Giant Conifer Aphids and Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles

Howdy!

  There's been a picture circling the internet again of a dog with lady beetles in its mouth. There is a great deal of misinformation on most of the posts I've had a couple of phone calls with questions. Xandra, the IPM agent stationed in Hill county has an excellent article on this, check it out here.
  I would like to share a really neat article Mike Merchant's put together on Giant Conifer Aphids. Check it out here! He also covers a few other pests that can be accidentally brought in with a Christmas tree. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell

Grain Indemnity Referendum, Blog Evaluation, and CEU Opportunities

Howdy,

  I am currently evaluating the blog's performance and would really appreciate it if you could fill out this short survey. It's only a few multiple choice questions, and will take very little time. Thank you!

  Below I have posted a news release Corrie Bowen (Wharton County Ag Agent) put together for the grain indemnity referendum. Your local extension office is the place to stop by and vote. If you have any questions about the process, feel free to give us a call, or stop by the office.

Voting on Producer Referendum to Establish State-Level Grain Indemnity Fund Scheduled December 5 through December 9

By Corrie Bowen

County Extension Agent

Wharton County

The Texas Legislature has acted to allow the Texas Commissioner of Agriculture to conduct a referendum whether to establish a grain indemnity fund for the state of Texas, statute available at http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/AG/htm/AG.41.htm#41.201.  What is the Texas Grain Producer Indemnity Fund?  The purpose of the fund is to indemnify corn, grain sorghum, wheat, and soybean producers as a result of the failure of a grain buyer. If passed, producers of these four crops would pay 0.2% of the gross sales price of grain to the Texas Grain Producers Indemnity Board.  Assessments would begin February 1, 2017.  And, if passed, The Texas Grain Producer Indemnity Board will establish an indemnity fund program that will mitigate 85% of all verified financial losses suffered by producers of corn, sorghum, soybeans and wheat when a financial failure prevents grain buyers from paying for purchased/contracted grain or delivering unsold grain.

Who is Eligible to Vote?  Any grain producer regardless of age who has sold grain in Texas anytime between December 5, 2013, and December 5, 2016, is eligible to vote.  Eligible grain producers are persons, including the owner of a farm on which grain is produced or the owner’s tenant or sharecropper, engaged in the business of producing grain or causing grain to be produced for commercial purposes.  A producer may be an individual or legal business entity, such as a corporation, LLC, LLP, or LP.  Each producer (individual and/or legal business entity) may only vote once. Youth younger than 16 years of age must have a parent or guardian co-sign the ballot. I had one of my first questions today regarding the Grain Indemnity fund.  The question was:  Who verifies if the producer has produced grain in the last 36 months?  The answer provided by Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) is:  The producer self certifies that he has produced grain at least once in the previous 3 years.  Texas Department of Agriculture personnel will count and review the ballots. They will have the discretion to randomly audit or specifically check any ballot(s) to maintain the integrity of the referendum.  TDA can require a voter to prove production in the previous 36 months before the ballot is counted.

Where Will Voting Take Place?   Voting will be held at local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension County offices during normal business hours from December 5 through 9, 2016.  The Wharton County Extension Office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed from noon – 1p.m. for the lunch hour)  Monday – Friday.  If you are unable to access an AgriLife Extension Office, a ballot may be requested from TDA by calling (800) 835-5832. In order to be valid, all ballots cast must be mailed to TDA and must be postmarked no later than December 9, 2016.  Ballots will be counted at TDA Headquarters by Department staff and the Commissioner of Agriculture will certify results.

Where Can I Get More Information?  More information on the Grain Indemnity Fund Referendum is available from the Texas Department of Agriculture, either by contacting Stuart Strnad, Director for Agriculture Commodity Programs-Texas Department of Agriculture at (512) 463-3285, or visiting their website, https://texasagriculture.gov/Home/ProductionAgriculture/TexasGrainProducersIndemnityBoard. Information is also available from the Texas Grain Producers Indemnity Board, (806) 763-0327 or their website, http://www.texasgrainindemnity.org/. 

Tele-Town Halls are also available.  Join one of the times listed on the attached file to learn more about the Texas Grain Producer Indemnity Fund.  The Tele-Town Halls will discuss the fund basics, voting procedure and allow producers to participate in a Q&A session with TGPIF Board Members.

