Urban IPM

Science Ink by Carl Zimmer

2012-02-06T13:49:00.000-06:00

Tattoos by Pat Beck of Arsenal Tattoo.

Science Ink by Carl Zimmer has been popping up here and there lately for me. I saw images from the New York Times on my Facebook feed. A day or so later I saw it pop up again on Science Friday and got to listen to the interview once I had downloaded the podcast.

I have added the book to my wishlist and hopefully hubby will buy it for me for some random holiday. Just what every girl wants for Valentine's Day, right? The images shown on the New York Times slide show were phenomenal. And while there were not any insects in the slide show, I fully expect to see insect tattoos in the book since insects make up 80% of the world's species- it would be a gross misrepresentation to not have an animal that is so prevalent in the world.

During the interview on Science Friday, Zimmer talked about how he was flooded with responses when he put out the call for science related tattoos on his blog. He also talked about many stories that came along with the tattoos- not the often thought of "I got drunk and got a tattoo", but personal stories where the tattoos were planned to commemorate an event (such as graduation) or a person. I eagerly await getting the book so I can read about the stories behind the beautiful art of science tattoos.

Caribbean (Rasberry) crazy ants

2012-01-20T13:48:00.000-06:00

Texas distirbution map of Nylanderia sp. near pubens.

In 2002, the Rasberry crazy ant, Nylanderia sp. near pubens, was found in the Houston area. It began to spread and can now be located in 21 counties, mostly around the Houston coastal area. The ants have been recently identified in Travis and Williamson counties.

Rasberry crazy ants are reddish-brown, but color darkness may vary. Workers have long legs and long antennae and bodies that are about 1/8 an inch long. The ants have long hairs on their body and 12 segmented antennae.

Characteristics of Rasberry crazy ant. Photo by Danny McDonald.

Colonies of these ants are massive (millions of ants). The colonies are polygyne and contain multiple queens, workers and brood (eggs, larvae, pupae). Colonies, or nests, can be found under or within almost any object. Examples include tree stumps, soil, potted plants, mulch, concrete, etc. Nests are primarily found outside, but the ants often forage indoors looking for food and water.

These ants form loose foraging trails and scurry randomly along the trail, hence the name “crazy” ant. Foraging ants typically follow structural lines- foundations, sidewalks, etc.- but large trails can also be found over open areas. They do not form mounds or emerge from the ground from a centralized opening.

Rasberry crazy ants are omnivores and eat almost anything. The workers, in addition to foraging for food, will “tend” honeydew-producing insects such as aphids, scale insect and mealybugs. Workers are also attracted to sweet-producing parts of plants such as nectaries or over-ripened fruit.

Black crazy ant. Photo by Bart Drees.

Since Rasberry crazy ants can nest within numerous materials and objects it is possible that they can be transported to new locations through gardening material- mulch, soil, potted plants, etc.- and other material around the home. Before transporting gardening material, passing along plants, moving items from your property, etc. it is very important to thoroughly inspect the item(s) for infestation. If they are infested with the ants, do NOT move them until the item(s) has/ have been treated; this is to avoid the spread of the ants.

Rasberry crazy ants are sometimes confused with the black crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis. The crazy ant looks similar, but has longer antennae and legs than the Rasberry crazy ant. The crazy ant also tends to be darker in color than the Rasberry crazy ant (blackish vs. reddish-brown).

Treatment for Rasberry crazy ants can become a problem based on the considerable number of ants. Buffer zones can be created using pesticides and the “buffer zones” may last about 2-3 months. Dead ants should be removed from the area after treatment otherwise a “carpet” of ants may form over the lawn.

Update on the boy:

The holidays with a 3 year old in the house is a crazy and joyous time. I think this year he understood what was going on and was VERY excited! Fortunately for me, the holidays were pretty low key. We headed to my hubby's family for Christmas eve and that was it; the rest of the time we got to chill out at home.

The boy, of course, had to partake in all of the holiday shows that get played during the season. I think his favorite was Rudolph (such a classic) with The Gift of the Night Fury (a holiday spin off of How to Train Your Dragon) coming a close second. The Gift of the Night Fury was pretty good- "Yacknog, get your yacknog!" We really enjoy the Dragon series. I was hoping to share my holiday favorite- The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus- with the boy but it wasn't played this year, but I did get to enjoy a new Prep and Landing which I adore. We spent many days playing Rudolph, but he would always switch up character assignments. Hubby was often the Bumble (a.k.a. Abominable Snow Monster), I would switch between Hermey, Clarice and Cornelius and the boy would be pretty much anything (it was his production, right?).

Christmas eve we left out milk and cookies for Santa along with the boy's note and sprinkled reindeer food on the lawn. The next morning when the boy got up we all headed downstairs and he had to run and check that Santa enjoyed the cookies and milk. He was so excited that the stuff was gone; it was adorable! Then we headed in for unwrapping of gifts. He did great in that it didn't take all day like last year, but he still perused items once they were open and things came to a abrupt stop when he opened some Matchbox cars.

The boy and I got to hang out together the week between Christmas and New Year's while hubby headed back to work. We spent a lot of time going to the park, exploring the new neighborhood, got a library card and even headed to Austin Children's Museum to see the dinosaur exhibit. We had a great time, but both of us were ready to head back after the first of the year. I was seeking adult interaction and he wanted to see his friends from school again.

Honey bee attacked by parasitic fly

2012-01-06T08:31:00.000-06:00

First, I'll start by posting a link to the original story. So in case you don't care to link to the original story and just want the highlights, here it goes.

So far this has only been found in California and South Dakota.
The fly, Apocephalus borealis, lays it's eggs in the abdomen of the honey bee. Parasitized bees leave the hive and tend to congregate near lights. After the parasitized bee dies, the fly emerges from the bee.
Genetic analysis has shown that the parasites are the same paraistic flies that attack bumble bees.

