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Tag Archives: IPM
Chiggers by Wizzie Brown
What Exactly Are Chiggers? Chiggers are the first stage out of the egg of a particular type of mite. They climb onto people and other animals walking through infested areas, crawl upwards, and wander around the body seeking a good site to settle down and feed. Feeding preference for these mites on humans is in areas where skin is thinnest (behind knees, armpits) or where clothing fits tightly, such as the ankles, waist, and the groin area. What Causes All That Itching? Chiggers do not burrow into skin… Read More →
Cicada Killer Wasps by Wizzie Brown
What are these giant wasps?!?!?!?! Cicada killer wasps, common this time of year, are native to Texas. They are some of the largest wasps that you can find in Texas, reaching up to 1 ½ inches long and can be somewhat frightening if you see them flying about your lawn. Cicada killers have a reddish-brown head and thorax, a black and yellow abdomen, and wings with a rusty tinge. Only females are capable of stinging because the stinger is a modified egg laying structure. Fortunately, female cicada killer… Read More →
Cactus Bugs by Wizzie Brown
What Are These Bugs on My Cactus?! Cactus coreids or cactus bugs, Chelinidea vittiger, are shield-shaped insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts. They are most commonly red but can vary in color. They have distinctive antennae; if you look at the antennae in cross section, they are triangular in shape. Adults have fully developed wings while immatures, or nymphs, do not and are sometimes mistaken for weevils. Cactus coreids feed in groups on prickly pear cactus. Often the first indication of damage is round, yellowish spots on the cactus pads…. Read More →
Kern’s Flower Beetles by Wizzie Brown
What is This Beetle in My Flowers? Kern’s flower beetles are a type of scarab beetle, closely related to May and June beetles. They are medium in size, reaching about 1/3 inch in length. There are multiple color variations ranging from all black, to brownish-orange or creamy white with black markings. Should You Treat for Them? These beetles eat pollen in multiple types of flowers. Often you will find numerous beetles in a single flower. Treatment of these beetles is optional as they feed on pollen and typically… Read More →
Forest Tent Caterpillars by Wizzie Brown
Tent Caterpillars Start to Appear in April Forest tent caterpillars cause damage in the larval, or caterpillar, stage. Caterpillars are a greyish- brown color with bright blue and yellow stripes running down the sides of their body. The back of the caterpillar has white shoeprint/ keyhole markings. Larvae also have fine white hairs over their body but are not a stinging caterpillar. These caterpillars, although called tent caterpillars, do not make an actual tent like others in their group. Other tent caterpillars make a web between two branches… Read More →
Ants and Termite Swarmers ID by Wizzie Brown
Watch for Flying Objects Soon it will be time for swarming insects to emerge out from their homes in the ground and fly into the air in search of a mate. Usually, this event coincides with warm temperatures and a significant rainfall event but can also occur if you forget to turn off your irrigation system. “Swarmer” or “alate” are other terms that describe the reproductive stage of ants and termites. These insects have wings when they initially leave the colony, but the wings are either shed or… Read More →
Carpenter Ants May Be a Problem This Year by Wizzie Brown
Carpenter Ants Capitalizing on Freeze Damage With the freeze we had earlier this year, many people lost trees or branches of trees. Many people have already cleaned up their yard but others are still waiting for help from arborists to cut down dead trees or prune damaged limbs. If you, or your neighbor, is one of the people who choose to leave things in place, you may now be dealing with carpenter ants. Identifying Carpenter Ants Carpenter ants are large ants varying in color from all black to… Read More →
Leaffooted Bugs Common in Summer Vegetable Gardens by Wizzie Brown
Leaffooted Bugs and Stink Bugs Closely Related Leaffooted bugs are sometimes mistaken for stink bugs, which are a closely related insect. However, Leaffooted bugs are larger than stink bugs and have an elongated body. Some leaffooted bugs have an expanded region on their hind leg that looks similar to a leaf, hence the name leaffooted bug (Figure 1). Identifying Traits Adult insects are fairly large and grayish-brown. Immatures, or nymphs, look similar to adults, but may differ in color and lack the expanded region on the leg until… Read More →
Fall Armyworm Populations Active in Austin Area
Fall armyworm larvae, or caterpillars, are light tan to light green with a brownish-black head. These caterpillars have a white line between their eyes that forms an inverted Y-shape. Larvae have yellowish and black banding along their body as well as four large spots at the end of the abdomen. Adults are small moths with a wingspan of 1.5 inches with mottled brownish-grey wings. Fall armyworms overwinter in the pupal stage in south Texas. Once adults emerge from the pupal stage, they migrate northward during spring as temperatures… Read More →
Mosquito Repellents by Wizzie Brown
Mosquitoes are out in masses and since they are capable of disease transmission, it is important that you protect yourself when spending time outside. Of course, you can wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt in light colors to reduce the number of mosquitoes that can reach your skin when outside, but this is not always the option people choose with temperatures on the rise. Another option to protect yourself is mosquito repellent. How to Properly Apply Mosquito Repellent Apply repellent only to clothing and exposed skin; do… Read More →