###

  Mike Hiller (Jackson County Ag Agent) is hosting a 5 hour CEU event at the Jackson county services building auditorium. Registration starts at 8:00 am and the program begins at 9:00 am. The program is posted below. 

  The Plant Protection Conference is also going on next week. The theme for this year is Advanced Technologies for Texas Agriculture, and the conference will be held at the Brazos Center in Bryan, TX. Registration for producers is $25, $25 for students, and $100 for everyone else. They will be offering a total of 11 TDA CEUs and 13.5 CCA CEUs. This will take you to the conference website, and this will take you to the conference agenda.

  Last week I got to go to Costa Rica for Thanksgiving, so this week's insect is one that I found near Liberia in Costa Rica, but can also be found here in Texas- the firefly. If the name of an insect is two words, it falls in that group. For example, a horse fly is a fly, but a dragonfly is not a fly. Fireflies are a type of beetle, not a fly. Firefly larvae tend to be voracious predators, and often glow like the adults. The chemical reaction many members of this family of insects uses to give off light is remarkably cold, and nearly 100% of the energy is given off as light. For comparison, electric lights only give off 10% of their energy as light, the other 90% is given off as heat. The chemical used in the reaction is luciferin, and in the presence of an enzyme called luciferinase, it oxidizes almost immediately and gives off light. They control the pattern of their flashes by admitting air into the tracheal system of the light producing organs in the abdomen. The flashing is generally used to attract the opposite sex, and each species uses a different flash pattern to attract a mate. However, some species will use a flash pattern of a different species to attract dinner rather than a mate. (Triplehorn, Johnson, Borror, 2005)

Firefly larvae, Aspisoma sp
Photo: Kate Harrell

Firefly larvae, Aspisoma sp
Photo: Kate Harrell

Firefly, Aspisoma sp
Photo: Kate Harrell

  Feel free to email or call me if you have any questions, and have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell

Triplehorn, Charles A., Norman F. Johnson, and Donald J. Borror. Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Thompson Brooks/Cole, 2005. Print.

Switch to MailChimp Distribution and Red Spotted Aster Mirid

Howdy,

  If you are on my email list and wondering about the new format for the update email, I recently switched to using MailChimp as a hopefully more efficient means of sharing my blog articles than my excel list of emails. I welcome any feedback you may have on the format. Let me know what you like about it, what you don't like about it, and if you have any ideas for improvement, let me know. If you got to this blog from Facebook or Twitter, nothing should be different.

  Recently I have been getting questions about Red Spotted Aster Mirids getting into potted plants and fall gardens. This insect looks very similar to the tarnished plant bug and the lygus bug. All of these insects fall into the mirid family. Mirids are plant bugs that feed by piercing the plant tissue, injecting a tissue dissolving saliva, and sucking the juice out. The damage caused by these insects results in a sunken lesion. These lesions can dry out and crumble as well, leaving the plant with holes in the leaves. If the insects are causing damage to leafy vegetables in a home garden, you may have to treat with an insecticidal soap or a horticultural oil. Those options tend to work better on nymphs than on adults, but if the population is mostly young nymphs, you can also try hosing the plants off with water to knock young nymphs to the ground. Contact and systemic insecticides are effective on this insect as well. Pyrethroids should be applied when nymphal feeding is noticed, but systemics often need to be applied before the problem arises as it can take several days for the plant to take up the insecticide. When your fall garden has died down, it's best to remove dead plant stalks to prevent reinfestation. Mirids lay their eggs in the plant tissue, and removing the leaf litter and plant stalks from the previous year can help prevent reinfestation.

  As always, feel free to call the office or send me an email if you have questions or comments. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell

Red Spotted Aster Mirid
Photo: Debbie Davis, Insect ID Request

Red Spotted Aster Mirid
Pedro Garcia, Insect ID Request

Lygus Bug Nymph
Photo: Kate Harrell

Lygus Bug Nymph
Photo: Kate Harrell

Stinging Caterpillars

Howdy,

  There a several species of stinging caterpillars that are native to the area, and the southern flannel moth, puss moth, or asp is in abundance currently. They feed on several species of trees and shrubs (including oak, pecan, elm, hackberry, and dwarf yaupon) and are only of minor importance as a pest on plants. The caterpillars can get up to an inch and a half in length, and can be yellow or gray to a reddish brown color. They make a unique cocoon with a trap door at one end for the moth to emerge from, and they incorporate the larval hairs into the silk. This results in a cocoon roughly the size and color of the caterpillar. The moths have about an inch and a half wingspan, are covered in long wavy hair, and have blunt rounded wings.