I've been getting emails from people who are concerned that this fly is the same parasitic fly that attacks fire ants (Solenopsis) and the answer is NO. While both are in the family Phoridae, they are different species and even different genera. The phorid fly that attacks Solenopsis is Pseudacteon spp.

Phorids are small to minute in size and have a humpbacked appearance. Adults can be common in a variety of habitats. Larvae can occur in fungi or decaying organic matter (both animal & vegetable), while others are internal parasites (or parasitoids) of other insects and still others may lives as parasites or commensals in the nests of termites or ants. There are hundreds of genera and thousands of species of phorid flies.

For more information on how this may effect honey bee populations, please see this article.

Happy holidays!

2011-12-25T06:00:00.002-06:00

The boy doesn't look too sure about Santa.....

Even I Learn New Buggy Things....Giant Weta

2011-12-09T13:53:00.003-06:00

If you are on Facebook, I'm sure that you may have seen a post about the world's heaviest insect recently being photographed in New Zealand. One of my friends posted about it and I was amazed....the thing is HUGE! Weta are large bodied Orthoptera (grouped with grasshoppers and katydids) endemic to new Zealand. Weta are nocturnal (active at night) and can be found in a variety of habitats. The often will occupy burrows and will excavate areas under stones or fallen trees. Weta are mainly herbivorous but may also occasionally feed on other insects. The insect was found and photographed by entomologist Mark Moffet.

Update on the boy:

So, first off, hubby won the battle....Christmas decorations went up the Friday after Thanksgiving. The boy was super excited with the lights on the house and the tree. He also is constantly playing with his Santa train set that goes around the tree. He plans on asking Santa for a trampoline this year.

I must say that sometimes I think that the "Terrible Two's" should really be the "Terrible Three's" or maybe three should get it's own name....possibly the "Terrifying Three's". A friend of mine who has twin girls that are about 6 months older than the boy (she has to be a saint by now....I would have no patience for TWO!) told about her husband calling the girls velociraptors. You remember in Jurassic Park where the raptors were constantly testing the fence for weakness, right? Well, that's what the age of three is like in my opinion- constantly testing boundaries (and patience!) to see if you show weakness or change one minuscule item from one time to the next. And BOOM! When they find that they've worn you down, they attack. While that is over dramatic, of course, I do think it's a pretty good metaphor.

I worry sometimes about the boy's future- and ours- as he seems to know way too much for his age. He makes connections that often surprise me and can make a deal with the best of them. Bed/ nap time has become a lesson in negotiation. We'll head into his room and sit in the chair and it begins. It usually goes something like this.....

ME- I will read you one Curious George story of your choice from the RED Curious George book. Then you will get into bed and I will tuck you in. I will give you hugs and kisses and you can give me hugs and kisses and then I will come over to the chair and read to you for X minutes.

THE BOY- Can I have Miss Guppy?

ME- Yes.

THE BOY- Did you fill up my water?

ME- Yes. So, to recap....I will read you one Curious George story of your choice from the RED Curious George book. Then you will get into bed and I will tuck you in. I will give you hugs and kisses and you can give me hugs and kisses and then I will come over to the chair and read to you for X minutes.

THE BOY- And then you will rock for TWO minutes.

ME- Yes. Have we reached an accord?

THE BOY- Yes.

Seriously, it's that detailed. If you leave anything out he tries to find a loophole (again, velociraptor). As long as I lay things out beforehand when I leave the room he's fine, otherwise there's a lot of crying and him getting out of bed. The kid is going to be an awesome negotiator at some point.....

Other things that have cracked me up lately: He has taken to saying "Mommy, I'm feeling peckish. I need a snack." Something we were reading used the word peckish and I told him what it meant, so now he uses it instead of hungry. He asked one of his teachers, who was out sick one day, if he spread his germs to her by coughing on her and that's why she got sick. We've been working on covering our coughs with our arm and also trying to keep hands out of the nose & mouth. I told him about how germs are spread which led to his discussion with his teacher about her being sick. I wonder sometimes what his teachers think of him....he has to be a handful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:32:00.005-06:00

I hope today you take the time to reflect upon all that you are thankful for.

While I am overwhelmed with the number of amazing things in my life that I am thankful for, there is one I want to mention here. I am so grateful for the people in my life, including all of you. You provide me with the opportunity to educate others about insects and other arthropods. When I was growing up and playing with bugs, never did I think that I would someday enjoy a job where I got to learn and teach about insects. I am so fortunate to have a job that I love as well as an audience who cares to learn the information that I provide. Thanks go out to all of you. Have a joyful Thanksgiving!

And I'll leave you with the boy helping daddy haul firewood with one of his birthday gifts....

Recluse spiders

2011-11-11T09:26:00.001-06:00

With the holidays quickly approaching (holy crikey Thanksgiving is only two weeks away!), many people will begin to venture into garages, attics and storage areas to get out decorations. My husband and I generally have a heated discussion as to when all the stuff will come out- hubby likes it right after Thanksgiving (possibly even right after we get finished eating) while I prefer to wait until December rolls around. Only time will tell who will triumph this year....
Anyway, back to y'all taking out decorations. I really recommend that you wear leather gloves to avoid spider bites when venturing into those little-disturbed areas to dig out those once a year decorations. There are numerous spiders that may lurk in areas that are seldom disturbed, but recluse spiders are ones that could cause concern. I don't want to make you panic or be paranoid, I just want you to take precautions.

Recluse spiders are also known as fiddle-back or violin spiders. While many people use the violin shaped marking on the cephalothorax (the front part of the spider's body) as a key characteristic, there are other spiders that have similar markings that may be mistaken for recluse spiders. The key characteristic is the eye pattern which is three pairs of eyes, called dyads. There is one dyad in the front center and then a dyad on each side in the front (see image).

Recluse spider. Image courtesy of Mike Merchant.

