March 2023 – Quick updates!

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Howdy to our followers!

My name is Bryant McDowell. I am the new Extension Program Specialist in Urban Integrated Pest Management located at the Dallas Research and Extension Center. I started my position with AgriLife in September 2022 and spent most of the Fall in new hire training and getting a feel for my new responsibilities. In addition to maintaining this webpage, I will be managing the IPM Experience House located here at the Dallas Center. This training facility is utilized to provide in-depth, hands-on learning opportunities to pest management professionals. I am currently developing this year’s curriculum, and I will be posting our course offerings/schedules on this site, as well as the IPM house webpage. https://www.ipmhouse.tamu.edu

 

Aside from the courses we are developing for the IPM Experience House, I’ll be traveling throughout the state to give presentations to pest management professionals and Texas master volunteers. Additionally, I will be happy to assist both commercial and residential clients with insect identifications. Each submission will require a form to be filled out and attached to the package. This can either be printed off and filled (I will post the PDF to this webpage as soon as I have a final version), or I will have them available at the front office of our facilities if you choose to drop-off in person. NOTE* Please read our insect ID disclosure document before submitting specimens.

 

I’ll be posting regular updates throughout the year to this site – stay posted for the most updated information on insects in the Dallas area! In the meantime, be sure to follow our teams podcasts!

 

“Bugs by the Yard”, hosted by Molly Keck, Wizzie Brown, and yours truly – is for listeners who want to know more about Texas insects, whether you live in an urban environment, or a rural area, there is something here for everyone!

 

 

 

“Unwanted Guests”, hosted by those mentioned previously, as well as Janet Hurley and Dr. Robert Puckett – is for the average homeowner or even pest management professionals who want to learn more about insects and related arthropods that invade our structures.

 

 

You can find our episodes on the Apple Podcast App, Spotify, or listen online here:

 

 

 

Open House November 4, 2022 to Welcome our new Entomologist

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Bryant McDowell and Janet Hurley

Bryant McDowell and Janet Hurley

It is with much please to announce that we have hired a new entomologist for the Dallas Center.  Mr. Bryant McDowell graduated with his Master of Science in Entomology in 2019 from Texas A&M University.  His thesis: Population genetics and the colony breeding structure of the invasive tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva, in Texas will allow him to help Texans with identifying ants.

McDowell’s role as the Extension Program Specialist for Urban IPM will be to support the IPM Experience House by providing training classes for pest management professionals.  In addition to the IPM House, Bryant will also be supporting Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s County Agents with insect identification, master volunteer training and supporting county programs.

McDowell will also support the school IPM program by helping with the educational events that are conducted with Dr. Don Renchie at the four regional events.

Join us on Friday, November 4th from 3:00 – 6:00 PM at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center Water and Land Resources Building for light refreshments and a chance to talk to the entomologist.  Tours of the IPM Experience House will also be available. Follow this link to register.

There is no charge to attend; however, we are asking that everyone register so that we can have an accurate head count for the food and beverages.  Even this planner knows it’s a Friday afternoon during football season, so we do suggest wearing your favorite sports team gear as well.

To our past and present donors, our registration website has a place for you to sign up to donate to the IPM Experience House.  Bryant and I are hoping to use this event, our fall IPM seminar Nov. 15th and rodent academy to ‘pick’ your brains on what classes you would like to see us hold in 2023.

Native bees need love too!

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Bees are more attracted to flowers of certain colors. Shades in the blue and purple family can be especially successful in attracting pollinators to your garden. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Susan Himes)

A Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert wants people to better understand and appreciate our native bee pollinators.

When people see a bee in their garden, many assume it is a honeybee when, odds are, it is actually a native bee,” said Molly Keck, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist and entomologist, San Antonio.

She said, in the simplest of terms, a native bee is usually any bee except a honeybee since honeybees are not native to the Americas.

And while bees can look very similar or very different from each other, most bees have a “fuzzy” looking body, unlike wasps who are shiny and “smoother” looking.

Giving credit where credit is due

There are over 200,000 species of pollinators, and about 199,000 of them are insects.