Adult Southern Flannel Moth
Photo: http://citybugs.tamu.edu/files/2010/05/Megalopyge-opercularis-Laura-Bellmore-Galveston-Co.jpg

  The main concern with these is the venomous spines that hide beneath the fluffy and inviting outer hairs. These caterpillars can pose a health hazard to children and gardeners. Touching one will result in intense throbbing pain and blood colored spots near the sting site. Symptoms can include headaches, nausea, vomiting, lymphadenopathy, lymphadenitis and sometimes even shock or respiratory stress. The pain from the sting site usually subsides within an hour, and the spots will usually disappear after a day or two.

Southern Flannel Moth Caterpillar or Asp
Photo: Kate Harrell

Southern Flannel Moth Caterpillar or Asp
Photo: Kate Harrell

Southern Flannel Moth Caterpillar
Photo: Sasha Azevedo- http://bugguide.net/node/view/148746

Southern Flannel Moth Caterpillar
Photo: Bart Drees- http://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/biting-stinging/others/ent-3010/

Stings from the Southern Flannel Moth Caterpillar
Photo: http://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/biting-stinging/others/ent-3010/

  Applying an ice pack to the sting site can relieve some of the pain, and oral antihistamines can be given to help relieve itching and burning sensations. Clear tape can be used to remove some of the spines by gently applying and stripping from the sting site. If an allergic reaction occurs, such as generalized itching or difficulty breathing, you should consult a physician immediately. You should also visit a physician if the sting site involves the eye.

  If these or other stinging caterpillars become abundant, they can be controlled with treating with Bt, spinosad, azadirachtin, or a residual insecticide such as permethrin, cyfluthrin or other sprays labelled for ornamentals. 

  For information on a few other stinging caterpillar species check out this publication, and for more info on asps look at this website. Let me know if you have comments or questions.

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell

Woolly Oak Aphid

Howdy,

  The 2016 South Texas Farm and Ranch Show is going on next week on October 19 and 20. If you would like more information, please check out their schedule on the flyer and their website. I am looking forward to attending at least one day. If you're needing CEUs, this is a good opportunity to get them.

  My most common insect questions this week have been on the Woolly Oak Aphid. Like other aphids, they feed on the plant sap. This species can practice parthenogenesis, which means that a colony of females can reproduce without the need for any males. They give live birth, and are often capable of reproducing in as little as 4 days. They are native to North America, and excrete the fluffy wax as a defense mechanism against their numerous predators and parasitoids.  I used a pen to scrape away some of the wax to show the aphids underneath in the pictures below. Sooty mold will often accompany this insect if the populations are large. The mold grows as a result of the honeydew this insect excretes as a waste product.

  Depending on how large your tree is, hosing the tree down can offer some relief from these insects. If the wax is washed away, not only will some of the aphids go with it, but the remaining aphids will be much more susceptible to predation. If the tree is too large to rinse off, or if the infestation is really severe and the tree's appearance is important, using a systemic insecticide with imidacloprid will kill them as well. Most of these tree treatments take a month or so to show any effect, but the protection lasts between 6 months to a year depending on which treatment you choose.

Woolly Oak Aphid
Photo: Kate Harrell

Woolly Oak Aphid
Photo: Kate Harrell

As always, feel free to contact me if you have any comments or questions.

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell

Walnut Caterpillar

Howdy,

  On September 28 TDA extended the cotton stalk destruction deadline for Wharton, Jackson and Matagorda counties to October 15. I've still seen some pickers in the fields, but I'm glad to see this season wrapping up. The cooler weather has at least made harvesting a little more pleasant.

