Insect Animal Topics

Educated, Experienced & Excited About What We Do!

Learn / Ask The Landscape Professional

Insect & Animal Topics:

QUESTION: Three out of the four Azalea bushes in the front of my house are "brown", or at least browner than everything around them. Do you have any ideas? Is something "going around"? Maybe they need fertilizer? Thank you for your help. Mike

QUESTION: I love nasturtiums, however, when I grow them from seed in May, they grow beautifully and when they flower, they get infested with big ants that leave all their excrement on the stems and it is just gross. That not only affects the blooms but the foliage as well. I hose it off but the ants come right back. I have spoken to nursery people who have never heard of this happening. What can I do? Janice

QUESTION: I am hoping you can help with a bug issue I have with my Lilly''s. For the past 4 years I have had this bad infestation of bugs on my Lilly''s. Last year I sprayed almost daily, an all-natural product I purchased. It might have worked for a bit in the beginning of the season but eventually the bugs took over and ate my Lilly''s to the ground. I''m assuming I need to use something stronger. I am open to any suggestions. I love your weekly series! Thank You. Laura, Niantic

QUESTION: I put a few praying mantis egg cases out on some forsythia branches, but a week later I noticed one missing and a day later all were gone. Any idea what could have happened? David

QUESTION: For the last two years I have had a problem with bugs, black flat ones, that ate mostly my orange lantern leaves right up to the flowers in two separate gardens. Up until now, I've always had good luck with orange lanterns and I'm wondering if I should spray them with something? What should I do? You always have great advice. Thank you. April

QUESTION: I'm noticing mole tunnels all over my lawn this fall. How do I get rid of them? Kathy, Essex

QUESTION: I've discovered I have three praying mantis egg sacs on one small butterfly bush in my yard. With the understanding that hundreds of babies might hatch from each of those, I'm wondering if I could clip a twig from the bush and relocate an egg sac in another of my flower beds. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. Thank you. Teresa

QUESTION: I love your column in The Day. Deer and rabbits are eating my hydrangeas and hostas. Are there any solutions? Barbara

QUESTION: Hi Linda - last week you wrote about "voles". How are they different from "moles"? Ruby

QUESTION: Something is eating my plants! I noticed some of my perennials started to look poorly and when I touched them, they fell over and had no roots! Help! Ruby

QUESTION: Hi Linda, I always enjoy your column. I have a question for you: We have ants in our lawn. The past few years they have progressively gotten worse despite our efforts to curtail them. We have two small children who play on the lawn daily so we have been hesitant to use any harsh chemicals, but the "green" solutions that we've tried don't seem to make any difference. Any suggestions? Thanks, Mark

QUESTION: As the snow started melting on my lawn, I discovered these tunnels. What in the world is going on? Eleanor

QUESTION: I have a question regarding Cicada bees. I think that is what I have had for several years. They are in one area of our mulched bank and emerge May/June. They are annoying. I was told to mulch heavily and that may help. Susan

QUESTION: I love nasturtiums, however, when I grow them from seed in May, they grow beautifully and when they flower, they get infested with big ants that leave all their excrement on the stems and it is just gross. That not only affects the blooms but the foliage as well. I hose it off but the ants come right back. I have spoken to nursery people who have never heard of this happening. What can I do? Janice

QUESTION: I am hoping you can help with a bug issue I have with my lilies. For the past 4 years I have had this bad infestation of bugs on my lilies. Last year I sprayed almost daily, an all-natural product I purchased. It might have worked for a bit in the beginning of the season but eventually the bugs took over and ate my lilies to the ground. I'm assuming I need to use something stronger. I am open to any suggestions. I love your weekly series! Thank You. Laura, Niantic

QUESTION: I have these moths all over my house. What in the world are they? Help! Gerald

QUESTION: Can you offer any advice regarding a chipmunk nuisance? Several years ago I noticed a couple of chipmunks. I'm sure they have multiplied, as I now have many hole tunnels (not mounded like moles) in the front and back yards and I've seen them disappear down these holes. They have also chewed a hole in the rubber weather stripping on the garage door. I've had to move the bird seed inside the house. Any information is greatly appreciated. Patsy

QUESTION: I have a lawn question and bet others have the same thing going on in their yards. We have noticed an incredible amount of ant hills in our yard this summer. When it rains, the ants come out of the ground in droves. The same thing is happening at my mom's house. Is there anything we can do? It's so widespread that I can't imagine it can be treated. What causes this? And should I be worried? - Jane, Mystic

QUESTION: My maple tree has straight rows of ¼" holes in it. Do I have some sort of insect that's causing damage? - C.G.

QUESTION: Last week I wrote about the dire decline in our bee population, and this week I'm addressing what you can do to help all of our pollinators.

QUESTION: The condo complex I live in just did a large "bee kill" with pesticides. You can help tremendously by publishing facts about the extreme importance of NOT killing bees, and the critical population decline there is in Connecticut and everywhere... S.K.

QUESTION: I have a house at Black Point Beach in Niantic and need help with plants that the deer won't EAT...At the present I have daylilies across the front of the house on the south side and they (deer) are enjoying the Salad Bar. We have sprayed, and currently have fish line going across and somehow they are getting at them. HELP...What can I plant there that they won't eat? Fran

QUESTION: Last fall my yard was a mass of mole tunnels, how do I get rid of the moles? Is there a reasonably priced cure? Godfrey, Waterford

QUESTION: A long time ago, my grandmother spoke of "dormant oil" as a way she used to control insects on her fruit trees. What is that and is it still effective?

QUESTION: What can I do to get rid of winter moths? They get in my house, climb on my siding and even seem to survive through the winter. Help! Gerald N, Groton

QUESTION: There are brown bugs that have been coming in my house lately that look like they have shields on their backs; what in the world are they? Jill, Ledyard

QUESTION: I found this bug on a Hosta leaf. What in the world is it?

QUESTION: What can you tell me about the Praying Mantis in our area?

QUESTION: I've found two pests on my plants and I have no idea what they are. One is a bright red beetle and the other is VERY tiny, brown, slimy, and slug-looking. Among other things, they are eating the leaves of my lilies. Can you help? Thank you! Joyce.

QUESTION: Last week, you talked about Moles. Are they the same as Voles?

QUESTION: Before my lawn got covered with snow, I was noticing the damage from last summer's mole tunnels. Do moles go away once the cold weather comes?

QUESTION: Hostas have holes in the leaves, what's going on with them?

QUESTION: I am leaving for a winter vacation; will the birds suffer when the feeders get empty?

Topics

Enter a search term above, or select a category below to browse the available articles.

Lecture Series

Our weekly "Ask The Landscape Professional" series is expanding to include video lectures on various topics. To watch some of our lectures online, please click here.

Submit Your Question

Do you have a question to Ask The Landscape Professional? Click here to contact us and send us your question!

What we do

The Official Landscape Company of Mystic Seaport