Agricultural termites
It’s that time of year again. I have been getting a few calls.. Termite season! What? Termites are usually a problem in the spring you say? While that is true for some types of termites, I get most calls on agricultural termites in late summer into fall. Since we’ve been getting sporadic rain about town the past few days, I imagine that I will be getting more questions on these in the coming days.
Agricultural termites are not like drywood termites or subterranean termites in that they prefer live grasses and weeds to feed upon instead of dead wood. Because of this, agricultural termites usually do not attack structures. They will make mud tubes covering vegetation to provide them protection while they are feeding. These termites are often found in large fields growing forage but can sometimes also been found in more urban settings such as lawns or sports fields.
While agricultural termites are not usually considered a pest, large populations can cause problems in forage crops or turfgrass.
Aphids
It seems that the cooler weather and moisture have disappeared and we’ve moved into sweltering temperatures. While it will be nice to dry out a bit, expect pest populations to be on the rise. One to watch for is aphids as their populations can increase rapidly.
Aphids are small, softbodied insects with “tailpipes” (better known as cornicles) coming off the tip of the abdomen. Aphids come in a variety of colors and may or may not have wings. They have an incomplete life cycle (eggnymph- adult) with the nymphs looking similar to the adults but smaller.
These insects have piercing-sucking mouthparts and will insert them into the plant to suck up plant juices. Aphid damage can lead to yellowing, curling and/ or stunting of the plant. Aphids are often found on the underside of leaves or along the stem of the plant. Sometimes they can be found on the plant roots.
Aphids are also honeydew producers. Honeydew is a sticky, sweet substance that may look shiny on the foliage of the plant. Honeydew can also lead to a secondary plant problem called sooty mold. Sooty mold is a fungus that grows on honeydew areas and if you see it on your plants, then you need to look for and manage the honeydew producing insect.
If you discover aphids, you can try a jet of highpressure water to dislodge them from the plant.
If that doesn’t help, then you can try less toxic pesticides such as insecticidal soap, horticultural oil, pyrethrin’s or azadirachtin. They can also be killed with synthetic formulations. Please be sure to read the label of the product you choose to apply properly.