There are over 4,000 species of bees in the U.S., making them the MVP of pollinators. And a bee’s work is never done, considering that 90% of flowering plants require a pollinator.

Honeybees play a key role in agriculture, but native bees are just as important, Keck said.

“There are native bee species that are 17 times more efficient as pollinators than honeybees,” she said.

Native bees are also better at pollinating some of the most beloved backyard crops — including tomatoes, blueberries and pumpkins — making them the heroes of home gardeners everywhere.

Natives thrive on variety

Bumble bee Bombini spp

Whereas honeybees prefer blanketed areas of the same food source, such as a field of a single crop, native bees are all about variety.

The more types of flowers, fruits and vegetables that grow in a garden, the more native bees you can expect to see.

“Essentially, to attract native bees, you want to have many different mini-landscapes inside your yard,” Keck said.

She said to get an example of a native bee’s ideal habitat, picture an English garden with hedgerows, pasture, plants and flowers.

Bees are drawn to flowers because of their scent as well as the shape of their flower. They also are attracted to bright colors, especially blues and violets. Red they see as dark, like brown and black, and isn’t as appealing.

“Native bees feed in ‘pockets,’ so you don’t need as much space to attract them as honeybees,” Keck said. “You’ll just need a variety of food sources for them.”

Although bees may have a harder time finding their way to a garden balcony in a large city, a pollinator garden can be a success anywhere. Having gardens in cities also provides a key nutritional resource in what could be a food desert for native bees.

Texans with yards may consider not having turf everywhere, leaving some land uncultivated and allowing some ground to stay bare. Some native bees, like the mason bee, use mud as mortar to build their homes and having mud on the ground when the weather allows is also attractive.

Around 70% of bees nest underground rather than the traditional hives many people envision and that honeybees call home.

That might (not) sting

bee hotel

A bee hotel is a focal point of your garden, and can succeed in attracting native bees. (Image Mike Merchant)

Although all female bees can sting, most native females won’t sting unless trapped, hurt or directly threatened.

“Native bees are unlikely to sting you,” Keck said. “Honeybees are more territorial and likely to defend with a sting.”

In other words, don’t try to catch a native bee and you won’t have too much to worry about. However, if you are allergic to bees, it is smart to avoid all types, as well as wasps and other flying-insect venoms, Keck warned.

A native bee retains its stinger after a strike, whereas a honeybee sting is fatal for the bee. And male bees? Neither honey nor native has any sting at all. However, there are far more female than male bees, so it is safe to assume a bee you see does have a stinger.

Extinction concern?

Keck said it’s important for every Texan to be aware of the need to protect bee habitats, although there is no threat of extinction in our state quite yet.

“I think the amount of undeveloped land we have in Texas is part of the reason our numbers are still good,” she said. “But as urban areas expand and the sprawl increases, we could start to see the same bee population problems some other areas face.”

Whereas honeybees have been domesticated or managed for thousands of years, native bees are still independent contractors.

“Native bees do an equally important job as honeybees and for some crops like fruit, native bees are even better pollinators,” Keck said. “To create an environment for them to thrive is something every Texan can support.”

Written by Susan Himes

Butterfly Gardening and Butterflies 101

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Learn how to create a butterfly garden you can enjoy for years! This course will teach you how to attract butterflies as well as identify the common types of butterflies in Texas. With an interactive garden and numerous videos, you will learn what types of plants will draw butterflies to your location.

Visit our AgriLife Learn website to sign up today! Start Learning 

Prevent the spread of oak wilt in Texas this spring

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All oak trees are susceptible to oak wilt.

Texans can do their part to protect oak trees from oak wilt this spring.

Oak wilt is one of the deadliest tree diseases in the U.S., killing millions of oaks in 76 counties of Central, North and West Texas, but its impact can be mitigated.

Prevention is key to stopping the spread of oak wilt, said Demian Gomez, Texas A&M Forest Service regional forest health coordinator. Any new wound, including from pruning, construction activities, livestock, land or cedar clearing, lawnmowers, string trimmers and storms, can be an entry point for the pathogen that infects trees.

