European Wool Carder Bee (Anthidium manicatum)

European Wool Carder Bee is now here in Oregon

Let me introduce you to the European Wool Carder Bee AKA Anthidium manicatum.  This little guy (that is a male in the photo) gets it's name from gathering hairs from leaves, particularly Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantina) that it uses to line it's nest with.  Related to the Mason Bee, this leaf cutter bee seems to have found a good home here in my Portland Oregon garden and elsewhere in the United States and Canada.  Other than being rather protective of its foraging area and the leaf cutting habit that helps it build it's nest, it seems it is not a huge pest so I can relax.  (I have been a little on edge about new insects lately after the battle I've been fighting with Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs the past couple of years.)

Our world is much smaller place these days and insects are finding it easier than ever to stow away to other parts of the world.  Hey, migration happens!  My rule of thumb is to not get too excited when I spot an unidentified insect species and avoid become an insectaphobe.  Here is what I recommend you do should you have an insect show up that seems out of place in your garden:

TAKE CLEAR PHOTOS - You may need these to send to the experts or to refer to yourself.  It is nearly impossible to ID something from a fuzzy photograph so the sharper the picture the better

NOTE APPROXIMATE SIZE, COLOR AND MARKINGS - be sure to include exoskeleton and what the wings (if present), legs, head, abdomen and thorax look like with lengths if you can get them.  Also mouthparts etc., as this information helps when the identifying gets tough.   But again...that sharp photo is priceless for someone else looking at what you have found.  (I use the macro setting on my ancient Sony Mavica camera to get the shots I do.)

NOTE HABITS - Aggressive or gentle behavior, plants it is feeding on, movement patterns (slow or flitting), did you find it hatching from eggs (get a photo of those please) or did it just emerge from the ground or a whole in a tree...all of this helps.  In the case of my bee here it's aggressiveness was a dead giveaway to helping ID it.  It not only let the honey bees know those plants were its foraging territory but let me know as well.  That comes in handy to know when children are around so they can be taught to respect these bees and avoid possible stings.

SEARCH ONLINE FIRST - I use Google Images, BugGuide.net, Wikipedia and my local county extension office and find them to be some of the best resources in identifying insects I know.  I rarely ask friends online and when I do am always searching myself in the background.

ASK THE EXPERTS - Reporting unusual insects in the garden is always a must before coming to a final conclusion on what the insect is, especially if you believe it is a trouble maker.  There are millions of insects in the world and some are really difficult to discern between but have very different lifestyles in the garden.  Less than one percent of them do real damage by the way.  However, an insect that is native to a different region can be devastating when it migrates to a new region where it is not in danger of being eaten by something or weather does not keep down the numbers.  Though it is an invasive species, I don't think this Wool Carder Bee is one of those that will cause real damage and am glad I now know who it is and that I don't have to be worried about it too much.

So there you have it.  Have fun looking for insects and happy gardening!

P.S.  I noticed while editing this post that there is another bug on the leaf this bee is sitting on.  Can you see it?  Do you know what it is?  (I already know but am interested to see if you can find out too.)



Copyright © 2012 by Patty Hicks
All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. All reviews must include author's name and a link back to this blog.


 

Every Year a Different Bug

Stink bug nymphs on Fig leaf.

This year was the coolest summer on record here in Portland Oregon and throughout the Pacific NW.  You can hear people everywhere whining about green tomatoes and then the screech of their mental brakes as the switch gears to try and figure out how to use the green ones they now have a bounty of.  Me, my switch was to put up a big ol' tent over the top of my tomatoes to get some ripe ones.  But that's not what I'm writing about today.  Today it's all about bugs.  Stink bugs to be specific.  Like those ones we used to smash as kids that gave off a sweet stink...those bugs.

Stink bugs look a lot like beetles but have a very specific identifying mark, a triangular shaped shield on their backs at the shoulders.  Most are pests but some are good guys like the soldier bug and the minute pirate bug.  Its good to get to know which is which so you are not smashing the good guys just because they are bugs.

How I got started on all this was the discovery of what look to be Brown Marmorated Stink Bug nymphs that hatched out on my fig tree and which quickly found my purple orach where they happily sucked way...that's what stink bugs do...suck. It seems the orach is good trap plant to have so you can see if you have stink bugs as they sure love that plant and mine was loaded with them.  Oh and if you decide to try this at home and find you have the bugs, here's a tip...they brush  off into a bug jar quite easily (that would be a "killing jar" aka a jar with alcohol in it for killing the bugs).  The kids just love collecting bugs this way.

The bugs were first spotted when I was visiting with a guest in my garden.  It was actually my guest who first spied the egg mass and nymphs on one of the leaves on my fig tree.  They looked sort of cute being in the nymph stage and all, but somehow they they still just made my skin crawl.  Makes me wonder if I have some sort of gardener's safety alarm that can sense danger sometimes.  (Or, maybe I've seen to many old horror movies like Attack of the Killer Ants.)