Walnut Caterpillar
Photo: http://entomology.osu.edu/bugdoc/Shetlar/factsheet/ornamental/FSwalnutcat.htm

  Lately I have gotten a few questions on Walnut Caterpillars in the area. These insects feed on a pretty wide variety of woody shrubs and deciduous trees in the walnut family, as well as birch, oak, willow, honeylocust and apple trees. They are native to North America, and range from the eastern United States to Minnesota, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. The insect overwinters as a pupa in the soil, and emerges as an adult in the late spring. The females lay egg masses of 600 or more on the underside of leaflets on their host plants. Caterpillars emerge about 9 days after the eggs are laid, and unlike similar looking relatives, these caterpillars do not build webs. Young caterpillars skeletonize leaves, while older caterpillars will consume the entire leaf. After about 23 days, the caterpillars will have molted 4 times, and will then move to the soil to molt into the pupal stage. The last instar (stage between molts) will feed independently rather than with the colony, as they were up until this point. In this area we can have up to 3 generations of walnut caterpillars a year. These caterpillars are usually kept in check by natural predators, and you can achieve some control on small trees by removing the egg masses. On large trees and acreage, insecticides containing Bt or spinosad work well. These work best when applied while the caterpillars are still small, and are applied thoroughly to the entire canopy. For more information check out Bill Ree and Marty Jungman's publication on walnut caterpillars here.
  As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell

Fall Armyworms in Yard

Howdy,

  Lately our office has been getting calls about lawn pests. A common pest in row crops, forages, pastures and lawns are armyworms. This insect lays eggs in clusters of about 50 eggs. Once the larvae hatch, they molt 5 times before pupating to the adult moth. The entire life cycle only takes about 28 days during warmer temperatures. The larvae cause damage to a variety of plants, and are commonly seen in lawns this time of year. Caterpillars tend to feed either in the late evening or early morning, so it's unlikely that you'll see the insect causing the damage. They feed on the foliage of the plants, chewing the green layer off the leaves. This leaves a "window pane" on the leaves. The first three stages the larvae goes through cause only minor damage, while the fourth and fifth stages cause much more damage, consuming up to 85% of their total foliage diet in these stages. A wide variety of predators consume armyworms. One of my most recent questions was on parasitoid wasps laying eggs in the armyworm egg masses. Ground beetles, other wasps, flies, and birds feed on them as well.

Fall Armyworm Egg Mass
Photo: Kate Harrell

Fall Armyworm Larva
Photo: Kate Harrell

   The photo above shows the four square spots on the back end of an armyworm larva. This is a good character to look at when trying to identify the insect.

Fall Armyworm Larva
Photo: Kate Harrell

  Armyworms can come in a variety of colors, even within one species, but look for the light colored "inverted Y" on the dark head capsule, as shown in the photo above.

  If the number of larvae becomes high and the damage in a yard is excessive, treatment may be necessary. Two insecticides, halofenozide (on small caterpillars), and spinosad are specific insecticides that are easier on beneficial populations. Bifenthrin, carbaryl, esfenvalerate, and permethrin are also commonly used to control armyworms.

  Feel free to email me or call our office if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell

Cotton Update and Tropical Sod Webworm

Howdy,

  This last week has been rainier than most of us would've liked, but we're still getting the cotton out. Everything is still ginning okay. The seed quality is not great and the seed prices have gone down. We're still stressing that the cotton needs to be dry before picking, the seed quality is worse in modules that were wet. Not only is it hard on the seed, but the lint gets stained too. This year the lint has not been as bright white as it usually is. Below, you can see what some of the finished cotton is looking like when it gets packed into a bale and shipped off.

From left to right: cotton pulled from module, run through first set of cleaners, cleaned and ginned
Photo: Kate Harrell

Adult tropical sod webworm
Photo: James Kerrigan, University of Florida

  Tropical sod webworms are out and about right now. The caterpillars of these moths are a pest of turf. Feeding damage causes the grass to look ragged, and the spots will spread and get larger. To test an area for the caterpillars, sprinkle the grass with a solution of water and liquid dish detergent. The caterpillars will surface if they are present. I've seen the moths stirring while walking through grass.
  Give us a call or stop by the office if you have any questions. Keep picking and stay dry, everyone!

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell

From left to right: tropical sod webworm larval instars, pre-pupae and pupa
Photo: James Kerrigan, University of Florida

St. Augustinegrass residential lawn damaged by tropical sod webworm
Photo: Steven Arthurs, University of Florida

Cotton Update and Lovebugs

  This week has been a little drier than the past month, and cotton pickers are running. Cotton quality has been holding close to the same for most places, but has dropped a little in places that got the most rain in the area. The seed quality has been holding so far as well. I know this is a short update, but the gins have only been able to run a very short period of time compared to where they would like to be this time of year. Folks are running full time now though, and that is a good sign.
  This week's commonly questioned bug is the lovebug. The lovebug is actually a fly, and they usually appear in large numbers. The name comes from the tendency to find a pair of them rather than the single insect. The adults only live for 3-5 days, but the emergence lasts around 3-5 weeks. They are common during May and September in this area. The larvae are important decomposers, and the adults are pollinators. They do not bite, and aside from appearing in hordes, are not considered a pest species. The most efficient method for collecting these insects is with the front end of a  pickup moving at least 40 mph.