“With wounds being the best entry point for the disease, landowners should avoid pruning or wounding trees from February through June,” Gomez said. “And no matter the time of year, to decrease the attractiveness of fresh wounds to insects, always paint oak tree wounds.”

How it spreads

Oak wilt can spread two ways – above ground or underground. (Texas A&M Forest Service photo)

Oak wilt is caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum. The fungus invades the xylem – the water-conducting vessels of the trees – and the tree responds by plugging the tissues, resulting in a lack of water to the leaves, slowly killing the infected tree.

Oak wilt can spread two ways – above ground or underground. The disease is spread above ground more rapidly this time of year, in late winter and spring, because of high fungal mat production and high insect populations.

During this time, oak trees that died may produce spore mats under the bark. The fruity smell from these mats attract small, sap-feeding beetles that can later fly to a fresh wound of another oak tree and infect it, starting a new oak wilt center. 

The second way oak wilt can spread is underground by traveling through interconnected root systems from tree to tree. Oak wilt spreads an average of 75 feet per year by the root system.

All oaks are susceptible to oak wilt. Red oaks are the most susceptible and can die in as little as one month after being infected.

Live oaks show intermediate susceptibility but can spread the disease easily due to their interconnected root systems. The interconnected root systems in live oaks are responsible for most tree deaths and spread of oak wilt in Central Texas. White oaks are the least susceptible, but they are not immune to infection.

Oak wilt is often recognized in live oaks by yellow and brown veins showing in leaves of infected trees, known as venial necrosis. Currently, it may be difficult to diagnose due to seasonal transitioning of oak leaves in the spring – when evergreen oak trees shed their old leaves while simultaneously growing new leaves.

The signs can be seen on a majority of leaves when a tree is fully infected. Landowners should contact a certified arborist if they are unsure if their tree is infected.

“For red oaks particularly, one of the first symptoms of oak wilt is leaves turning red or brown during the summer,” said Gomez. “While red oaks play a key role in the establishment of new disease centers, live oaks and white oaks move oak wilt through root grafts.”

How to fight

To stop the spread of oak wilt through the root system, trenches can be placed around a group of trees, at least 100 feet away from the dripline of infected trees and at least 4 feet deep, or deeper, to sever all root connections. 

Another common management method is fungicide injection. The injections are only a preventative measure to protect individual trees. The best candidates for this treatment are healthy, non-symptomatic oaks up to 100 feet away from symptomatic trees. 

Other ways to help prevent oak wilt are to plant other tree species to create tree diversity in the area; avoid moving oak firewood before it is seasoned; and talk with your neighbors about creating a community prevention plan. Infected red oaks that died should be cut down and burned, buried or chipped soon after discovery to prevent fungal mats that may form the following spring.

Not only is saving oak trees important for our ecosystem and health, but oak wilt can also reduce property values by 15-20%. 

Some cities and municipalities, including Austin, Lakeway, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Round Rock, have programs in place with municipal foresters dedicated to managing the disease. Texans can also contact their local Texas A&M Forest Service representative with any questions about this devastating disease.

For more information on oak wilt identification and management, visit https://texasoakwilt.org/ or Texas A&M Forest Service’s website at https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/. 

Asian Lady Beetle Invasions

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seven spotted lady beetle on milkweed

Seven spotted lady beetle on milkweed

It is that time of year when Asian Lady Beetles make an appearance indoors, and usually in large numbers. While they can be a major nuisance, they shouldn’t cause panic and some simple exclusion practices can help prevent this issue in the future.

Asian Lady Beetles are not native to Texas – they were introduced from Asia to the United States in 1960s and 1990s as a UDSA project to help reduce agricultural pests in several Southern and Eastern States from Louisiana to Connecticut.  They are now found throughout the United States either from natural spread or from further introductions into the United States from Japan on freighters.

