Category Archives: Pest Control

Fond du Lac County Day In The Garden

The 19th Annual Day in the Garden by the Fond du Lac County Master Gardener Association is set for Saturday, March 18th. The event features speakers, vendors, and a silent auction. It runs from 8:00 to 3:45 at the UW Fond du Lac Extension Office.

I will be speaking on Gardening for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects at the event.

Day in the Garden will give you get tips and inspiration for your own garden and is a great way to network with other local gardeners.

For additional information, see 2017 Day in the Garden brochure.

Handouts for the talk are available here.

Tobacco Hornworm Chemical Warfare

A while back I did a post on the tomato/tobacco hornworm, and just came across some interesting new research on this pest. Continue reading

Tomato Hornworm Cusine

Tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) is a moth pest of solanaceous crops, including tomato, eggplant, and pepper. It is closely related to tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta).  The easiest way to differentiate the two species as larvae is to check the color of the “horn” at the end of the caterpillar’s body.  M. sexta has red horns, M. quinquemaculata has black. Continue reading

Squash Vine Borer

2012 was a really bad year for squash vine borer in Michigan.  The outbreak was likely in part due to the mild winter of 2011 and perhaps the drought.  It was the worst season for this pest I’ve experienced.

Continue reading