantly moist such as lawns, pastures, and meadows in close-cropped grass. Frequent irrigation in June and July may attract egg-laying female beetles to the turf, especially if surrounding areas are dry. In contrast, adequate soil moisture in August and September (when grubs are actively feeding) can help hide root injury. If grub damage starts to appear in late August or September, watering will promote tolerance and recovery. Deep, periodic soaking of the turf is more beneficial than frequent, light watering.
These
small- to medium-sized bees may be any of a wide range of colors: metallic red,
black, blue, green, or copper. Usually no distinctive spots or bands are
present. Length ranges from 8.5 to 17 mm. These
bees are not to be confused with feral colonies of European or Africanized bees.
Several wild bee species build nests in the soil. They are most common, in soils with sparse to moderate plant growth, little organic matter, and good drainage.
Essentially beneficial insects, wild bees feed on the nectar of many plants and gather pollen for the larvae to feed upon and are excellent pollinators of vegetable and fruit crops.
They prefer to nest in soils with a sparse vegetative cover, As the bees tunnel in the soil, the excavated dirt forms mounds 1.5 to 6.0 cm wide and 0.25 to 1.5 cm high. The bees are often exterminated out of fear of their stinging but Wild bees seldom sting unless stepped upon or squeezed.
Wild bees generally over-winter in their soil burrows as adults. They emerge by early April and begin digging new burrows. The burrow consists basically of a vertical shaft 8 to 15 cm deep. The number and size of side tunnels varies with the particular bee species. Unlike some bees, soil-nesting species are not social in that each female makes her own nest, provisions it with food, and lays eggs. There is no worker caste. The bees, however, are gregarious and often nest closely together. However, there is no "nest guarding" instinct.
Wild bees first begin to fly in early spring. Mating takes place soon afterwards and females begin storing pollen in burrows. Furnishing each cell of their burrow with a pollen ball 3 to 5 mm in diameter, females then deposit a single egg on each pollen ball. Eggs hatch in early May. Throughout the summer, the larvae feed and develop within the burrows. Pupation occurs in later summer, usually in August. With some species, adult bees develop sometime in the fall but remain in their burrows to overwinter. Other species overwinter as larvae. A single generation is completed each year.
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