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GoGardenNews - Items of gardening and ecological interest — pest management

Heavy rains bring masses of millipedes

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Heavy rains bring masses of millipedes

 Spotted Snake Millipede.

Have you been seeing more millipedes in your garden than normal? Matt Bertone, Director of the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic at NC State University in Raleigh tells us why.

Photo credit: By Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.

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How a heatwave affects garden pests

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How a heatwave affects garden pests

 

Hot summer temperatures can affect pests in your garden. Whether you live in Minnesota or not, this information from the University of Minnesota Extension is good to know.

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Another Invasive Creature: The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

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Another Invasive Creature: The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

 

Brown marmorated stink bugs are an invasive species from Asia that was first spotted in Pennsylvania sometime between 1996 and 1998 and has spread throughout most of the continental United States. Here are some tips to keep them out of your house.

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When Good Intentions Have Devastating Results

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When Good Intentions Have Devastating Results

 

Rachel Carson was an American hero. In the early 1960s, she was the first to warn that a pesticide called DDT could accumulate in the environment, the first to show that it could harm fish, birds, and other wildlife, the first to warn that its overuse would render it ineffective, and the first to predict that more natural means of pest control – like bacteria that killed mosquito larvae – should be used instead.

Unfortunately, the PBS documentary neglected to mention that in her groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, Carson had made one critical mistake – and it cost millions of people their lives.

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Furry Puss Caterpillar - Cute But Dangerous

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Furry Puss Caterpillar - Cute But Dangerous

 

It's oh-so-cute, but oh-so-dangerous - the Southern Flannel moth (Megalopyge opercularis), especially in its caterpillar form. The caterpillar looks kind of like a little pussycat, but it is not to be touched. The soft hair hides venomous spines.

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