Not really sure what kind of insect they were I posted my photos to the ID query at Bug Guide, an internet site where a lot of entomology geeks hang out.  http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740  Within a few days I received a response back that they appeared to be the Brown Marmorated (whatever that means) Stink Bug.  Further investigation of my little invaders led me to find they are an  non-native invasive species from the Orient that is an orchard pest and loves to make its way into homes for the winter more than other stink bugs...and they can really stink up the place when disturbed and will mark their new found winter abode with a little buggy perfume.  The releasing of this odor is their way of noting that this home of yours and mine is a good nesting site too. Oh the joy. http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/brown-marmorated-stink-bug   

Other information stated that these bug have no predators in our region bringing home another reality...that this bug has all the potential of being an all out garden thug and vigilance is required.  Oregon State University info recommended contacting the Invasive species hotline if anyone thinks they have these bugs...which it seems is the case and which I will gladly do.  (Well all this just makes my day, let me tell you...like I don't have enough to deal with with all the other garden battles I have with native pests.)

Another factoid about that stink they produce; it is part of what keeps them from being food for predators, so once established they are pretty free to procreate and suck away unless we humans do something about it.  Pheromone traps, hand collecting, insecticides may all have to come into play to keep them at bay. (Ok don't hate me for saying the insecticide word...this is war and it would only be used on host plants and very judiciously if it comes to that.)

This information also made me aware that these bugs are of some economic concern for the region I live in being that they are a pest to fruit trees, causing cat facing on the fruit, which is a dimpling effect that makes fruit unsaleable for most commercial markets.  It seems they also likes fig trees.  (NO NOT MY FIG TREE!  I love my fig tree.  They can't have my fig tree!  Its mine!!!) That is probably why we spotted the newly hatched egg mass with its pile-o-bugglets on one of the leaves...darn!

When I saw little invaders I must confess I sort of didn't care who they were, I only wanted them dead just in case they were pests. Carefully removing the leaf from the tree so the bugglets wouldn't drop off, (after I got my photos of course) I put it on the ground and commenced to do the "You ain't gonna get my plants" dance with my foot squarely planted on top of the bugs, smashing and grinding them into the soil where I knew their smashed-to-smithereens bodies would at least feed the plants and prohibit them from being able to do any dirty work themselves.  I did this however, with some apology just in case they were not bad guys, but I was not willing to take chances as I have a pretty good knowledge of beneficial insects and these being strange bugs had to die.  The funny thing is, that leaf, it was right at eye level and quite close to the path so how I missed it before is beyond me.  Guess I must be looking at the ground too much and will have to start taking note of my precious fig a bit more from now on too.

Stink bug on Purple Orach stem

Another one of those "Yuck!" moments was when I went to harvest the seed-laden branches of my Purple Orach and took them into my kitchen but didn't see the pile-o-bugs that had take up residence on the plants.  I laid out the Orach branches on a paper towel for drying and when I came back later that day to make dinner discovered I had some unwanted guests that had quickly found the bowl of apples, summer squash and which were also standing tall on the branches I had just laid down on the counter a short time before.  (shudder)  I am not bug phobic for the most part but this was more like an invasion and that gave me the willies.  I'm tellin' ya...this is the stuff of nightmares.  From now on I will be checking those branches more carefully.  These days I can still find some bugs on the beans, ripe sunflower heads and other seed bearing plants. I hope they don't like butternut squash and cucumbers.  (Lord have mercy)

Oh yeah...so the title of this post was "Every Year a Different Bug"...last year it was cut worm, the year before the earwig and this year its the year of the stink bug.  Gee I'm so excited...(big sigh)

So if something smells sweet but stinky in you home this winter...don't think its in the compost bucket that needs to be taken out...just start looking for stink bugs.

Happy Gardening!

If you think you have found an invasive species in the state of Oregon please report it.  For more information go to http://oregoninvasiveshotline.org/

Copyright © 2010 by Patty Hicks

All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. All reviews must include author's name and a link back to this blog.

What's Eating You?

I am one of those people who delight in most all living things.  Researching what they are about, their purposes, life cycles and all that...especially the ones that live in my garden.  Oh and lest I forget...how to control them if they are a pest.  This helps me to understand how everything in the garden works together and helps me to see where each has its place as it were. There is one creature however that I find truly disgusting, the cutworm.  The only good thing I can say say about these guys is that they make delightful bird food for the robins in my garden.  My distaste for them is so strong however that I find it delightful to dance happily upon their little smashed bodies...sorry that was bit graphic but you will understand why here in a moment

Cutworms are these greasy looking Jaba d Hut-like larvae that sneak out from their hiding places in the soil at night to feast on all those lovely things you've been working so hard to grow.  There have been times they have left my foxgloves in shreds, made the leaves of my rhubarb look like skeletons and reduced what should have been a bounty of salad greens to a chewed mass of shredded leaves, many with only the midribs intact.  Who wants a second hand salad anyway?  Not me!

Last fall we brought in compost for our vegetable boxes out back.  This was to replace some really bad 3-way mix we purchased a few years ago that we found impossible to grow much of anything in.  The new compost brought with it great anticipation of the future harvest. One might say I was giddy with anticipation and immediately got to sowing our winter crops.  The seeds of leafy vegetables, starts of hardy kales and overwintering broccoli and garlics and overwintering onion sets.  I sat back and dreamed of the delicious harvest that would spring forth.

