Floral Fear Returns... JUST RELAX!!

This is the time of year that concerned citizens call into the office asking what they can do to help magnolias or rhododendrons in their landscape to not die.  When asked what is happening to lead them to believe the plants are going to die, the plant symptoms indicating imminent death turn out to be exactly the same.   Concern is expressed for plants that previously bloomed this Spring and are right now beginning to bloom again!  This behavior has somehow evolved into a mythical belief that it is a last-ditch effort by the plant to make seeds so that its progeny can...

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Authors
Erik Draper

Be Alert to European Paper Wasps

European paper wasps have presented a conundrum over the past several years in Ohio. After becoming the dominant wasp in Ohio during the 2000s, they all but disappeared in the 2010s. However, they are now making a dramatic comeback and their odd nesting habits can put them in conflict with people.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

An Early Abundance of Stingers

Wasp nests have been with us since the beginning growing season; however, they typically don’t appear on our radar until late in the season when the colonies reach their zenith. But this year, Extension offices are already receiving complaints about wasps; particularly yellowjackets. It appears that yellowjacket populations are running high thus far this season producing stinging commentaries about close encounters.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Why do Trees Bleed?

Sap flow from a tree sometimes referred to people as ‘Bleeding’ is most commonly caused by an injury or stress. Similar to people, when trees sustain an injury, they can bleed.
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Authors
Thomas deHaas

Lousy with Lace Bugs

Lace Bugs (order Hemiptera; family Tingidae) are small plant-sucking insects so named because of the lace-like pattern of the veins and membranes in their wings which are held flat over their body. Although most species found in Ohio live on the lower leaf surface of their host plants, there are a few notable exceptions to this rule.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Beth Scheckelhoff