Garden Pests and Friends

Earlier this week, I found all the leaves of one of my angel trumpet completely gone. I knew right away that it was that little bastard grass hopper, I never could catch. As I wandered around looking at my other plants, I came across the culprits a pair amorous grasshoppers in the process of let's just say having a conjugal visit on my camellia bush. I think it must of been date night for them because to top the evening off they were listening to Barry White and having a good time. Needless to say this couple barely had enough time to finish their cigarettes before their untimely demise. In this area, these large grasshoppers spend the summer reeking havoc on my garden and laying their eggs. Once I went to see my county agriculture agent to see what to do about them because nothing I tried would kill them. His reply was the only way to kill them at that age is to smash them. This was good enough for me at that time but then the eggs hatch in early spring. This is the only time any good pesticide can kill them. When young they are black with a reddish yellow stripe down their back. Once you spray, all you Can do is pray you killed the little bastards. Raymond Zebra states in his article in the Florida Times Unions, "The adult eastern lubber grasshopper (Romalea microptera) is very resilient to chemicals and the only way to rid yourself of them is to smash them. It is best to address them when they first hatch or they will continue to reproduce year after year." I agree with his assessment and have found in the early spring poisons like Malathion or Diazonon are very effective. Usually after spraying, I cut the leaves they are on and put them in a plastic bag and discard them appropriately.

With the grasshopper it is very obvious they are around because it is easy to see the damage. Though, there are other pests that can do significant damage to a plant quicker if left unattended. Aphids and spider mites are so small you can barely see them. So you have to constantly stay on top of inspecting your plants and treating them immediately. Aphids are usually found on the underside of the leaves and slowly drink the nutrients out of the leaves. If you have ever noticed a plant with a black suety color on the leaves, it is a sure tell all that the plant is infested. Treating them with malathion or other pesticides usually will take care of all most pests. As for the black soot, simply spray the plants with soapy water and this will help clean the leaves. As for spider mites, the most damage they do is discolor the leaves. On camellias the leaves turn to a silver color and a good way to deal with them is spraying.

When working with poison, one has to be very careful and wear protective clothing and safety glasses. If you get a little on you, wash the area immediately. When finished, throw the clothes in the washer machine right away and shower. Exposure to most of the household poison can be serious but not bad unless you ingest it. As for other poisons, just getting it on your skin can be dangerous. One time, I bought an antique commercial powder spreader for decoration. When I got I home and unloaded it from the truck, a yellow powder poured out of it all over me. Yes, I got very sick and actually should of went to the hospital but being the stubborn man I am, I just layed down and slept for a couple of days. This piece of equipment came from an old farm house and I think it is safe to say it was DDT. I now understand why it was taken off the market. Fortunately I did not have any two headed babies.

The Department of Agriculture bans may of the good chemicals because of tree huggers who say they are getting people sick. Sometimes you trade off for the good of the plant or the people. I choose plants. I have found that when old people die and families have yard sales and you can always find some of better chemicals. yes they are banned for safety reasons, they sure work a lot better than the watered down alternative. Sometimes I think the Department of Ag do not think when they ban certain items. This year they decided to ban phosphates from fertilizer because people felt it was doing damage to the environment. What they did not think of is that the state of Florida is known for their Phosphate mines. Duh.

Call me a prude or a murderer but I'll stick with the poisons to keep up my beautiful yard. If people want to complain, keep their damn children out of my yard.

I've dealt with the pests and the mean time I have found some new friends. Besides the birds that frequently visit the yard, I have found this year I have been fortunately blessed by several new species of butterflies and moths. These are the kind of friends I like to have. Though on Saturday George discovered a couple of his own new friends, Hilary and Bernard gophor turtles. He is facinated by them. When he goes out, he runs to see if they are out and tries to play with them. On the otherhand, I have never seen a turtle flip someone off but they do that often now just to try to get rid of him. Being a good parent, I have not told him what that means, so he just keeps playing.

Of all the creatures I can call friend the most welcome is Ophelia. I met her Saturday while working in the yard. Ophelia is a black snake. When I first moved to Florida, I was terrified of snakes. I had a pair of black snakes that used to sleep right outside my back door. I had a hard time using that door until I started talking to the locals. They told me that if you have a black snake on your property, you will not have rattlesnakes. Apparantly they are territorial and do no like rattlesnakes. After this brief education, I was able to share my porch with them but found it is easier to accept them if they had names. I named them Frank and Julie (after a couple of people that reminded me of snakes) It is very safe to say she is my best friend.

With that, I'll leave you with this thought: we have good friends and bad friends but sometimes even a snake will make a wonderful friend moreso than people that may act similar to them.