Recluse spiders come by their name because they do not like to be out in the open and are reclusive. They hunt at night and during the day hide in dark areas. They may be found in cracks and crevices, under plywood, tarps or in boxes among other places. Recluse spiders do not occur everywhere, so here is a distribution map to see if they're in your part of the US.

The venom causes necrotic skin lesions that usually heal fine as long as they are tended to in a proper manner. If you are bitten by a spider, it is recommended that you capture the spider to have it identified. If you are concerned about any reaction to a spider bite, see a physician.

So when you're digging out those holiday decorations (whether it's right after Thanksgiving or in December), take care and wear some gloves for protection.

Some great blog posts that colleagues have posted lately:

Jared Ripple talks about the City of Austin looking into honey bee conservation. And Mike Merchant talks about a sighting of the brown marmorated stink bug in Texas.

Update on the boy:
The boy is 3! Wait, let me repeat that....3!!! It seems like just yesterday that I was pregnant. We've had tons of activities and it's been very exciting lately with Halloween, family and friends visiting and his birthday.

ROAR!

For Halloween he decided that he wanted to be a Tyrannosaurus rex and I let him pick out his costume. Of course on Halloween, he immediately wanted to head out trick or treating after dinner. We let him put on his costume and run around while we waiting for everyone else on the block to be ready. You can see from the photo that he took his role as T. rex very seriously with a lot of roaring. He was so cute. It was a lot of fun to watch him interact with people as we were trick or treating. After he got tired, we headed back home, got him into his jammies and he helped us hand out candy to the kids stopping by our house. I think he had more fun doing that than getting candy. It made me smile watching him interact with the other kids as he wished them a "Happy Halloween", offered the basket of candy for them to choose what they wanted and then complimented them on their costumes (and no, I'm not kidding...."Nice witch costume! I love your Spiderman costume!""Ooooh...a ghost- Cool!"). My 3 year old going on 17 was very polite and I was very proud of him.

Cross-section of the rainbow cake.

For his birthday he decided to carry on the dinosaur theme with a cake with a volcano with LAVA and SMOKE. I think the dinosaurs were secondary in his mind to the volcano with LAVA and SMOKE. When making plans, I asked him what kind of cake he wanted- white, yellow or chocolate. He answered "rainbow". So, I had to google how I was going to create a rainbow cake. I did it and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be and it was a huge hit with the kids. The boy was totally enamored with his volcano with LAVA (red icing piped down the sides) and SMOKE (dry ice in a container we set up in the center of the volcano). We also added dinosaur toys to the cake and hubby had the brilliant idea of adding a tar pit with a dinosaur stuck in it; it was a fun cake. So, another year passes and I look back at the treasured moments that we've had with our son and think ahead to those that will arise in the future.

Upcoming structual CEU clasess

2011-10-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

If you are licensed by the Structural Pest Control Service and still need to obtain some CEU credits before the end of the year, keep reading! I'll e holding CEU classes on two consecutive days. Here are the details:

Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Time: 8:30- 11 AM
Location: 1600-B Smith Road Austin, TX 78721
CEUs offered: IPM and pest
Cost: $30 per person

Date: Thursday, November 10, 2011

Time: 8:30- 11 AM
Location: 1600-B Smith Road Austin, TX 78721
CEUs offered: termite and L&O
Cost: $30 per person

Please RSVP by 5PM on November 4, 2011. You can either call me at 512-854-9606 or email me at ebrown@ag..tamu.edu. Payment (by check) is due the day of the training. Checks should be made out to Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Ig Nobel Awards

2011-10-14T10:39:00.000-05:00

The Ig® Nobel Awards are a favorite of mine. According to the tagline they honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. How can you go wrong with that? This year's award ceremony took place on September 29th and you can watch the entire ceremony on their website.

The Ig® Nobel Prizes are organized by the magazine Annals of Improbable Research. The ceremony is co-sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Society of Physics Students, the Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association and the Harvard Computer Society.

I usually catch the award ceremony on Science Friday when they play it around the holidays. I highly encourage you take take a look or listen. The award ceremony is pretty funny and celebrates some unusual research that really does make you think.

The award in the biology category this year was insect-related. Some scientists discovered that particular species of beetles will attempt to mate with a specific type of beer bottle. For a great recap of the beetle/ beer bottle study check out this post from Scientific American.

Update on the boy:

To say that the last few weeks have been stressful would not quite express the craziness that life has seemed to take on. The boy is doing well. He's been dealing with some sleep issues (i.e. monsters are in his room and he sometimes has trouble getting to sleep). He's been getting better about it, but it's been a rough go for all of us. I've been trying to figure out where it came from for about a month now and yesterday I think I finally figured it out- a Land Before Time video. You think it would be harmless, but he kept talking about a cave and that's the only cave that he's been exposed to that I know of.

The boy got pink eye (conjunctivitis) about two weeks ago; right before I was going out of town. Fortunately we got him into the doctor quickly and got eye drops started so it didn't get too terribly bad. Getting eye drops into that kid's eyes was almost impossible. The first time I was able to do it myself because he didn't know what to expect. After that, it took two of us to get them in. The thing that cracked me up about the whole thing is immediately after getting eye drops he would bounce up and say "those make my eyes feel better!". Attempting to explain to him that his eyes would continue to get better if he would cooperate with the eye drops was next to impossible so I gave up.

He also had a cough for about 2 weeks and a runny nose. I figured that the cough was from drainage coming from the nose and allergy related so I didn't worry too much about it. Then last week I got a call from the school just as I was pulling in to pick him up. He had an elevated temperature of 101 degrees. While I was concerned about the fever, he was acting normal instead of his "sick self". We generally let things run their course for about a week before going to the doctor, but since the cough had been around for 2 weeks already we headed to the doctor the next day. She said it was viral and he should feel better the next day (which he did and the cough magically disappeared as well). Since he couldn't go to school that day, he came with me to monitor fire ants. We had a great time and he was rather excited to help "feed" the fire ants the hot dog bait lures.

the boy chillin' at the new casa

So this week ended up with ME coming down with pink eye on Monday. I thought that I was free and clear since he had already been non-contagious for over a week. Yes, I was sadly mistaken. Let's just say that my pink eye put the boy's to shame. It was so bad by Monday night that he wouldn't come to me because the way I looked freaked him out (talk about monsters....). My right eye was sealed shut when I woke up on Tuesday and my left eye was getting worse. I got into the doctor Tuesday and impressed her with how bad it had gotten. So I'm now on eye drops and looking much more normal.