(Mostly) Lovebugs
Photo: Kate Harrell

Lovebugs
Photo: Aggie Horticulture

  Feel free to give us a call or stop by the office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell

Cotton Update and White-Tipped Black Moth

Howdy,

  This week several of you have been able to get into the fields. I know we've had spotty rainstorms all up and down our area, and some places still have not dried out (I'm looking at you, Danevang). The weather forecast for this weekend is not looking great for us either, but I'm hoping it won't rain on us. The gins are running, and the cotton they've gotten in has been going through so far. The big thing we need to watch for is making sure the lint and the seed are dry before picking (lint at 8% and seed below 12%). The wet seed sitting in a module could cause us issues down the road, as wet lint and seed can continue to degrade while sitting in a module. Cotton Incorporated developed an article on picker harvest recommendations that includes a section on timing a moisture considerations here. The southeastern U.S. dealt with a similar situation last year, take a look at those articles: Cotton Quality Affected by Late Rainfall and Seed Sprouting Observed. I know it looks bad in some places, but we really won't know for sure what everything will look like until we get it out and to the gins. Very little of the rained on cotton has been ginned and classed, so we have very little information on that for this year. To my knowledge, the seed quality and lint quality has been pretty good so far, given the situation.
  If you are looking at defoliating, or defoliating regrowth (again), recent harvest aid trials show bot Folex (6-8 oz/acre) and Ginstar (3-4 oz/acre) in combination with 1.6- 2.4 oz/acre Dropp have provided good control of young vegetative regrowth, but are less effective on mature leaves. The PPO products will work well on small regrowth and provide some drying down. Paraquat is the lest effective option for removing small regrowth, but is still an effective option for desiccating cotton prior to harvest.
  Gaylon Morgan's Row Crops Newsletter covers some of the information here as well as others, check it out here.

White-tipped black
Photo: Kate Harrell

  I've gotten several questions about the white-tipped black lately. This moth is out in abundance currently. The larvae feed on several plants, including Joseph's coat, snow bush, white sapote, snow on the mountain, Tahitian gooseberry tree, and foliage flower. The caterpillars are a colorful black and yellow inchworm with a distinct orange head, and the adults are a black moth with an orange head and thorax, and distinct white tipped wings. They are active during the day, and are often abundant in this area.

  As always, let me know if you have questions, and don't hesitate to stop by the office or give us a call. Have a good weekend, and I hope the cotton dries out.

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell

White-tipped black
Photo: Kate Harrell

White-tipped black caterpillar
Photo: Karen Anthonisen Finch
bugguide.net

Defoliation Trial

Cotton Update

Sprouted Cotton in Wharton County on August 19
Photo: Kate Harrell

Sprouted Cotton Drying Down in Wharton County on August 23
Photo: Kate Harrell

   Most of the cotton still in the fields in Wharton, Jackson and Matagorda counties has gotten to look like the above pictures. I know many of you have been concerned about what will happen with ginning if we can get it picked. I am hoping that as long as this stuff dries down the seed coat will harden, cotyledons will wither and fall off, and we will not have too much trouble ginning. Hill county was having similar problems with their cotton, and instead of a defoliation trial, they were able to borrow a table-top gin and run some of the samples. The table-top gin has no lint cleaners and no heat, so in theory this would be a worst case scenario.

  Dr. Gaylon Morgan shared this information with the pictures below. "The central Blacklands has been fortunate to have some drying weather that desiccated the germinating cotyledons fairly quickly. So, I realize the Upper Gulf Coast has not been as fortunate and problems will likely be worse than the Blacklands. However, seeing some pictures of how bad looking cotton on the plant may not turn out to be as bad as one may think, once ginned. I am not trying to downplay the situation, because it is serious for those affected and every dollar is important. There is no doubt that seed quality and money has been lost and some lint staining that will cause some discounts. We will just have to wait and see what the extent of damage actually is moving forward."

