Controlling Ants – How Do I Get Rid Of Ants In My Lawns and Gardens? Ants are most commonly seen insects in the garden. Generally they do not damage the grass or plants, but can cause nuisance to the gardener. There are different species of ants and they live in colonies or organised nests which contain thousands of ants. In the colony of ants most are sterile wingless females. There will be fertile females called queen ants and male ants in the colony. They nest in flowerpots, lawns, among the roots of plants and in composting areas in the garden. They may take out the soil around the roots of the plants and deposit it on the surface to build the nest. The ants protect the aphids and mealy bugs which attack the plants. The predators like ladybird beetles cannot attack the aphids and increased in the number of aphids may cause damage and death of the plants. Ants can cause damage to the appearance of lawns and also cause damages to the roots of grass. Know and see the
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Downy Mildew How To Control the Disease Downy mildew is a common problem that springs up in your garden during spring time. It is not very easily diagnosed and can cause serious damage to the plants. Downy mildew can even stunt a plant. What are Downy Mildew Symptoms? Downy mildew is a common name given to numerous types of oomycete microbes that affects the plants. They are caused by parasitic organisms that are having a relation with algae. They cause white to yellow patches on the top surface of the older leaves of a plant. The underside of the leaves is covered with white to grey colour parasites that looks like cotton. They appear more after heavy dew or rain and will disappear right after the sunny weather starts. If the downy mildew is left untreated, it can spread all over the leaves and finally make the leaves to turn brown and crisp. It will make the leaves to fall off from the plant even if the plants are well watered. The most favourable temperature for the spore production is
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    White Curl Grubs How to Avoid the Problem of Cockchafers – Christmas Beetles – Curl Grub Beetle? White curl grubs are the larvae of an African black beetle or cockchafers or scarab beetle or Christmas beetle. They commonly attack the lawns and feeds on roots of grass or dead plant material in the garden. The damage done by these larvae is more during hot, dry periods in summer around Christmas in Australia. Dead patches of grass appear in the lawns where the grass can be pulled out with ease. What do Curl Grubs Look Like? They have a cream or white coloured body with a brown coloured head and greyish posterior end. The body is usually curled to a “C” and hence the name curl grub. The size of the larvae comes to about 40 mm when fully grown. In the juvenile stage it has three pairs of legs at the anterior part of the body. They curl up when disturbed. What do Curl Grubs Eat? The grubs feed on a wide range of decomposing plant material and also the
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    Botrytis Blight Or Grey Mould Botrytis blight or Grey mould is a fungal disease caused by a fungus called botrytis cinerea. This fungus attacks trees and garden plants during high humidity period in summer or spring. It can affect all plant parts like leaves, shoots, flowers, buds. The affected areas of the plant develop brown lesions and grey coloured spores. The severity of the fungal attack depends mainly on the weather conditions. What is Botrytis Blight Tell Tale Signs? The signs of botrytis Blight include brown coloured spots and flecks on buds and flowers. Brown spots also appear on leaves, flowers, stem during or after cool and wet period. The pattern of wilting and discolouration starts from the inner petals and extends towards the petals on the outer area of the flower. Brown lesions with grey spores are the typical symptom. The tender leaves and shoots start to die back and the leaves start to drop off. Fruits will rot and drop off from the plant. How to Treat Botrytis Blight on Plants? The treatment for botrytis blight
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Slaters, Roley Poleys Or Pill Bugs Treat with Natural Pesticide Facts about Woodlice Woodlice are also commonly called as slaters, sow bugs, pill bugs or Roley Poleys. They are crustaceans seen in the garden. They are scavenger insects which feed on dead and decaying organic matter in the soil and helps in increasing soil fertility. They can multiply in moist environments and can damage the seedlings. They have heavily armoured and flattened and segmented oval body. They grow to a length of 8-20mm and have 7 body segments. Each body segment has one pair of legs. Though they have two pairs of antennae at the anterior end only one pair is visible. At the rear end of the body there are two tails like appendages. There are different species of slaters in distribution in Australia. The most common species include Porcellio scaber which is pale grey or brown in colour and the Armadillidium vulgare or pill bug which can roll on to a ball when disturbed. Slaters need moist or damp conditions to survive and are active during night. The
