Pests & Weeds Archives - Page 4 of 30 - Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Look now for tree disease & tree stress

Spring is a good time to check your trees for any signs of stress or disease, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). If you have questions about your trees, email photos and location information to foresthealth@dec.ny.gov or you may contact the Forest Health Diagnostic Lab at 1-866-640-0652. Tree diseases Oak wilt Don’t prune oak trees in spring! This is the time when insects that spread the oak wilt fungus are on the move. Because of recent oak…...

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May 28, 2024

Invasive moths are damaging boxwoods in parts of WNY: what you should do

by Connie Oswald Stofko The box tree moth, an invasive pest that can damage and even kill a boxwood shrub within weeks, has been identified in Niagara, Erie and Orleans counties. This pest can spread; the moths are highly mobile and are good fliers. Anyone with boxwoods in Western New York should watch now for the caterpillar stage of the box tree moth (Buxus species). The caterpillar feeds almost exclusively on boxwood shrubs. The caterpillars are ravenous feeders, and heavy infestations…

May 21, 2024

Bear sighted in Batavia; what to do if you see one

by Connie Oswald Stofko A bear was spotted walking through a resident’s yard in Batavia last week. You can see the resident’s video here. This isn’t the first sighting of bears in populated areas of Western New York. I wrote about bears that were seen in Cheektowaga and Lancaster (suburbs of Buffalo) in 2020. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said then that they had begun to see a rise in reported sightings of black bears in…...

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May 14, 2024

Baby wildlife: If you care, leave them there

Every year, people scoop up young wild animals thinking the animals are orphaned or neglected. They take the young animals to a wildlife rehabilitator, or worse, attempt to raise the young animals themselves. In many cases, this is unnecessary or even harmful, according to this page from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The most common young animals to be mistakenly “kidnapped” by humans are fawns, cottontail rabbits and fledgling birds. It’s important to understand the normal behavior for these…...

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Apr 23, 2024

Stop weeds now, plus more on how forsythia rules our gardens

by Connie Oswald Stofko Wait until the forsythia blooms. That’s a rule of thumb for many gardening tasks in Western New York. For example, you shouldn’t prune your roses until you see forsythia blooming in your neighborhood, according to this tip from the the Western New York Rose Society. The forsythias are blooming now, or will bloom soon, in Western New York. “This is when the soil is warming up and things are popping up outside,” said David Clark, CNLP, who was honored…...

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Mar 26, 2024

Lesser celandine: spread the word about this horrible plant in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko Gardeners in Western New York have the opportunity to address the problem of lesser celandine. That’s because lesser celandine is right in our own backyards. Or front yards. Or the lawns and gardens of our neighbors. If you don’t know what lesser celandine is, read on. And if you are already familiar with this invasive plant, please tell others. Tip: Our weather has been warm, and lesser celandine may be coming up sooner than it has…...

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Mar 12, 2024

garden where ash trees used to be in Hamburg NY

Hamburg gardener lost 50 ash trees; see how she coped

by Connie Oswald Stofko When Carol and Rick Stumpf bought an empty lot for their home 30 years ago, ash trees were already established. A house and gardens followed and the Stumpfs enjoyed their landscape. “It was all shaded back here,” Carol said. “I had all my beds how I wanted them.” She gazed longingly around her huge backyard, remembering how it used to be before her mature ash trees–and many others across Western New York– were killed by emerald…...

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Feb 13, 2024

tiny Laricobius Nigrinus beetles that eat the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Thousands of native beetles set off to combat insects that threaten hemlocks

1,700 tiny native beetles called Laricobius Nigrinus (or affectionately called Larry, short for Laricobius), were released at Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area in November. It’s hoped that the beetles will find and eat the hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect that threatens native eastern hemlock trees. Over time, the woolly adelgid can kill the hemlocks, which are an important tree species in Zoar Valley. The hemlock is a foundational species; it’s key to the ecosystem. By protecting the hemlocks, we’re protecting…...

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Dec 5, 2023

egg clusters of spotted lanternfly on tree

What do spotted lanternflies look like now in WNY?

Spotted lanternflies (SLF), invasive pests that have been identified in Western New York, look different in different seasons. Right now you should look for egg masses. The adults lay eggs from September through November or until the first killing freeze. The egg masses start out white and change colors over a few weeks to pinkish and then to brown. The egg masses are about one inch long. Eggs can be found on any outdoor surface from October through June. Good…...

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Nov 28, 2023

spider captured a brown marmorated stinkbug in Amherst NY

More brown marmorated stink bugs this year? Relax

by Connie Oswald Stofko Last year we got the good news that the population of brown marmorated stink bugs could be declining in Western New York. But I saw more brown marmorated stink bugs this year than I did last year. Did you? Don’t worry. First of all, did you count the stink bugs this year? Or last year? Neither did I. Maybe we had 20 in our house this year and six last year. Is that a big difference?…...

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Oct 10, 2023