Seed After Ginning in Hill County
Photo: Zach Davis and Ryan Janek

Seed After Ginning in Hill County
Photo: Zach Davis and Ryan Janek

Cotton Before Ginning in Hill County
Photo: Zach Davis and Ryan Janek

Cotton After Ginning in Hill County
Photo: Zach Davis and Ryan Janek

Cotton Before Ginning in Hill County
Photo: Zach Davis and Ryan Janek

Cotton After Ginning in Hill County
Photo: Zach Davis and Ryan Janek

Cotton Before Ginning in Hill County
Photo: Zach Davis and Ryan Janek

Cotton After Ginning in Hill County
Photo: Zach Davis and Ryan Janek

  I hope this information and the pictures put some of your minds more at ease. I realize this is very little, but I will let you know when we learn more about this. If you have questions, feel free to contact us at the Wharton County office.

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell

Mosquitos

Psorophora sp. - Not a species that transmits Zika, but a big mosquito with an unpleasant bite
Photo: Kate Harrell

  There are a bunch of mosquitos out with all the rain we've gotten. Concern about the Zika virus has risen with the concern about mosquito populations. This disease holds the greatest risk for women in the first trimester of pregnancy. Contracting Zika during this time greatly increases the chance of a child developing microcephaly, a condition where the fetal brain and head do not develop completely and do not reach the proper size. In adults, the known effects of Zika have been relatively mild. Only one in five people will feel sick when it is contracted, and they will typically develop mild symptoms that include a fever, joint pain, red itchy eyes, an a rash. Symptoms arise two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. So far, there is no vaccine available for the virus. This means that the best way at preventing the spread of the virus is by controlling the mosquitos and avoiding getting bitten.

Aedes albopictus by Dr. Mike Merchant 

  Two species of mosquitos are capable of carrying the virus, the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes agypti) and the asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). Both of these mosquitos can be found in most parts of the US, and Texas has both of these mosquitos. With the recent rain, mosquito populations are on the rise. These particular mosquito species are active throughout the day and into the evening, and will preferentially feed on humans. They can breed in very little water, and can reproduce quickly. Our first line of defense against this disease is remembering the "Four Ds".

— Drain: Empty standing water, thus eliminating mosquito breeding sites.

— Dress: Put on long sleeved shirts and pants when going outside.

— Defend: Apply mosquito repellent when going outside.

— Dusk and Dawn: Avoid outdoor activity during these two most mosquito-active periods.

  Dr. Sonja Swiger, our Agrilife extension entomologist at Stephenville states "Using products containing DEET, picaridin, oil of Lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535, as active ingredients provide reasonably long-lasting protection from mosquito bites." Be sure to read and follow the label for any product you use. 

  Zika can also be transmitted sexually from men to  women in certain circumstances. The US Centers for Disease Control recently recommended that women with confirmed cases of Zika, or who have experienced symptoms of the virus, wait at least eight weeks after the start of their symptoms before tying to get pregnant. Also, men with confirmed cases of Zika, or who have experienced symptoms of the virus, are advised to wait at least six months after their symptoms began before having unprotected sex. This recommendation is based on how long the virus remains active in the body and in semen.

Mosquito dunk in a flooded yard
Photo: Kate Harrell

  Mosquito control can often begin with cultural management options, rather than chemical options. Emptying pet's water dishes, flower pots, and anything else that can hold water will limit their breeding ground and help reduce populations. Most mosquitos need only a small amount of standing water to reproduce. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus both frequently lay eggs in artificial containers and fly very short distances (100-300 yards) once they emerge from the pools they were laid in as eggs. Tires are a common breeding ground for mosquitos. They are difficult to dump standing water out of, and will often hold water for extended periods of time. If you have standing water that you cannot dump out regularly, consider purchasing some mosquito dunks. These floating donuts contain BTI, a bacteria toxic specifically to mosquitos. This means the water is non toxic to other animals, so is still safe if a pet drinks from the standing water. 

  For more information on the virus, mosquitos, or any related concerns check out these websites:

preventingzika.org

agrilife.org/livestockvetento

texasinsects.org/zika-virus

For further questions, don't hesitate to call me at the Wharton extension office, or to contact Dr. Sonja Swiger or Dr. Mike Merchant.

Dr. Swiger:     slswiger@ag.tamu.edu

                       (254)968-4144

Dr. Merchant: m-merchant@tamu.edu

                       (972)952-9204

Have a good weekend everyone!

Sincerely,

Kate Harrell