Asian Lady Beetles are a true lady beetle, better known as a ladybug.  They are wonderful biological control agents of pests such as aphids in nature and during warmer months, help control those pests in our landscape.  During colder, winter months, they have a trait that makes them different from other ladybugs – their propensity to find harborage in protected spaces, which often is our warm home.  One way to tell the difference between Asian Lady Beetles and other species is that these guys have a marking behind their head that looks like an M.

Asian Lady Beetle in window Mohammed El Damir

Asian Lady Beetles found in the window of a home

Asian Lady Beetles tend to be attracted to light or lit surfaces and will congregate in mass numbers on sunny, Southwest sides of buildings.  Especially those structure that are lighter in coloration, but really any surface will do as long as it is warmed by the afternoon sun.  They will soon find cracks and crevices to squeeze through and often times get into eaves of homes, attics, or directly indoors.

When we have these up and down temperatures in winter, typical of Texas, they will become active on the warmer days and are noticeable inside the home, clustering and flying around windows, door frames or lights.

The good news is that Asian Lady Beetles are not harmful to humans or pets.  Even when consumed, they are not known to be toxic, although I imagine if a dog ate too many, it would get an upset stomach.  But what they will do is leave a yellow stain on walls and surfaces, emit an musty odor, and just be a plain nuisance.  You may love ladybugs outside in your garden, but who wants them indoors?

How do you get rid of them?  Prevention is key, but it’s often times thought of too late.  Seal up around cracks and crevices along windows and eaves, use screens on vents and large holes, replace weather stripping that is worn around door frames.  For those already inside, vacuum them up!  Throw them back outside and let them do their thing in nature.

Pesticide treatments are not always effective.  It’s best not to focus on the indoors, but outside where they are entering.  Where they are applied is key – put the pesticide where the ladybugs are entering…. but if you know where that is, seal it up!  The entry points are usually vents, eaves, soffits, windows and doors.  Apply synthetic pyrethroids, such as bifenthrin, lamda cyhalothrin, delatmethrin, or cyfluthrin.  But if the ladybugs are already indoors, it’s too late to spray.  In that case, pull out the vacuum.

OR – consider your house lucky!  Ladybugs are considered a sign of luck after all!

Want to learn more check out our Unwanted Guests Podcast 

Written by Molly Keck, Senior Extension Program Specialist

Are ladybugs harmful? Annual swarms, home invasion raise questions about native, Asian beetles

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seven spotted lady beetle on milkweed

Seven spotted lady beetle on milkweed

The annual ladybug invasion appears to be in motion.

Reports of ladybird beetles, commonly known as ladybugs, invading homes and structures across the southern U.S. have raised questions and concerns.

According to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert, ladybugs are definitely a friend, but sometimes even friends can wear out their welcome.

Wizzie Brown, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management specialist, Austin, said the increased sightings of ladybugs inside homes and structures are related to colder temperatures. They are crawling through cracks and crevices around the home to find warm, dry spots as temperatures outside drop.

Brown said ladybugs are a beneficial insect to gardeners. They are an effective predator against soft-bodied insect pests like aphids that can affect ornamental plants and devastate fruit and vegetable production.

“If they’re outside and not bothering you, it’s best to just leave them alone,” she said. “Having them overwinter around your home means it’s likely you will have good populations present when garden pests start emerging in the spring.”

Native ladybugs versus the Asian lady beetle

Despite their benefits outside, ladybugs can be a nuisance when they invade homes, she said. They can stain fabrics and are smelly when they die or when they release a fluid used as a defense mechanism. Sometimes, when they feel threatened, ladybugs can bite.

Native ladybugs prefer to hibernate outside, but their counterparts, the Asian lady beetle, prefer indoors, so it is likely that invading beetles are the invasive species, Brown said. Native ladybugs and Asian lady beetles are different species. Aside from their overwintering preferences, provide the same benefits around vegetable gardens and landscapes.

Both native and Asian ladybugs can share similar colors and spots, Brown said. Asian ladybugs can be identified by a small M or W, depending on how you look at them, on the shield-like section behind their head.

“They are both ladybird beetle species, and while the Asian species tends to be a brownish-red or orange with spots, they can also be red with spots,” she said. “So, the best way to differentiate them is the M or W.”