The boy also had his very first pre-school performance last Sunday and I think he pretty much cried the entire time he was supposed to be singing. And for a little more excitement/ stress we bought a new house, moved and the boy has a BLUE room. He is pretty stoked because he got to pick the color himself. His life (in his opinion) will be perfect once I locate his trains in the heap of crap that's currently in the garage, but that's a task for this weekend!

South Texas Farm & Ranch Show

2011-09-16T12:58:00.000-05:00

The South Texas Farm & Ranch Show is a non-profit, volunteer managed event that was organized to provide South Texas agribusinesses and its representatives the opportunity to relay to farmers and ranchers the advancements in technology, equipment, seed genetics, etc.

The South Texas Farm & Ranch Show is coordinated by the Show Committee and Texas AgriLife Extension Service - Victoria County.

So why am I promoting something in Victoria? I am speaking about insects on the second day of the show. So if you live close to Victoria or you're bored and want to take a road trip, head on down (over, up) to hear my talk- it's on Thursday, October 27, 2011 1- 5 PM.

So here's the skinny"
What: South Texas Farm & ranch Show
Where: Victoria Community Center- 2905 E. North Street Victoria, TX
When: October 26-27, 2011 (my talk date & time listed above)
Cost: entrance to the show is FREE; $5.00 per day to attend educational programs

Texas Wildfires

2011-09-06T10:51:00.000-05:00

I'm sure that all of you are very much aware of the wildfires across Texas currently. I wanted to provide links to information on the wildfires from the Texas Forest Service. They have a page providing current information for fires across Texas.

More information or to help:

Texas Forest Service Donation

Central Texas Red Cross

Spirit 105.9 has a great list of resources for those in Central Texas.

Road closure information from TxDOT

Veggie Pests & Spiders- Upcoming Programs

2011-09-02T11:41:00.000-05:00

I have two programs coming up that are open to the public. Here are the details:

Veggie Pests
When: September 23, 2011 (Friday) 10-11 AM
Where: 1600-B Smith Road Austin, TX 78721
Description: Identification & management of common veggie pests.
Cost: FREE

Spiders
When: October 7, 2011 (Friday) 10-11 AM
Where: 1600-B Smith Road Austin, TX 78721
Description: Identification of common spiders.
Cost: FREE

No need to RSVP, just show up for the program that you want to attend.
The programs are available for Travis County Master Gardener educational hours (1 hour for each class).
For more information on the programs call me, Wizzie Brown at 512-854-9600.

I despise tape....

2011-08-19T14:15:00.000-05:00

Yes, a rather odd title for a posting, but it's true, there are days when I loathe tape and the "meaning" behind it. Yes, I know that tape is very useful- duct tape can fix anything, right? I fondly remember the Red Green Show on KLRU where duct tape was an everyday necessity. By the way....whatever happened to the Red Green Show? Linda, do you know?

Anyway, back to why I hate tape. It's not all tape or even a specific kind of tape. It's when I get tape in the mail. When I get tape in the mail, there are usally tiny circled specks that someone wants me to identify. Why I hate this so much is because many times there is nothing arthropod-related on said tape. I feel helpless and terrible that there is little I can do to help the person who, often desperately, is searching for an answer of what is biting them. I usually refer them to a publication by Mike Merchant entitled "Diagnosing Mysterious 'Bug Bites'".

The publication talks about parasitosis which is the feeling of being bitten or infested with another organism. It describes what might possibly be biting them- which I have established is not the case when I send the publication- but it also discusses other things that may cause a similiar feeling. While reading the publication, may make you itchy, it is an excellent publication that covers many aspects of what might make someone "feel itchy".

I had a tape sample sent to me today, prompting this post, but fortuantely I got to breathe a sigh of relief because there were nits (lice eggs) on the tape. I love tape that has identifiable arthropods!

Update on the boy:

The boy started school this week. It was somewhat a milestone for us; not nearly as much as it would have been if he didn't get into the summer camp program at the school, but still a pretty big deal. He has a new teacher for the school year and she says that he's doing great. He's been helpful at showing the other kids around since he's an "old hand" at this school thing after those two months this summer. Today will be a new experience for him as he's getting a tray lunch instead of a packed lunch; it should be interesting this afternoon to ask how it went.

His Ginga was here between sessions so he was incessantly spoiled, but loved every minute of it. While she was here we made a stop at Freebird's for the boy's first time. I ordered him a hybrid, but I'm pretty sure it was the same size as my Freebird when we got through the line. The relative size ratio ended up looking like a super monster (which hubby was happily consuming) rather than a hybrid.

I'm still amazed by him almost everyday. He is turning- has turned into- such a little PERSON. We have conversations to and from school usually talking about trucks and cars. These conversations aren't a typical conversation about trucks, it's usally one of us talking about how a truck actually works. A "key in the ignition that sparks the starter motor and the fuel in the fuel tank goes to the engine and pistons pump up and down and make the wheels turn" kind of conversation. He has a car book that has these little flaps that lift up to show inside stuff and he loves it, so he knows ALL ABOUT cars. Yesterday we were discussing how dragons fly and relating the process to airplanes. Are these normal conversations to be having with an almost 3 year old? He wants to know, so I do the research and find out so he can have correct information. Maybe I'm just being weird....

