by Connie Oswald Stofko Slugs chomp on a variety of garden plants, and Western New York’s rainy weather means that some gardeners are battling with an increased population of slugs. What should you do if you have slugs? Well, keep things in perspective. You can reduce the numbers of slugs, but not get rid of them completely. To decrease the number of slugs, slug bait seems to be your best bet. There are two kinds of slug bait. The conventional…
The elm zigzag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda), an exotic insect pest, has been found this summer in Allegany County and is spreading rapidly through New York State. The elm zigzag sawfly is an insect that eats only elm leaves and can cause severe defoliation (leaf loss) that threatens tree health. It was first detected in August 2022 in St. Lawrence County in the northern part of New York State. This summer it has been found in Allegany, Ontario, Madison, Ulster, Schenectady,…
A virus new to the United States is striking tomatoes and peppers, according to this article by Beth Mattimore in the newest edition of WNY Gardening Matters, produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County. Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is spread by tomato seeds. There are no current treatments or sprays that will cure infected plants. Tomato production worldwide is threatened. The virus has been seen in other parts of the world since 2015….
by Connie Oswald Stofko I got this message from a reader: Is there an invasion of Japanese beetles? They are cleaning out all the leaves of my grapes and are now into the veggie garden, mainly on the climbing beans. Is this a bad year or am I one of the lucky ones? The beetle trap bag is pretty full. Thanks…Larry Larry, thanks for bringing up this topic. I guess you’re one of the “lucky” gardeners to have Japanese beetles…
As far as we know, the Asian longhorned beetle has been found only in the New York City area, but never in Western New York. Still, we want to keep a lookout for this invasive insect that attacks and kills maples, birches, willows, and other hardwood trees. The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is active now through Labor Day, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Pool owners are asked to regularly check their pool filters and report…
Check out these two publications from Master Gardeners in Western New York–they’re full of great information. Learn about soil blocks in the newest edition of The Optimistic Gardener, produced by the Master Gardeners in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. You don’t need containers for seedlings when you have soil blocks, according to Mark Messinger, Master Gardener apprentice. “You can see the roots fill out the blockscompletely, and instead of swirling around and tangling themselves, each root just stopswhen it hits the…
by Connie Oswald Stofko I saw a post on social media today from a gardener at the West Seneca-South Buffalo border who said she saw two adult spotted lanternflies. However, at this time of year, Western New York probably has nymphs, an earlier stage of the spotted lanterfly, rather than adults, said Brian Eshenaur, Senior Extension Associate with Cornell University and the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program. We probably won’t see adults in Western New York until early August….
WNY PRISM is marking New York Invasive Species Awareness Week with a series of events. Want a chance to win a prize? After attending an event, fill out the New York Invasive Species Awareness Week survey. To see the statewide webinar series, check out the 2023 NYISAW Statewide Website and Calendar. __________ Saturday, June 3 Walk and Talk 10 a.m. – 12p.m. Pfeiffer Nature Center’s Eshelman Property, 1420 Yubadam Rd., Portville WNY PRISM will be guiding folks on a leisurely…
One way to keep mosquitoes from biting you is by keeping them out of your yard in the first place. The most common mosquito in New York State is Culex pipiens, which has a very small territory. It usually stays within 300 feet of its breeding site, according to this page on mosquitoes from New York State Integrated Pest Management (NYS IPM). If you and your Western New York neighbors make sure there are no breeding sites, everyone can have a…
by Connie Oswald Stofko A month ago, I published Lesser celandine is back: What to do if it’s already out of control, but I still keep getting questions from readers. I also have gotten comments on that article and previous lesser celandine articles about how bad the situation has become on their property. Let’s address some of these issues. You can’t apply herbicide once the plant has flowered. Why? Here’s the answer from Andrea Locke, coordinator of WNY PRISM (Partnership for Regional…
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