Florida‘s State Tree. Palm Mostly Right

Quick! What is the official Florida state tree? If you answered “palm tree.” you’re mostly right. After all, Florida is synonymous with warm, sunny days; sultry evenings and, of course, palm trees. But there are 2,600 varieties of palm trees and the one Florida calls its “official” tree is the Sabal Palmetto Palm. Also called a cabbage palm because the central bud can be eaten raw or cooked, it isn’t a good idea to do either since damaging the bud will kill the tree.

20,000 Species of Ants and Counting

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There are nearly 13,000 named species of ants worldwide. Since many of the ant species found or studied in tropical areas have yet to be named, myrmecologists – those who study ants – estimate there may be as many as 20,000 or more species of ants. In Florida alone, there are over 200 recognized species.

And, sometimes it seems that all these near relatives to bees and wasps are marching through your home all at once. They just keep coming and coming and coming with no apparent end in sight. Later, I’ll give you the recipe for a simple, safe, inexpensive and natural ant killer. I can’t say yet whether or not it’s effective because I’ve only started to use it today.

Newspaper Reports on Spiral Whitefly Invasion

Last week, the Palm Beach Post ran a story on the Rugose spiraling whitefly invasion (Whiteflies hit Palm Beach County homeowners’ trees, plants, pools, Aug. 16, 2012). If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you knew about the Rugose spiraling whitefly more than two weeks earlier (The Spiral Whitefly Invasion – A New Pest in Town, Aug. 1). We don’t want to brag about our timeliness; the Post certainly has more resources than us. But, it does beg the question (with apologies to Ghostbusters):

If there's somethin' strange in your yard
Who ya gonna call? (Insect Pest Control)
If it's somethin' weird an it don't look good
Who ya gonna call? (Insect Pest Control)

The Spiral Whitefly Invasion - A New Pest in Town

As if it isn’t bad enough that our ficus hedges have been under attack by the fig or ficus whitefly (see Whiteflies Leave Wide Path of Defoliation, Feb. 14, 2012), now we have to contend with a new whitefly to our area, the rugose spiraling whitefly. This newest of more than 75 whitefly species found in Florida is of particular concern in Palm Beach County because of their voracious appetite for your trees and plants. Well established along the eastern portions of the county, they are now making their way west.

Do You Have These in Your Landscape?

• Bird of Paradise
• Coconut Palm
• Bismark Palm
• Pygmy Date Palm (Roebelenii’s)
• Gumbo Limbo
• Pandanum (Screw-Pine Palm), to name a few

If so, this new spiral whitefly will attack all these palms, plants and more. It is completely different than the ficus whitefly found on shrubs. But before you panic, the University of Florida IFAS Extension says that unlike its cousin the ficus whitefly, the rugose spiraling whitefly hasn’t caused severe plant damage, such as plant death or severe branch die-back.

Mosquitoes Are Itching To Get You

Contrary to popular belief, neither Lemon Fresh Joy® nor Listerine® will keep mosquitos from bothering you. Neither will used dryer sheets stuffed in your pockets. In addition, there is no scientific evidence that eating garlic, vitamins, onions or any other food will make a person repellent to mosquitoes, or that wearing devices that emit sound will repeal mosquitoes. Keep reading to find out what does work.

For the Female Is More Deadly Than the Male

As adults, both male and female mosquitoes feed on sugars from plants and other insects that feed on plant sugars. This is the only source of nutrition for males; they do not feed on blood. The females use the sugar meals for energy and the blood meals for egg development. She doesn’t actually bite but stabs by piercing her proboscis, which is a tubular appendage, and drinks between 0.0001 and 0.01 milliliters. She’ll continue to bite and draw blood until her abdomen is full. If she’s interrupted before she’s finished, she’ll fly on to the next person. The bumps and itch left on your skin after a mosquito has bitten you are an allergic reaction to mosquito saliva. The reaction can vary from person to person, but usually lasts no more than 24 hours.

What’s Behind Two Fleas?

A canine flea collar commercial currently running on television asks the question: What’s behind two fleas? Answer: The next generation. A female flea can lay hundreds of eggs on your pet, ensuring that its work will be carried on by generations to come.

One Flea 400 Bites

A single flea can bite your cat or dog more than 400 times. During the day, the flea can consume more than its body weight of your pet’s blood. While flea bites may be just a nuisance to some pets, they can be dangerous to others. They cause allergies and a pet’s constant scratching to rid itself of fleas can cause permanent hair loss and other skin problems. A pet can get a tapeworm if it eats a flea that has one. Fleas feasting on your pet’s blood can cause anemia and, in rare cases, death.

About 1/16^th of an inch, fleas are dark, reddish-brown, wingless insects. Their bodies are flattened side to side, which allows them easy movement through your pet’s coat. Their bodies are hard, polished and covered with many hairs and short spines directed backward. Their long legs give them the ability to jump seven or eight inches into the air.