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Mealybugs – All About Mealybugs. Mealybugs are soft bodied white coloured insects belonging to the family Pseudococcidae. These insect pests are about 4mm in size and the female bugs feeds on plant juices. They especially like the sap of citrus plants, ferns, orchids and other ornamental plants, greenhouse plants and trees. They thrive well in warm and humid weather conditions. The white powdery wax like coating gives white colour. They form clusters on the underside of leaves and stems. Habit As mealybug’s feeds on plant juices, they will infest different parts of the host plant. They will insert the piercing mouthparts into the leaves and stems and sucks up the plant juices. They excrete a sticky juice called honeydew, which attracts the ants to the plant. The perfect breeding conditions include mild temperature and high humidity. The eggs hatch within 2-3 weeks of laying. Symptoms of Mealybugs The symptoms of infestation are not visible when the pest level is low. When present in higher numbers the leaves of the host plant will turn yellow and start curling. The plant will
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Fruit Fly Control – Make Your Own Fruit Fly Traps Many orchard owners and garden owners are affected by the damages done by the fruit flies to the fruits and vegetables. As more and more farmers are turning to insecticide and pesticide free garden management practices, it is necessary to find a safe solution for the fruit fly problem. Fruit fly traps are an effective way of controlling this insect, which will spoil the fruit produce. The fruit fly traps will attract, trap and would kill the fruit flies. This insect lays its eggs inside the fruit by puncturing the skin. The eggs hatch into grubs, which will feed on the fruit. Where do fruit flies come from? Earlier people believed that fruit flies were formed spontaneously. However, the truth is that the overripe fruits start to ferment and produce alcohol which attracts the fruit flies from long distances. These flies have a fast life cycle, which is completed in 8 days. So, any fruit or vegetable left outside of your refrigerator can cause a swarm of flies within 8
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Lily Borer Caterpillar or Kew Arches, Amaryllis Borer or Crinum Borer   Lily borer caterpillar or Kew arches originally belong to Mediterranean coastal areas, but have also spread too many other areas in the world including Australia. These caterpillars can create havoc by completely destroying the bulbous plants they attack such as Amaryllis, Clivias, Crinums and Agapanthus. Fortunately, you can control the lily caterpillar – Spodoptera Picta using chemicals as well as natural methods. Description   The Lily Borer or Crinum Borer is about one and a half inches long when fully grown. The best way to identify the caterpillar is through its striking colour. It has a yellow body with bright orange and black rings and slight bristles. Black dots present on the head and base appear like eyes. This caterpillar matures into a brown coloured moth with white hind wings. The lily borers particularly attack plants belonging to Amaryllis, Haemanthus, Crinum and Nerine families. Hot, wet and humid conditions are especially suitable for their attack. Life Cycle Lily Borer Caterpillar or Kew Arches Several generations are produced in a
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Black Spot on Roses Milk & Water Blackspot Spray for Roses You can hardly find a home garden without rose plants. Everyone loves to grow roses in the garden. With great care and attention, you will be able to easily maintain your rose plants. One of the most serious diseases that you find on the rose leaves is the black spot on roses. You should treat these black spots on the rose leaves to keep the rose plant healthy. What is Rose Black Spot? The black spots on the leaves of the rose plant are a nasty fungus. The black spot is known as Diplocarpon rosae is a fungal disease. As the name suggests, you will see black spots all over the leaves of the rose bush. If you do not treat the black spots on the bushes, then it will make the rose bushes defoliate. What Causes Black Spot on Roses? There are many home gardeners who wonder how the rose gets affected by the black spot fungus. One thing you need to understand is that roses and black
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Natural Flea Control for Animals Fleas are small insects which live as external parasites on cats, dogs or even humans. These wingless insects are reddish-brown in colour and sucks on the blood of their host. The body of the flea is flat vertically and is covered with hairs and short spines. The adult insects are only 1/16th of an inch and have long legs which help the insect to jump to long distances. The mouth parts of this insect are adapted for blood sucking. Most of the host animals are allergic to the flea bites and the saliva of the insect causes itching. Lets look at the problems of fleas and natural flea control for pets.   The symptoms of a flea problem, is the dog may spin around quickly and bite and whine at the time of the flea bite. Where the fleas have been biting your pet, there maybe signs of hair loss, or small red dots even inflamed red skin where the dog or cat has been continually scratching or biting. Irritation of their skin is usually
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