Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 3, 1994 TAG: 9411030055
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-10 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JOE HUNNINGS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Japanese ladybird beetles: Ladybird beetles? You thought these were good bugs that ate other bugs and didn't bother anyone, right? Well, that's true; however, the native lady beetle recently has been joined by its Japanese cousin, which likes to spend the winter in your house.
This new species - reported for the first time in Virginia in 1993 - was introduced to southeastern states in the late '70s and early '80s to help reduce the aphid population in tree fruit and nut crops. It wasn't seen again until it reappeared in Louisiana in 1988. Since then, populations have been discovered with increasing frequency across the Southeast. It turns out that they like aphids not only on trees, but also on many other plants.
It is hard for the casual observer to tell this new species from our native friends except that they like to congregate and invade houses and other buildings. They will not cause any damage. They merely are looking for a winter hibernation site.
Ultimately, your best defense is to make the structure as tight as possible. Check your screens or windows, vents, etc. Caulk around windows and doors. Seal cracks in foundations. Pesticides are only a short-term solution. Numbers most likely will build back up in a few days after a spraying application. Insecticide strips can be used in nonliving spaces such as attics.
Indoors, a vacuum cleaner is your best defense. Don't despair! After a few hard frosts and cold spells, they will be gone until spring, when they wake up and want to get back out!
Box elder bugs: Large numbers of these black-and-red insects often are found around houses and other buildings in the spring and fall. They overwinter as adults in protected places, such as under porches, in cavities in brick or stone walls, in leaf litter around shrubs, and under boards and tarpaulins around houses. The adults and immature stages feed on the leaves and other parts of box elder trees. However, they also will feed on other members of the maple family (yes, box elder trees are a kind of maple), such as the sugar maple.
The life cycle of these insects includes a spring and fall generation. Most of the year they go unnoticed around houses and on trees, but at least twice during the year - in the spring and fall - they gather in large numbers. They do not present a problem for the trees when they are feeding, and do not bite humans. The biggest problem is presented when the adults collect indoors in the fall and winter.
Control box elder bugs by applying liquid insecticide in early summer (any yard and garden chemical will do) to the swarms of adults and nymphs, and to some extent by spraying the bark and leaves of trees. Several spray applications may be necessary - not because there is any resistance to the insecticide, but because there often are large numbers gathered together and it is difficult to get the chemical to anything but the top layer of bugs.
Cutting down the host trees is a rather drastic step, and not recommended. Inside the house, a vacuum cleaner is an effective tool. Also try caulking the cracks and crevices and mend broken screens.
Elm leaf beetles: These yellow-and-olive beetles are about one-quarter-inch long. As the name implies, they feed on elm tree leaves. Successive generations continue through the summer and into the fall. As with lady beetles and box elder bugs, when the weather turns cold the adults seek a place to spend the winter. Treatment is the same: Make the structure as tight as possible, minimize insecticide use and add a big dose of patience and tolerance.
Spiders: These are the last summer holdouts. Spiders seem to increase in numbers in the fall, perhaps because their webs become more visible, and the big garden spiders often stake out a territory close to or on the house.
Wolf spiders become more numerous at this time of year and often are indoor pests. Some wolf spiders can get very large and look a bit threatening, but they are not a threat to people, just to the insects they eat.
Garden spiders and other spider species often build webs close to outdoor lights and windows to trap the insects attracted to the lights. Change the lights if you want to discourage the spiders; otherwise, just enjoy these hard-working critters. They overwinter in secluded locations.
Woolly bears: Woolly bears are those brown-and-black caterpillars that scurry across the road or driveway as if they know where they are going. An old wives' tale says there is some relationship between the width of the brown band and the kind of winter we're going to have. Does a wide band or narrow band equal a bad winter? Whatever, they're kind of fun to pick up, which causes them to curl up. Just give 'em a toss in the direction they were going to help them on their way.
Joe Hunnings is the Virginia Cooperative Extension agent for agriculture in the Montgomery County Extension Office in Christiansburg. If you have questions, call him at 382-5790.
by CNB