How to remove ladybugs from my home

If ladybugs are moving indoors in very large numbers, Brown said, homeowners can easily remove them and practice exclusion methods around the home to prevent future entry.

Brown suggests sucking them up with a vacuum cleaner and either bagging them for the trash or releasing them outside.

To prevent ladybugs from entering a building, Brown suggests exclusion methods, including:

  • Pruning trees and shrubs back away from the house or roof.
  • Moving firewood or other items that might harbor insects away from the house.
  • Installing weather stripping around loose-fitting doors and windows.
  • Blocking weep holes in brick or stone facades.
  • Using caulk or expanding foam to fill cracks and crevices on the outside of the house and around pipe and wire penetrations.
  • Keeping window screens in good repair.
  • Using stainless steel mesh wire to block potential access points in the attic, including vents.

“Ladybird beetle invasions are very sporadic,” she said. “If you’ve had an issue before, it is likely to happen again, but environmental conditions and what is going on around the house play a big role in their activity from year to year. The good thing is, if you practice the exclusion methods, you’re going to prevent other insect pests that might be looking for shelter this time of year from entering your home.”

Are ladybugs harmful to pets?

Brown said pet owners should not worry about ladybugs poisoning their animals. A story and photo that continues to circulate on the internet about a dog with the ladybugs in its mouth is about one instance.

“Apparently the dog was one that eats anything and everything, and it got into a large number of ladybird beetles,” she said. “Some ladybugs were clamping down in its mouth and releasing their defensive fluid trying to avoid being eaten, so you get the viral photo and subsequent panic among pet owners. But veterinarians have tried to dispel any hysteria and agree there is really very little concern about their toxicity beyond some possible stomach irritation.”

Written By Adam Russell, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Communication Specialist

Fluffy Moths Flying

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Eastern Buck moth

Eastern Buck Moth

You may have noticed a emergence of fluffy black colored moths flying around or flapping around on the ground.

I noticed this emergence this morning and have to believe there was something in the weather that has sparked them all to emerge from their pupal cases as adults.

These moths are none other than the adult form of those (maybe long forgotten) spiny caterpillars that we all dreaded this spring – the Eastern Buck Moth.

Adults are fluffy and are primarily black in color. They have a white band across the fore and hind wings and their abdomen is orange. They are actually really pretty moths when viewed up close. Adults are known to fly around October to November – so we are right on track – and after mating will lay their eggs in clusters. Those eggs will make it through the winter until spring, when they will hatch and the larvae will emerge again. After feeding, the larvae pupate and they remain in the pupal case until about now, when the cycle starts all over again.

buckmoth pupa

Eastern Buck Moth recently emerged from pupa. Wings yet to completely unfold.

Adults do not have functioning mouthparts, so unfortunately they are not pollinating anything.  Just mating, laying eggs, and dying.  In the meantime, they are providing a food source for birds and other predators.  I have been watching the mockingbirds chase them around the sky for a quick snack.

The larvae do have spines that are painful when touched.  This is their defense mechanism against predators and unfortunate humans and dogs may be innocent victims.  Their hosts are oaks and they prefer oak forests, so are more likely to be found in more rural areas, established neighborhoods with many oaks, or if you live next to an urban forest or park. 

The pupa are interesting because they have been known to remain for up to two year.  The Spring of 2020 was the first year I can recall seeing large numbers of the caterpillars.  The Spring of 2021 everyone else seemed to notice them too, so we’ve had two years for the population to build up.  If conditions are right (and who will know!), this large adult emergence may mean an above average population of caterpillars next Spring.  Time will tell!

Eastern Buck Moth caterpillar

Eastern Buck Moth caterpillar

What should you do?  Nothing right now.  Let the birds and lizards have their Thanksgiving meals and we’ll see what happens.  It is difficult to predict.  However, come Spring, if you hear, see, or find them chomping on your trees and have trees you want to save, be sure to use a foliar spray and click here for more information on treatments.