Chinch Bugs #1 Enemy of St. Augustine Grass

Every weekend you’re out there tending to your lawn, weeding, watering and spending hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on food and fertilizer to make it the pride and the envy of the neighborhood only to one day discover the grass inexplicably turning yellow, then reddish-brown and finally dying. This is the foul work of the chinch bug. A complex of three different species within the same family, chinch bugs have piercing-sucking mouthparts and they feed on the sap of grass plants.

And Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite

When you were a child, and your parents sent you to bed, after they said, “Good night, sleep tight,” there’s a good chance that they added, “and don’t let the bed bugs bite.” As children, we thought this was a cute rhyme, and while some of us may actually have been frightened by our parents’ admonition, probably few of us were really bitten by bed bugs.

Eradicated 60 Years Ago

In fact, it was thought that bed bugs had been eradicated in the U.S. over 60 years ago. That is, until 2010, when New York City’s massive bed bug infestation made national headlines. These pests were found not only in hotels but also theaters, concert halls and retail stores, giving New York the dubious distinction of being the most bed bug infested city in the country. Bed bugs got so out of hand that in that same year five states asked the Defense Dept. for money to help get rid of bed bugs.

By Any Other Name a Cucaracha Is Still a Roach

Click to play. Kumbia Kings

Nearly everyone is familiar with the urban legend that cockroaches could survive a nuclear explosion. The Discovery Channel’s MythBusters team decided to put this rumor to the test and concluded that because of their simple bodies, it is possible that cockroaches could, in fact, continue to exist.

Another rumor is that the presence of cockroaches indicates a dirty home. Relax! Don’t grab the mop just yet. Your home can be meticulously clean but if there are cockroaches in the building, they will seek out food and water and your home or pantry may supply them with the small amount of food they need to survive. The presence of one cockroach may signal that the population is low because of a lack of food to maintain a community.

Subterranean Termites Common in Our Area

Recently we discussed Drywood Termites. The “good” news was that these colonies are slow to develop and advised you not to panic but, nonetheless, to be vigilant in monitoring for infestations.

Subterranean Termites More Aggressive

Subterranean Termites, which live underground in the soil, come in several different flavors and are the most widespread and destructive group of termites in the U.S. They are most common in the South and Southeast. The Eastern Subterranean Termite is the dominant termite

Formosan Termite alates are attracted to and will swarm around sources of light. Video by Chris Dunaway for LSU Ag Center.

species in the eastern half of the country and the most economically important for the destruction it causes. The Formosan Subterranean Termite is the most destructive and is found occasionally in most Southeast states, including Florida.

Subterranean Termites are social insects that live in colonies consisting of many individuals. The colonies consist of workers, soldiers and reproductives. The workers are about 1/8 inch long and have no wings. They are white to cream colored and very numerous. Soldiers defend the colony against other insects.

Termites? No Need To Panic

In Florida, termites and wood decay cause up to $1 billion in property damage each year. Forty-five different species of termites live in the U.S. and a few other species not found in other states call Florida their home. These species fall into three types: subterranean, drywood and dampwood.

Drywood Termites

Today, we’ll look at drywood termites because they live in wood, such as the structural timber or hardwood floors of your home or dead trees around your property.

Late spring and summer months are the peak season for winged drywood termite swarming flights. These insects emerge in the evening and during the night and are attracted to lights or TV. This is just one sign of infestation.

Other signs of infestation include:

• Discarded wings that have accumulated around window sills or in spider webs.

Whiteflies Leave Wide Path of Defoliation

Don't let this happen to your landscaping investment

For the past five years, non-native ficus hedges and trees have been under attack by fig whiteflies. These nuisances, which are in the same family as aphids, scales and mealybugs, have left a wide path of defoliation along streets and property lines. According to researchers at the University of Florida, fig whiteflies injure plants by sucking juices from them that causes wilting, yellowing, stunting, leaf drop and even death.
Also known as the ficus whitefly, this insect resembles a small moth with a yellow body and white wings with a faint gray band in the middle of the wings. Although their lifecycle is only a month, they can cause extensive damage to your shrubbery. Eggs are laid on the underside of leaves and hatch into a crawler stage. The crawler wanders around the leaf until it begins to feed. From this point, until they become adults, they don’t move and remain in the same place on the plant.

Are Big Headed Ants at Home in Your Home?

More than 220 species of ants call Florida home. They inhabit a wide variety of nesting locations, including tree limbs and twigs, grass stems, rotten logs, dead leaves, soils of all kinds, tree bark … and your home.

Watch for Piles of Sand

Piles of sand and other debris indoors may signal big-headed ants. These small, light brown to reddish brown to nearly black, dull ants come in two sizes: major workers, which measure about 1/7th of an inch, and minor workers, which are about 1/10th of an inch. The major’s head is disproportionately larger than its body.

Searching for food in trails of a few up to hundreds of workers, outdoors they feed on live and dead insects, seeds and the honeydew of other insects. In your home, they prefer protein foods but will also dine on greases and sweets. Inside, they trail along baseboards and are found foraging under the edges of carpets. You should attempt to follow the workers back to the site where the colony is located and if they are entering and exiting from under a wall, an inspection of the foundation should be made for cracks and holes.