Keep your eyes peeled for adult Wheel Bugs (Arilus cristatus, family Reduviidae) if you’re working among the branches of landscape trees and shrubs. The bugs are highly beneficial. They use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to extract the essence-of-insect from soft-bodied prey such as caterpillars and sawfly larvae. However, they may occasionally use their insecticidal equipment to deliver painful bites to people.

Few carnivorous insects can match the amazing acrobatics and brutal predatory proficiency of robber flies (family Asilidae) in their pursuit of prey. Adults of all species are predators and will attack a variety of insects; even "armed" prey like wasps.

Check out the latest Turf Team Times.

With recent cloudy and rainy weather, northern Ohio has seen an increase in the occurrence and pressure of the disease known as Downy Mildew (DM) of cucurbits.

This season, we’ve observed some expansion of the BTM hot spots. Whether this is due to natural spread, or the discovery of undetected infestations is not known. However, owing to BTM’s multiple generations, damage is rapidly ramping up to produce some dramatic impacts and questions about BTM management.

Whether you're a professional in horticulture, agriculture, or simply a passionate gardener, this workshop offers something for everyone. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to expand your knowledge and sharpen your diagnostic skills alongside experts in the field.

An unusual find of leaves of a common hackberry tree covered with a layer of honeydew and sooty mold was discovered in NW Ohio. Upon investigation, it was determined that the leaves were infested with mulberry whitefly and a woolly aphid which was the most likely culprit of producing the sticky mess.

 

The Plant Phenology and Growing Degree Day (GDD) posts and impacts have been a Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine (BYGL) staple for years. GDD will continue to be an important part of the blog written to assist green industry professionals, Extension professionals, Extension volunteers, and people with a passion for plants and pests too.

 

Readers will continue to see those updates in the BYGL on a monthly basis, but there is no better way to track GDD and ultimately the plant blooms and insect activity on your own. Be sure to save this website ( ...

I’ve posted several Alerts over the years about the ancient cyanobacterium, Nostoc commune (Nc) and always cautioned that the mucilaginous mass can be as slippery as ice. I now have face-to-turf experience. Thankfully, the only thing hurt was my pride.

This nocturnal beetle prefers sandy soil to lay eggs. Introduced from eastern Asia around the 1920s, the asiatic garden beetle (AGB) is well established in the northeastern United States, and on the move to southern states.