The seeds sprouted nicely in the rich warm soil and crops grew very quickly.  I carefully monitored the soil moisture for the seeds and seedlings and relished in the thought of all the yummy things we would soon be eating.  Then just about the time I was to begin harvesting I noticed them...the chewed leaves.  It was the first sign "they" had arrived...a little nibble off the edge of one of my swiss chard plants. Before I knew it "they" had mowed down an entire row of lettuces and the bok choy was so chewed up there was not stir fry to be made of it.  Who put up the sign that said "Buffet Now Open"  anyway???  Cutworms...grrrrrr!!!


In spite what I knew I found myself brushing off the signs of worm poo or the few notches in the leaves, picking off a worm or two but in the back of my mind I knew I was only asking for trouble. It would be my own darn fault that things would get as bad as they did in the end.

I had dealt with cutworm in my mixed flower border three years before. The year prior to that I had misidentified the pest as slugs...silly me, no slug slime its not slugs.  That attack had sent me to do some serious studying on them so I knew how to control them and even though it really wasn't that difficult, I still kept putting it off for one reason or another, figuring I'd get to it sooner or later. Then last week when the weather called me out to the garden and I pulled up on of the spent plants that was a sad reminder of their voracious appetites I uncovered three cutworms just beneath the surface of the soil.  NOOOOO!!!!!  I felt this shudder go through my body, the hairs on the back of my neck raised up and my stomach lurch with disgust.  There really is nothing I hate more than cutworms in the garden.


Any other plans I had for my day quickly dissipated as I shot into action with all the vigor I could muster, determined to grub out every single one of these disgusting creatures before they had to opportunity to lay their hideous lips on any more of my food!.  It took nearly three hours of very carefully sifted through the top six inches of soil to get out what I hope were every last one of them from just one of our 4'x12' boxes.  *shudder*  I'll let you know how successful I really was after I get our spring crops growing.

There were a couple of things I began thinking about as I was digging away, picking out cutworms and dropping them safely into my bucket for later disposal.  First was...Why?  Why would such a thing be created?  Well I figure I'm not going to get that answer till I reach heaven, so I'm not even going to go there.  Next was something fairly profound only it was not about the cutworms themselves at all.  It was about me.

There have been times in my life when I have let things that are not healthy for me remain in my life passing it off as not that urgent.  Every time, just like I thought I could do with these cutworms I just let it go until later. These things like the cutworm invading my garden, always seemed to take on a life of their own and invade the whole of my life, whether I wanted to admit it or not.  These things would always compete for my thoughts, emotions and time.  Everything we do takes up space in our life and the bad stuff seems to be the greedy grubber wanting the biggest juiciest part of our life, just like these cutworm creatures.  These things start out seemingly harmless or at least small enough that we can laugh them off.  The cutworms showed up as little tiny green worms...not such a big threat.  They ended up eating up almost the whole of our winter crops because I did not attend to getting rid of them.  How different things would have been if I would have attended to putting them to death before they destroyed it.

This makes me wonder how often have I been jealous of someone, just a little wormy bit, or angry with someone for selfish reasons...just a little wormy bit...or how about this one...I've wanted to be on Facebook or doing something else when my husband or someone else deserves and needs my full attention and I get mad, feel justified and keep on doing what I was doing instead of looking at the worm that is beneath the surface of my heart's soil that lays in wait to ruin the good crop of things God is working to bring forth in and through me.  (ouch)

In not dealing with these things I afford them the opportunity to grow in my life, to overtake my life...to lay waste to it.  The flesh is never satisfied, the Bible speaks clearly of this.  However, God in His mercy promises He will restore what the cancer worm has eaten.  When we confess our sins, He will forgive us and heal us.  He's even made payment for the cost of those sins through Jesus death on the cross.

This is not that things will be as they were before the worms of sin and fleshly desires began to run amok, but this restoration will come with new insight and wisdom and new humility born through better understanding.  We can understand the enemy of our soul better, be on alert more quickly as I should have been but was not.  

So here's my questions.
What's eating you???

If you already trust Jesus then do what you must in obedience to God's word regarding your sin.  If you do not yet trust in Jesus I want to share this with you.

Jesus died that we might have life and have life abundantly.  Life not as the world gives but eternal life in Him.  Today if you hear His voice, if He is knocking on the door of your heart and speaking to you about the worms of sin in your life that no matter how hard you try you cannot seem to overcome and you are full of guilt over, know this; that Jesus died for your sin.  His blood cleanses from the guilt of those sins for all who will trust in its power.  For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Jesus died to pay the price that we might live to glorify God.  That we might have joy unspeakable.  I did not understand this myself for many years until God spoke quite plainly to me and asked me "Was my Son's blood not enough?"  His blood is enough...He paid the price for sin once for all.  I'm living that life now and it is the most amazing life ever.

May God bless you all and have a wonderful day.  I'm going to work in my garden before it starts raining again.

Copyright © 2010 by Patty Hicks

All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. All reviews must include author's name and a link back to this blog.