Cluster flies
CLUSTER FLY
It is cluster fly season. For those in dry areas of the state the numbers should be low due to the drought affect on earthworms. The flies look like house flies but have a fine golden hair on their thorax. They sneak under the siding and attic area during early September and will create a nuisance all winter long. Now is the time to stop them on the outside of the home. See http://cecommerce.uwex.edu/pdfs/A2090.PDF for more information.
Cluster fly
Feeding damage
PILL BUG DAMAGE
One of the most unusual plant damage samples I have ever seen came into the lab this week. These wave petunias were re-planted three times and each time were chewed up by pill bugs. Normally these insects feed on decaying organic matter in the soil but the high numbers in the flower bed chewed all of the soft green tissue. The feeding is at night and the critters hide in the soil during the day.
Damaged wave petunias
Pearslug
PEARSLUG
The critter that browns the leaves on your purple leaf plum, cherry, and cotoneaster is called a pearslug, but because of the shiny appearance it is really a sawfly larva. There are two generations per year with feeding in both July and August. They only feed on the upper surface of the leaf and avoid large veins. Damage is cosmetic and plants should only be treated when larvae are present.
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