PSEUDOSCORPION
Every once and a while you may find a strange critter in your home. One that looks scary but is harmless to people is the Pseudoscorpion. They are small tick-shaped critters with a large pair of pincers. They are really beneficial and feed on carpet beetles, ants, and other critters in the home. They are usually found in small numbers and spend most of their time hunting in closets and other quiet places. They cannot bite. Control is not needed, but they will respond to indoor ant sprays.
PEAR LEAF BLISTER MITES
Funny bumps on pear and plum leaves are caused by an Eriophyid mite called Pear Leaf Blister Mites. The injury may start as a reddish growth but as it matures it will turn dark brown. Heavily infested leaves may distort and fall off. The cool spring allowed more injury than normal. This is only a cosmetic problem and once you see the problem it is too late to do much. Treatment is to use carbaryl (Sevin) at bud break.
ODD INJURY ON OAKS
May is An odd injury on oaks, the discolored section of oak twits, are a bird feeding injury. Birds are looking for grubs from one of the gall wasps on oak. Four samples of this problem have been brought to my attention this spring. The small round chambers are where the grubs where found. The plants should recover in most cases.
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