Bristly "woolly bear" caterpillars commence their annual crawl-abouts in search of sheltered winter quarters in the fall. You may see noticeable numbers crossing roads with some unfortunates becoming laminated onto tires. Their crawl-abouts may start as early as late September and continue until early November in Ohio. It depends on the weather.

The warm weather over the past few days has not only made the grass grow like crazy but it seems to bring out some strange looking fall creatures not seen all summer.

Amy Stone reported earlier this month on a yellow striped Zebra caterpillar (Melanchra picta (Harris)) (Stripes of a Different Kind - The Zebra Caterpillar, October 8, 2020). Curtis Young discovered yet another caterpillar with bright yellow stripes running down the length of its body. This one was found mowing down on the blossoms of New England asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) growing in the Van Wert County Master Gardeners’ Children’s Garden in Smiley Park, Van Wert, Ohio.

The cost of pesticides to nurseries can be one of the single largest expenses to a commercial nursery. By using the technology of a “Smart Sprayer”, a compony can reduce pesticide use and save money without a reduction in pest control.

The first time I came across honeyvine milkweed (Cynanchum laeve, family Apocynaceae), I had no idea of the plant's identity. It had milkweed-like seed pods, but they were dangling from a vine climbing high into a tree. Thankfully for me, the vine was also covered with oleander aphids (Aphis nerii).

The survey is an opportunity for you to provide your feedback to help us improve BYGL now and well into the future! All survey results are anonymous and will be used by the Buckeye Environmental Horticulture Team in our research efforts to improve BYGL outreach and education efforts.

Swarms of crane flies (order Diptera, family Tipulidae) are cruising lawns during the day and buzzing porch lights at night throughout much of Ohio. Although they look like giant, mutant mosquitoes, crane flies do not possess mosquito-like piercing-sucking mouthparts, so they do not bite. In fact, the adults are relatively short-lived and they don't feed.

We invite you to take our 2020 BYGL Reader Survey to help us improve BYGL now and well into the future!

I was excited to see there was leafcutter bee activity on my walk at Toledo Botanical Garden earlier this week. The activity was on a redbud (Cercis canadensis) seedling. I observed the activity occurred on the lower leaves, closest to the ground. I also noticed leaf cutting bee activity on a redbud at home, and again the activity was near the ground. 

 

Most of the common leafcutter bees (Megachile spp.) are similar in size to the common honeybee, usually a little darker with light bands on the abdomen. Their actions or habits differ from the common...

As an Extension professional, I am on the receiving end of a lot of questions, just like my colleagues across the state. These questions come in the form of telephone calls, emails, text messages, photographs, personal conversations and actual samples. Sometimes these questions are answered easily with a quick reply. Sometimes the question needs additional information, photo documentation, more researching, or should be sent on to the OSU Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic (https://ppdc.osu.edu/).