Green June Beetles (Cotinis nitida, family Scarabaeidae) are making their annual appearance en masse to terrorize gardeners, golfers, sunbathers, small children, and pets as they buzz home lawns and golf courses. Despite the "June" in their common name, these beetles always appear on the scene in July in Ohio.

Lacewings (order Neuroptera) are delicate insects named for their elaborate lace-like wing venation. Ohio is home to members of two families: green lacewings (family Chrysopidae) and brown lacewings (family Hemerobiidae).

Lace bugs (order Hemiptera; family Tingidae) are so-named because of the lace-like pattern of the veins and membranes in their wings which are held flat over their body. Most lace bug species found in Ohio live on the lower leaf surface of their host plants.

The sight of ants in the kitchen can really freak you out. But if you step back, and do some research, they are not as big of a problem as you think.

Let's talk about a perennial plant that can provide early, mid and late season flowers, and ultimately color. There are distinct flower shapes and sizes. The overall plant height can vary greatly from 12 inches to exceeding 4 feet. They can be incorporated in existing perennial beds, or can stand alone in swaths and borders. The perennial I am talking about is the daylily. 

While the caterpillar stage of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) and its feeding is a thing of the past, adult moth activity is now being observed in the buckeye state. Populations are not widespread, but rather most evident in pockets or areas within the supression zone. Ohio has three management zones including: suppression, slow-the-spread, and eradication.  Each of thoses zones or programs are described below. 

The sunflower headclipping weevil (Haplorhynchites aeneus) is a well-documented native pest across the Great Plains where they attack cultivated and wild sunflowers (Helianthus spp., family Asteraceae). The weevil reared its ugly snout in Ohio several years ago, but not as an agricultural pest.

Signate Lady Beetle larvae totally decimated a magnolia scale infestation a small saucer magnolia. The larvae have distinctly segmented bodies cloaked in cottony white wax making them look like mealybugs which they will also eat. The adults are very small measuring around 1/8” long.

Check out this week's edition of the OSU Turfgrass Times - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuWAaPsjvQA

Brood X (10) of the 17-year Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada spp.; family Cicadidae) have come and gone in Ohio leaving behind oviposition damage (flagging) as a reminder of their spring fling. Annual Dog-Day Cicadas (Neotibicen canicularis; family Cicadidae) are now arriving on the scene along with their nemesis, Cicada Killer Wasps (Sphecius speciosus).