FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF APRIL 15, 2001:
I'm going to buy some green lacewing eggs and would like to know what I should do to enhance the survival of green lacewings in my garden.
Good foresight! says Ed Bechinski, University of Idaho extension integrated pest management specialist. Green lacewing larvae will scarf up plenty of aphids and any other small, soft-bodied insects they can physically overcome. But they need a little bit of help from us to do it.
Many of our gardens are already visited by naturally occurring populations of green lacewings, Bechinski says. "If you want to see one, just turn on your back porch light in the middle of July and the green, lacey-winged adults will fly to the light." Keep your natural populations happy by providing them with a season-long succession of long-blooming, small-flowered plants. Members of the daisy and mint families are favorites. Small-flowered varieties are literally a better fit for green lacewings, Bechinski says: the insect can retrieve nectar more easily from them.
Native varieties of these plants are likely to be a real hit—and really hit on—by your green lacewings. "If you're trying to encourage the native lacewings that we already have, then it makes sense that native plants would be better because the insects already have a history of association with them," Bechinski says.
If you decide to supplement your native populations with purchased eggs, get a mixture. "Our commercially available lacewings are not all created equal," Bechinski says. "Carnea are said to prefer low-growing shrubs while Rufilabris are said to prefer shrubs and trees—but the research is pretty shaky and many experts don't always know which species they're selling."
Sprinkle the eggs on aphid-infested foliage because the meat-eating lacewing larvae will have a bad case of the munchies from the moment they hatch—and they'll be hatched and hungry within a week. Don't put all your eggs in one section of the garden; spread the risk of losing them to predators by spreading them around your landscape. And, if you can avoid it, don't expose the eggs to relentless sun; shady areas protect the eggs from drying out before they can do you any good.
My spinach leaves have narrow, winding trails or blotches in them. What's causing this?
Serpentine tunnels and blister-like blotches on spinach leaves are often caused by spinach leafminers, says Bob Stoltz, University of Idaho extension entomologist. The adult flies—which look like narrow, grayish-green houseflies—lay four to five white eggs under leaves in spring. The eggs, grouped like "little straight bratwursts," hatch between the layers of the spinach leaves and immediately begin their hither-and-thither feeding frenzy. If you break open one of their tunnels, you may be able to find a white or greenish, flat maggot.
"Most of the time, if you just pluck off the affected leaves or portions of leaves, the crop will be fine," says Stoltz. "Handpicking seems to go a long way towards keeping them out of the rest of your spinach crop or out of related crops like beets or Swiss chard." Finding the eggs and mashing them works, too.
If you're itching to spray something on them, Stoltz says the biological pest control neem "would be worth a try, because it's effective against some other leafminers."
Malathion and diazinon definitely work, if you apply them when you first begin to see the trails. If you're using diazinon, note the application-to-harvest interval to make sure you're not spraying your spinach too close to eating it.
My 12-year-old daughter has become obsessed with what she considers flaws in her appearance. Her self-confidence has really taken a nose-dive in the past six months. I realize that much of this is simply due to her age, but it's painful to watch. How can I help her get through this?
"It would be great if we could prevent this low self-esteem among teen-age girls, but in our society it's unfortunately very common," says Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho extension family development specialist. "Girls will be ebullient and confident until they're 11, 12 or 13, and then you'll see their self-esteem drop. The good news is that they grow out of it."
Adults who are comfortable with themselves and confident in their strengths can protect themselves against the daily wear-and-tear on self-esteem. But teenagers are still in the process of forming their identities. "If you're not quite sure who you are, it's very difficult to be self-confident," Shaklee says.
Parents can guide their daughters more swiftly through this stage by helping them identify activities that can bring them a great deal of pride. Despite her lack of confidence in her appearance, perhaps your daughter can focus on achieving success through school, babysitting, athletics or a volunteer activity, Shaklee says.
The same advice goes for sons, who tend to suffer a similar loss of confidence in their pre-teens if they're not interested in or skilled at athletics.
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