Silverfish

2011-08-05T14:32:00.000-05:00

It is so blazing hot outside that I'm not venturing out unless absolutely necessary. Maybe, like me, you've been taking advantage of the stifling weather to shrug off work in the yard, but have noticed all the piles of "stuff" that have accumulated in various parts of your house. I have taken it upon myself to start going through the "stuff" and either finding a use, donating, recycling or throwing it away. This process has unearthed several silverfish that were lurking in closets, under beds, in cardboard boxes, etc.

Silverfish are a silvery-gray, carrot-shaped insect. They have three tails that come of the tip of the abdomen. These insects have no wings and chewing mouthparts which leads to damage they may cause. Silverfish may stain and feed upon items such as books, fabric, wallpaper or food. They prefer starchy materials such as glue, flour or paper.

Cleaning can help to reduce infestations, but it will not eliminate all silverfish. Try to get rid of old newspapers and magazines. If books are infested and you want to keep them, place the book in a sealed plastic bag and place in the freezer for several days. Items that are stored, should be stored in sealed plastic containers. Try to keep humidity levels low by using A/C, fans or dehumidifiers.

I get many calls from people that get silverfish infestations in their home after inheriting items from a relative or friend. Make sure to always inspect items for pests before you bring them into the home.

If you choose to perform an insecticide treatment, target the treatment to cracks and crevices, baseboards, closets and attics. Make sure to read and follow all label instructions.

Update on the Boy:

The boy was captivated by this parrot at the Zookeeper.

The last day of summer camp/ school is today for the boy. It has been a great experience and we LOVE the school. His teachers have been great and they have done many cool activities. He's off for a little over a week and then he starts school for fall. This means a new classroom and a new teacher (fortunately one of his teachers is one he had this summer). I've been talking with him about how he will have a new teacher when he goes back and I think it's finally sinking in.....and he's not too thrilled with it. He knows both of the teachers he will have this fall, but they aren't his FAVORITE teacher from this summer. It should make his return to school interesting. I'm sure that all of us will work through it together, but it might be a clingy several weeks at the beginning.

I haven't been feeling like the greatest mom lately as it's so hot that we can't really get outside as much right now. We try to squeeze in time early in the morning to play in the sandbox or "mow" the grass (with his toy lawn mower), but even then it's so hot that we can't stay out there for too long. We've been coloring, doing puzzles, reading books and playing A LOT of cars. I just need to remember "this too shall pass" and it will soon cool off to a reasonable temperature and we can venture outside again like normal people; maybe if we're really lucky we'll even get some rain!

Green Insect Traps Around Austin

2011-07-22T09:08:00.002-05:00

Have you been seeing green insect monitoring traps around town? If so, you're not the only one. I've been getting numerous calls/ emails asking what I'm up to and the answer is...nothing. The monitoring traps are actually from the Texas Department of Agriculture's Pest Survey Program. They are monitoring for gypsy moth.

In 2005, a single male Asian gypsy moth was found in Travis County near US HWY 290 in southwest Austin. A management plan was created and carried out to handle the threat this pest caused. Since then, every other year the Texas Department of Agriculture monitors for gypsy moth. TDA places 1,000 traps at various locations throughout Travis County and monitors them from May through September. So far, no further moths have been recovered since 2005.

The current round of monitoring will carry on through September and traps will be taken down starting in October. Since there are 1,000 traps that need to be taken down, it may take some time. For more information, contact the Texas Department of Agriculture's Pest Survey Department at 512-463-7619.

Lace bugs & beneficials

2011-07-08T14:38:00.000-05:00

I would like to pose the question "can it get any hotter?", but I'm afraid that the answer may be yes. Here's to you keeping cool...wherever you are.

So, in this blazing heat, my tomato plants are starting to look rather sad because the spider mites have been working their wonders. Fortunately, I'm still getting tomatoes and I hope that my plants can limp along for another month.

Lace bugs.

While perusing the garden in front of the office, I discovered a great infestation of lace bugs and aphids on the sunflowers. While I'm sure our Master Gardeners aren't thrilled about the prospect, it gave me the opportunity to test out a new high pressure water sprayer which worked like a charm. Before hosing down select leaves, I checked for beneficials and made some really great finds!

First off, the bad guys. Lace bugs are small, somewhat rectangular shaped insects with elaborate sculpturing on the thorax and forewings. The sculpturing gives them a lacy appearance, hence the name. They have piercing-sucking mouth parts that can cause stippling on foliage. They also leave behind a dark excrement on the underside of leaves.

Scymnus larvae feeding on aphids.

Scymnus adult ladybird beetle.

There were Scymnus larvae which are a type of ladybird beetle. People often mistake the larvae to be mealybugs which is what they look like. The beetles are very small and are often reddish-brown and black.

Syrphid fly larvae, aphids & ladybug eggs.

I found a syrphid (hover) fly larvae along with ladybird beetle eggs under another leaf. The syrphid fly larvae I typically find around here is a pale green with pink and white markings down the back. The cluster of ladybird beetle eggs look like tiny yellow footballs standing on end.

Update on the boy:

We recently travelled to Ohio for my high school reunion and to visit family and friends. The boy had a blast! He got to ride on my parent's golf cart, on a tractor and in a dump truck. And that wasn't enough! He also went fishing for the first time and caught his first fish. He got to go see Cars 2 which was his first time to watch a movie in the theatre. And it goes without saying that he was endlessly spoiled by Ginga & Papa.

We did get to spend a day with our dear friends and thier twin girls who are 6 months older than the boy. They haven't seen each other for over a year, so it was great fun to watch them get reacquainted. The boy was in heaven because not only did he have two girls to hug and shove around but he had a new supply of toys to play with. He carjacked their Mini Cooper and took off down the cul-de-sac at one point.

The wonderful thing about the Ohio trip was the break from 100 degree temperatures. There was actually one morning where I was COLD when I woke up. The thing that kind-of freaked me out about the trip was the ticks! Hubby found one on him the first night we were there, I found a couple on me during the trip and I also found one crawling up the wall. The boy was checked regularly for de-ticking; none found fortunately. I guess that is one good thing we can chalk up to having fire ants here in Texas- fewer ticks!

Termite Delight

2011-06-24T10:30:00.001-05:00

My dad used to buy old cars and restore them. My brother and I, for a period of time in our lives, were forever being schlepped to car shows. While this gave me good time to bury my nose in a book, I somehow along the way picked up a thing for old cars. It didn't hurt things either that after a few years of driving under my belt, I occasionally got to take out my dad's '79 Corvette. I dream of someday buying a 1956 Chevy Nomad or possibly a 1965 VW Bus or dream of all dreams a 1954-1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL. I think I might need to win a major lottery jackpot for that to happen....

So while I digress, there is a point and it's also insect-related; shocking, I know! Hubby and his friend went to the Lone Star Round Up this past April (I stayed at home with the boy this year, but I think next year the whole family will go). I got to enjoy all the photos that were taken of the cars and there were some beauties! I adore woody wagons and one picture really caught my eye- the "Termite Delight".

Update on the boy:

School is going really well. It's finally getting back to morning drop-offs like the first day of school. We've had- and still have daily on the way to school- conversations on the routine of drop off and a lot of reassurance that I will pick him up in the afternoon. We've fallen into a routine for driving to and from school that includes pointing all out of the- what else?- trucks along the way. Usually we focus on big trucks- semis, fuel trucks, cranes, dump trucks, etc. but occasionally we'll discuss "beetle bugs" (VW beetles) and Smart cars. He thinks they're cute. Hubby and I are now being called "my mommy" and "my daddy" because apparently he needs to separate us from the other moms & dads at school (or maybe take possession of us).

The photo is after the boy got his new kicks. This is the first time he got to pick out whatever shoes he wanted and he refused to take them off after trying them on. I told him to go stand by the wall so I could take a picture of his new shoes....that was what I got. He looks like he should be in a lineup for tagging or other criminal mischief. "It wasn't me, man....it was my monkey!"

Ants tending aphids

2011-06-10T10:56:00.020-05:00

I sometimes get phone calls from people about how ants are causing plants to turn yellow or that ants are killing the plant. After some questioning, I usually find out that the ants are secondary insects on the plants and not really the ones doing the damage.

Ants will tend honeydew-producing insects (see video below)- usually aphids, whiteflies, scale insects, mealybugs, etc. I was fortunate enough to get some video of acrobat ants, Crematogaster sp., tending aphids on sunflowers outside the office. It was really pretty cool to watch. The other interesting thing that I found was that Rover ants, Brachymyrmex sp., were on the ground to collecting the honeydew falling onto the sidewalk below.

Outbreaks of honeydew producers may occur because the ants protect their sugar source (aphids) from other insects. This may keep predators at parasitoids at bay, allowing pest populations to grow to a point where plant damage, such as yellowing, occurs.

Update on the boy:

There is so much that has been going on lately that I'm having a hard time collecting my thoughts for this section. The boy began school last week. School/ day care- he calls it school, so that's what we went with. The first day was a bit sad and exciting all at the same time. When we took him to his room, he was off and it was like we didn't exist. I had to call him back to get a hug before we left. Soooo excited! Fast forward to Friday or last week....not so much excited, more clinging and crying. Oh the guilt! Don't get me wrong, he LOVES school and tells me about playing and activities they do and new friends he has made, but the drop off in the morning is killer. I've started explaining the routine that we're going to do when we get to the classroom each morning and it seems to be helping, but I look forward to him running off to play again. Transitions and change are exciting, but extremely difficult to go through sometimes.

Hubby also went back to work full time; he's heading up the bed bug program for a company here in town. That has been a huge change for all of us on top of the boy going to school. There are many benefits to hubby's new job- we all get to eat dinner together now, we get to spend weekends together and have two salaries again. I know hubby is missing the boy big time and vice-versa because they spent every day together for the past 2 1/2 years! I know it will all smooth out, but right now things have been hectic as we figure out our new roles and duties.

The boy's latest obsessions- PB&J (see video below), Gnomeo & Juliet, lawnmowers (because of Gnomeo & Juliet- he'll push his mower around when he watches the movie) and his lunchbox. I've lost track of how many times we've watched Gnomeo & Juliet, but fortunately it's a really cute and clever movie with some great music (music & movie are by Elton John). The peanut butter and jelly obsession is getting out of hand as he asks for them almost daily. I'm trying to cut his habit back to 2 a week. Watching him eat them cracks me up because he has to eat the sandwich in layers. He's such a cool little kid and so much fun to hang out with; we are so fortunate to have him in our lives.

Inside Austin Gardens Tour

2011-05-11T09:37:00.007-05:00

When: Saturday, May 14, 2011, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Cost: single entry $5 OR $10 pass for entry into all gardens

Event occurs rain or shine

This year, the tour focuses on water-wise gardening.

The Inside Austin Gardens Tour 2011 will include gardens that feature rain-water collection systems, drip irrigation, xeric and native plant selections, rain gardens, shade gardens, and water-conserving practices. As in years past, the event will include gardening demonstrations and education sessions at each location.

I got a sneak peek of some the gardens this week and was blown away by the variability of water conservation ideas. I am looking forward to not only seeing the gardens I didn't get a peek at but also having the opportunity or taking a second look at the gardens to figure out what I can incorporate into my own garden. Sometimes I look at my yard and get overwhelmed and think that I have such a long way to go. These gardens show that I can do this- it just takes some planning, hard work and time.

Here are my thoughts on the gardens I toured.

3712 Holt Drive

Mounded lush beds greet you and guide you either to the front door or to the gate that takes you into the backyard. Bringing in soil and mounding it to create spaces and good drainage is something that I really need to take to heart. I'm on clay and it's just a bunch of muck when (if) it rains. There were also many bug related items throughout the garden. I particularly loved that the owner had a shallow dish filled with pebbles and rocks that can be used by insects for a drink of water.

The backyard seems like a bunch of little rooms to me with seating areas sprinkled about. There is no grass which would be fantastic- no watering or mowing- but maybe not practical right now for me with the boy around. It does inspire me that I can create a beautiful backyard with much less grass. I love the dry creekbed with tumbled glass and the mason bee boxes to encourage native pollinators.

3303 Doolin Drive

I have been fortunate enough to watch the progression of this yard. It began as a large area of St. Augustine grass with bamboo that tended to creep forward more each year. It's now what I consider zen- I can imagine plopping on the large flat rocks and meditating in the mornings. I love the dry creekbed that helps direct water to flow down the hill into a rain garden area. The really amazing thing to me- besides the attention to detail- is that everything was done by hand including moving the cut pieces of sidewalk around to create a new walkway, retaining walls and decorative house number display.

4603 Palisade Drive

One thing comes to mind with this garden (other than my own personal jealousy)- LUSH! This has the most beautiful hell strip I've ever seen. I was scheming last night when I got home figuring out when and how I should rip the grass out of my own hell strip to fill with plants. Walking through the first part of this garden I was amazed at how large and thriving the plants were, a sad comparison to the same or similar specimens that I have at home.

2303 Spring Wagon Lane

This a is very clever idea that I plan on incorporating soon. The owner said they get about a bucket of water per day from the AC condensate and they use it water plants in the front yard. The rain water collection system at this house is also something I aspire to; it's huge!

They have removed grass from the front yard and replaced with Texas sedge for an effect that is visually stunning. I loved the way that the sedge was little tufts that moved gracefully in the breeze. There are also berms around the area to stop, keep and direct water to where it is needed. The backyard is an productive garden with raised beds and berms to grow fruits and vegetables.

I plan on heading to the tour this Saturday, so maybe I'll see you at one of the gardens!

Why an entomologist?

2011-05-06T13:27:00.003-05:00

People often ask why I became an entomologist. I've always been fascinated with insects and other arthropods so I guess it was maybe inevitable. How can you look and truly see the insect world and not be blown away by the beauty and complexity that you see there? This video captures pollinators- look at the wonder of the natural world. Enjoy.

The Royal Courtship- Insect Style

2011-04-29T14:34:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'll admit right now that I had no clue the royal wedding was taking place today. I didn't find out about it until flipping on the television this morning and coverage was on every channel. I know, I must be living under a rock somewhere, right? To help celebrate the nuptials that I missed (but I'm sure I will be able to catch as they replay it over and over again), I am providing you with courtship behavior of scorpions.

After males locate a female, they engage in a "courtship dance". The male and female will grasp each other's pedipalps (claws/ pincers) and maneuver around in a manner that may look as if they are dancing (or grappling in an MMA match, depending on your tastes). The male selects a location to place his spermatophore- a packet of sperm- and maneuvers the female towards the location for her to pick it up.

Gestation can be a few months to over a year. Female scorpions do not lay eggs but give birth to live young. The baby scorpions will climb on their mother's back and stay there until they molt for the first time. Some young will climb back onto their mother's back after the first molt and remain and additional 4-5 days.

Update on the boy:

The boy is more fun and more challenging each day. While he's fantastic, he can really be exhausting. We're still reading a ton of books to him; I've now switched to reading to him from my kindle before naps and bedtime. We've been going through a ton of books, so I decided to get a bunch of the free classics to read- Gulliver's Travels, Treasure Island, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.

We recently went to Galveston for the Imported Fire Ant Conference and got to go the aquarium at Moody Gardens.

It was wonderful and the boy had a great time watching all of the marine life. The octopus freaked him out, so he wasn't willing to stand and watch the beauty and gracefulness of it moving about, but the rays and turtle in the large aquarium were a never ending source of fun for him. We probably stood in front of that aquarium for 45 minutes.

Other big happenings in our household are that the boy is going to start school much earlier than we thought. We recently got a call from the school where he starts in August saying they have an opening for their summer program, so instead of August it's the end of May! I'm still trying to get my brain around it. It will be a huge change for our family, but I think that it will be great!

Austin's 3rd Annual Funky Chicken Coop Tour

2011-04-18T15:08:00.004-05:00

Chickens in the City: Austin's 3rd Annual Funky Chicken Coop Tour

For families looking for something new and different to do this Easter weekend, we invite everyone to come and join the fun at Austin’s Funky Chicken Coops! On Saturday, April 23, 2011, Austin-area poultry keepers will open their backyards to the public for the third year in a row, to show off their chickens and their urban coops. After such a huge turnout for the 2010 tour, with at least 1500 visitors, we knew we'd be having a great time with this year's tour! Chickens and other backyard livestock are growing in popularity. Besides being easy-to-care-for pets, chickens provide insect control, supply delicious fresh eggs, and help create better yards and gardens. Most chicken owners report that it's just plain fun to have them around.

Visitors to the tour sites will see how recycled materials can be transformed into a low-cost coop or how a fashionable coop can enhance a landscape. Our backyard coops show the many ways that chicken (and other poultry) housing can be incorporated into a city residence without violating city ordinances or creating a nuisance. Many of the homes on the tour have featured various alternative energy sources, such as solar panels, along with other environmentally sound practices such as rainwater harvesting and xeriscaping. A lot of the coops on the tour also have interesting and unusual features; for example, one of our tour hosts on this year's tour keeps dairy goats along with chickens and another has a chandelier inside the coop!

Our organization, Austin Funky Chicken Coop Tour, operates in association with another local organization, The Sustainable Food Center, http://www.sustainablefoodcenter.org. The tour will be a fundraiser for the first time this year, with all proceeds (after expenses) to be donated to the SFC. The SFC will be raffling off prizes donated by our sponsors throughout the day at our Information Center on the day of the tour, located at Buck Moore Feed and Pet Supply at 5237 North Lamar Blvd. All attendees are eligible to enter a free raffle to win a brand new chicken coop from our sponsor Mobile Chicken Coops! The coop will be donated by Josh Hudgins of Mobile Chicken Coops: https://mobilechickencoops.com/. The drawing will be held shortly after 4:00 pm, following the end of the tour.

2011 will mark the first time for us to offer a commemorative poster. Artist Joe Wirtheim, of http://victorygardenoftomorrow.com/, has created unique artwork for the tour. Wirtheim is an artist advocate who is using his art to promote civic innovation and social progress through better food, better gardens, and better cities. These posters are available through his Etsy Store http://www.etsy.com/shop/joeseppi. Our commemorative T-shirts, based on the poster design, are available at the SFC Farmer’s Markets as well as Buck Moore Feed and Pet Supply, while supplies last.

Urban chicken-keeping continues to be a growing trend and The Funky Chicken Coop Tour will include coops all over the Austin area. We're hoping to have more people than ever interested in checking out what Austin poultry people are doing to keep their birds housed and happy. Maps to the coop locations can be downloaded from our website at http://fccooptour.blogspot.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Printed copies of the map will be available in limited quantities at select locations, also listed on the website. So, make some time on Easter weekend to check out this free event. The free, self-guided tour will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, rain or shine.

TIME AND DATE: April 23, 2011

10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Rain or Shine

Free

URL: http://fccooptour.blogspot.com

CONTACT: Christy Sanders

512-487-7737

pr@austincooptour.org

RESOURCES: See our website for chicken coop tours in other cities and other urban poultry resources.

***** The Austin Funky Chicken Coop Tour is held in partnership with Sustainable Food Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your contribution as a sponsor is a tax-deductible donation. Proceeds from the event will benefit Sustainable Food Center www.sustainablefoodcenter.org. Thank You For Supporting The Austin Funky Chicken Coop Tour!!!!

2011-04-15T11:00:00.003-05:00

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service has a rich history of providing educational programs based on community needs in Travis County. In order to make sure that the programs being planned for the future are on target, we invite your participation in an Online Issue Forum to identify critical issues that Texas AgriLife Extension could address through educational programs.

If you would like to know more about our Extension program before taking the survey, check out our overview video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ_ZK2_gNXQ

To participate in the online survey go to:

Electronic Issue Identification Forum

The online survey should take you no more that 10 minutes to complete, and will provide us with valuable insight into the issues facing Travis County residents. Your opinion is highly valued, so we truly hope you will take a few minutes to participate.

The online forum is currently open, and will remain open for input until midnight on May 4th. Should you have any problems with the online system, please contact the Extension office at 512-854-9600.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to help chart the course for your Travis County Extension programs.

Sowbugs & Pillbugs

2011-04-01T11:29:00.005-05:00

Everyone stop and pause and let's all take a deep, collective breath. Okay, now everyone think thoughts of rain- a nice, steady drenching rain.

So what does rain have to do with the pillbugs? Have you noticed pillbugs crawling seemingly everywhere lately? I'm thinking that- at least in my yard- they are anxious to find a nice, moist environment to hang out. Since there hasn't been any rain (let's all agree there's been rain, but nothing significant) and I haven't been watering regularly, the pillbugs are desperate for moisture.

Pillbugs and sowbugs are a type of crustacean and related to crayfish and shrimp. They have oval bodies with 7 pairs of legs and 2 pair of antennae. Sowbugs have two tail-like appendages that come off the end of the abdomen. Pillbugs do not have the appendages, but pillbugs are capable of rolling up into a ball when disturbed (these are what people often call roly-polies).

These are the only crustacea that have adapted to live their entire lives on land, but they still need a moist habitat to survive. They feed on decaying organic matter, but will occasionally feed on tender, young plants. They really don't do a lot of damage when they feed on plants unless you have very large populations.

If you have sowbugs and/ or pillbugs wandering around your home, I wouldn't be too concerend. If they find their way into the house, you can just scoop or sweep them up and move them back outside. When you have large populations causing plant damage try to reduce moisture in the area and remove areas where they might hide (heavy mulch, stones, logs, etc.).

Fire Ant Informational Webinar

2011-03-30T10:52:00.003-05:00

Solve Your Fire Ant Problems with Help From the Experts

Please join us at: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/fireant Thursday, April 21st from 11:00-12:00 AM Eastern time (10:00-11:00 Central time, 8:00-9:00 Pacific time)

For those unfamiliar with eXtension (pronounced “e-extension), this is the national initiative involving Extension professionals across the nation in outreach educational efforts on a variety of topics. The Imported Fire Ant”Community of Practice” or CoP (see http://www.eXtension.org/fire+ants) involves fire ant research and extension educators from all fire ant infested states. Through the power of the internet and social networking efforts, this group provides practical solutions to imported fire ant problems representing the consensus of “best management practices”. The upcoming webinar will be brought to you by The Imported Fire Ant eXtension Community of Practice. This webinar will present the information that you need to know to control fire ants. It is actually easy to kill the fire ants that are bothering you, once you understand how they live. You will learn how to apply the integrated pest management tactics that are as economical and environmentally friendly as possible. This interactive experience can provide an opportunity to communicate directly with fire ant specialists and seek answers to specific problems you may be encountering. Please join us for this discussion!

Moderator: Dr. Kathy Flanders, Associate Professor, Auburn University.

Topics:

· How Can You Tell if You Have Fire Ants? Dr. Jason Oliver, Research Associate Professor - Entomology · Tennessee State University

· Understanding the Biology and Behavior of Fire Ants Makes it Easier to Control Fire Ants, Dr. Timothy Davis, Clemson University

· Managing Imported Fire Ants, Dr. Bastiaan Drees, Professor, Texas A&M University

· Biological Control of Fire Ants, Dr. Lawrence Graham, Auburn University

How to Participate: Please log in as a guest at: http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/fireant

For more information about fire ants, please go to: www.extension.org/fire+ants