The Emerald Ash Borer, as an adult, feeds on Ash tree foliage – not a big deal. The larvae, however, feed on the inner bark of the trees, which disrupts the ability of the tree to absorb nutrients and water, often killing the tree. This has caused many states to start campaigns advising residents and capers not to move firewood; such as these examples:

Midwest states are actively promoting these campaigns, and are also looking for ways to eliminate the beetle, which originally made it to the US, it is believed, on (or in) wooden crated shipments from Asia.

One of the ways that might be used to eliminate this Ash parasite is to import wasps from Asia.  Eek, you say?  Bringing an invasive species in to take care of another invasive species?  Seems to defeat the purpose… especially with something like a wasp! 

But here’s the kicker – these wasps are not even as large as a poppy seed, and they don’t have any stingers!  The way they can help control the wasps, though, is through their own reproduction – the wasps lay their eggs in the eggs of the Emerald Ash Borer – and the wasp larvae eat the Emeral Ash Borer larvae, stopping them before damage to the Ash trees occurs.

The wasps are only just being tested – about 1,500 wasps were released in Central Michigan.  Hopefully, the wasps will be able to hunt down and kill the Ash Borers and the test will be a success… and that the wasps won’t cause problems of their own!

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

What do you think? Is releasing another foreign insect a good idea to help control the first one, or is it just asking for trouble and new problems? Leave a comment and let us know how you feel about it!

If you’ve ever had the pleasure </sarcasm> of dealing with gnats, here’s a great way to get them under control:

First, eliminate the source – any soft (meaning rotten) fruit or vegetables will spawn an infestation of gnats.  Check your trash, and get rid of anything that might remotely attract them.  Old fruit, spots of honey or balsamic vinegar, etc.  I would even get rid of any stale bread… anything that any bug might find appetizing.

Next, find a tall, narrow glass (something you might drink iced tea or milk out of).  Put a little cider vinegar in it (enough to cover the bottom of the glass to about 1/4 of an inch deep or so). 

Now, put a few drops of detergent in it (dish soap will work fine for this part). 

Stir it up, and set a funnel on the top of the glass, narrow part down inside the glass.

Gnats will be attracted to the cider vinegar, and will crawl down the funnel into the glass.  Once there, they are unable to get back out and will ultimately end up in the vinegar.  The detergent holds them there once they land, and they ultimately “drown” in the vinegar.

I was pretty skeptical about this solution initially, but I thought I’d try it. Other than a little bit of vinegar smell wafting through the room sometimes, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked!  We set it up, left the house for a little while (maybe 30 minutes or so), and when we came back, there were gnats all over the glass – on the inside!  At least 50 of them, with many already dead in the vinegar!

I highly suggest using this tactic – it’s much better than buying a can of (ineffective) chemicals and leaving a coating of poisonous residue all over your house!

Enter Diatomaceous Earth. Sounds like dirt or dust, but in actuality is a fossil (another name for it is “Fossil Shell Flour”).  It’s made up of microscopic little shells of diatoms, a one-celled type of algae. 

These fossilized shells have tiny little points, which puncture an insect’s exoskeleton and dry them up, killing them.  In this way, Diatomaceous Earth is a mechanical insecticide, not a chemical one.  Because of this, insects cannot become immune or resistant to Diatomaceous Earth. On the downside, Diatomaceous Earth will kill all insects – even good ones – so it should be used carefully!

Diatomaceous Earth has little to no health effects to humans or pets as long as it has not been treated for use in such things as swimming pools – look for “Amorphous Freshwater Diatomaceous Earth” and a “silica-content” of less than 1.5% to ensure that it is safe to use on pets or around people or farm animals.

In fact, Diatomaceous Earth is used in some livestock feed to kill any bugs that might eat or ruin the feed before it can be fed to the animals.  Diatomaceous Earth is so safe, the livestock just eats it with the food!  It actually can kill worms or parasites that live inside animals as well as the pests that bother them on the outside!

For more information about Diatomaceous Earth, or to buy some to try yourself, click the following links:

Dirt Works
Internet-Grocer
Amazon.com – GreenSense
Freshwater Organics
Perma-Guard

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley