At the recentUpper Midwest Master Gardener conferenceat theMinnesota Landscape Arboretum , entomologistJeff Hahnled a academic session hollo “ Watch Out for These insect . ” In it , he foreground the top six insect that imperil gardens in the Upper Midwest . Here are three of them — some you ’ve seen , while others are on their way .
Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs
While not a pesterer in northern gardens yet , Hahn and other entomologists expect that the BMSB will be here before long . It ’s been discovered in seven Minnesota county so far , but in very , very small numbers . to begin with from China , BMSBs feed on more than 200 plants , including tree , shrub , fruit and vegetables . Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs face a lot like our aboriginal stink bug , but there are two classifiable thing to face for : BMSBs have band antennae and wooden leg and greenish gold fleck on their undersides . If you capture one , meet the Minnesota Department of Agriculture so it can be positively identified . For more information on stink bugs , see the article in the July / August upshot ofNorthern Gardener .
USDA image
earwig
While they can cause a hatful of impairment , earwig are bewitching insects . Unlike most members of the bug world , earwig females will guard their eggs and handle for the youthful . Unfortunately , the earwigs bung on leaves and blossoms of plants and go into homes count for food and tender space . Sometimes , they come in in very declamatory number , standardised to boxelder bug or lady beetles . Earwigs care to hide in tender moist places , so to deter them clean up debris , keep mulch layer thin and do not irrigate everyday . To keep them out of your planetary house , be trusted to seal any crack or spaces . If the problem gets very bad , you may require to expend insecticides . The University of Minnesota offers a usefulfact sheeton earwig control .
Tent caterpillars
Eastern tent caterpillars return to the nest.
There are two variety of tent caterpillars and only one of them really builds a tent . Theeastern tent caterpillarhas a blue and pitch-black torso with white or yellow stripes down the back . These Caterpillar build nests in yield tree in former natural spring . They can seriously defoliate a tree . good for you Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree can brave out this without wicked legal injury , but a young or unhealthy tree may be killed by the Caterpillar . woodland collapsible shelter caterpillarsare sometimes erroneously call U. S. Army worms . They do not build a true collapsible shelter , but the larvae subsist under a silken mat that looks collapsible shelter - like . They also can defoliate trees , but rarely kill a fledged Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . They wo n’t harm mankind or pets either , but there is a pregnant ick gene when destiny of caterpillars are moving on the exterior of buildings looking for plaza to build cocoons . strong-arm removal of nests is probably the best ascendence for collapsible shelter caterpillars .
Learn more inNorthern Gardener®magazine…
Four seasonal return full of growing crest and featured garden — write and edited by local northerly gardening pro just for you .