Written by: Molly Keck, BCE, Senior Extension Program Specialist – Integrated Pest Management 

Be on the lookout for armyworms

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fall armyworm
True armyworm

A true armyworm adult hiding in thatch layer of lawn

Be on the alert for fall armyworms this fall. Higher-than-normal populations of this lawn-eating insect have been reported from many areas in Texas this past summer and we have started to see them in San Antonio and Austin areas.

While fall armyworms are nothing new, according to Wizzie Brown, Extension Program Specialist for IPM in Austin, these worms started appearing in home lawns in late July to early August. Usually, infestations take place in late summer or early fall, but the weather can play a big part. The amount of rain we have had this year helped with egg survival and it can also delay predators from feeding on the eggs.

Fall armyworm (FAW) is the caterpillar stage of a drab gray moth, known scientifically as Spodoptera frugiperda. It feeds primarily on grasses, though it has been reported feeding on dozens of non-grass plants and weeds. It earns the name “armyworm” from its habit, during times of major outbreaks, of marching, army-like, across fields, roads, and yards, consuming everything in its path.

Fall armyworm on bermudagrass, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photo

Fall armyworm on bermudagrass

The armyworm caterpillar is identified by three thin white or yellow stripes on the shield behind the head (pronotum), an inverted white Y on the face between the eyes, and by four dark hair-bearing bumps (tubercles) on the top of the 8th abdominal segment. It takes three to four weeks of feeding to reach its full length of about 1.25 inches (34 mm). For a video that will help you recognize this worm check out this episode of Backyard Bug Hunt.

The adult FAW moth has a wingspan of about 1.5 in. The hind wings are white; the front wings are dark gray, mottled with lighter and darker splotches. On male moths each forewing has a noticeable whitish spot near the extreme tip.

 Damage and Control

fall armyworm damage on sports field

Fall armyworm damage on sports field

Damage often appears to occur overnight, though armyworms need at least three to four weeks to complete their six larval stages (instars). The last week or two of the larval stage is when most of the feeding, and damage, occurs.

Fall armyworms feed on most common lawn grasses like bermudagrass and St. Augustinegrass. But because armyworms feed on the leaves, and not on the critical roots and stolons, a little irrigation or a rain should restore lawns to their original condition within a week or two.

If this is unacceptable to your customer or school district, FAW is relatively easy to control with any pyrethroid insecticide. Organic customer lawns can be treated with products containing spinosad, a naturally occurring microbial toxin. Be sure to avoid treating areas with flowering weeds or clovers that might attract bees, or else mow the lawn (and flowerheads) prior to treating. This will help protect pollinators that might otherwise be attracted to freshly sprayed lawns.

Fall armyworm adult are strong fliers, travelling hundreds of miles from overwintering sites in south Florida, south Texas, and Mexico each spring. In a strange, apparent case of migration suicide, offspring of these northern migrants cannot survive freezing winter weather. And unlike monarch butterflies which return to Mexico each winter, FAWs never return south. Therefore, they and all their offspring perish in the cold weather. The evolutionary advantage of this unusual behavior, if any, is not well understood.

For more information on our Aggie Turf website, click here.

Not sure what you have when it comes to odd looking “worms” in your yard, check out this post on the School IPM website “What worm are you?” 

Bugged by Bugs we want to hear from you.

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Dr. Merchant in video clip

Has this year had you bugged by bugs?

Like many of you even those of us who work in entomology, pest control, school maintenance, or live somewhere in Texas you have seen your fair share of insect pests this year. If you have seen more pests around your home and you have treated for those pesky pests, we would love to hear from you. This short survey we created with funding from USDA NIFA wants to know what you have seen, and if you treated for the pest what did you use.  We have a few more questions about pest control options and where you live so that we can understand what is going on in regions of the country.

These days we understand there is so much information out there, but where do you go for trusted information. This survey will help researchers and specialists to develop better tools that can be used by you when you are struggling to find pest answers. For now, we do encourage you to visit our website Pests in the Homes for information regarding some of your more common pests. Or visit the National Pesticide Information Centers (NPIC) website to find your local county extension office in any state.