Rabbits

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The rabbits will soon be munching in the garden.

I participated in a PA Forestry Web Seminar “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”. led by Gary S San Julian, Wildlife Specialist and Linda Wiles Extension Educator, Penn state University. An overview of garden pests included bears, geese, voles, raccoons, skunks, squirrels and many more.

Here are a few things I learned about rabbits.

Rabbits cut foliage with their sharp incisors making knife-like slanted cuts. Deer browse and tear. You can tell the difference between rabbit damage and deer damage by looking at the cuts on young plants and shrubs.

Rabbits only live about 12 to 15 months. But, they reproduce like, well, rabbits. (I guess I knew that part.) Each year a rabbit may have six litters with about 5 or 6 young each.

Rabbits usually don’t eat cucumbers, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, corn, and some types of peppers.

Fencing is still the best method to keep rabbits out of the garden. I’ll be using cayenne pepper again this year. I am determined to be vigilant.

A rabbit’s tail is called a scut. (Just kidding. I learned that in a crossword puzzle.)

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(Wildlife Damage Control publication “Cottontail Rabbits”.)

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IPM – Part 1

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Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Man at the market: "My wife asked me to buy ORGANIC vegetables. Have these been sprayed with any poisonous chemicals?" - "No," replied the gardener, "you'll have to do that yourself." Anon.

I sat in on an IPM class at Lehigh County Extension this week. I came away determined to better understand IPM use in a home garden. It turned into a major project. I’ll try to follow my steps on this and subsequent posts. I hope I don’t cause you to doze off or run screaming from your monitor.

Integrated Pest Management definition: A scientific approach to effectively manage pests while minimizing negative effects on the environment.

“IPM for the Home Garden” by Karen Delahaut, Integrated Pest Management Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison explains it better than I ever could.

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Possible slug damage on Rudbeckia.

(The basic management methods for IPM including plant selection, maintenance, etc. are listed in my IPM post of December 7, 2007 and are a very important part of Integrated Pest Management.)

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IPM is a decision making process. The steps: 1) Properly identify the pest and it’s life cycle. 2) Monitor the pests’ presence, locations and abundance. 3) Establish a limit to the amount of pests you can tolerate. 4) Decide on a plan of action (or non-action).

I’ll try to follow the Japanese beetle through the IPM process.

IDENTIFICATION.

Most gardeners recognize the hard-shelled, iridescent beetle and it’s destruction on trees, vines, roses, canna and other ornamental plants. That’s the simple part and the reason I chose Japanese beetle. Some pests are not so easy to recognize. And Japanese beetles give most gardeners fits in my area. So . . . check off identification.

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Japanese beetle on bean leaf.

PRESENCE, LOCATION, ABUNDANCE and TOLERANCE:

In 2007, Japanese beetles overran my garden. The last two years populations have been much less. How many beetles are too many? For some gardeners the answer is one. Others will put up with a few. Some will gardeners tolerate a chewing mob of beetles and just ignore them.

LIFE CYCLE.

I’ll begin a year-long life span of the Japanese beetle when they are seen happily chewing away on a plant. The female leaves the plant from time to time and burrows into the soil to lay eggs. The eggs hatch in midsummer and the grubs begin to feed on roots. They remain in the soil becoming inactive going deeper in cold weather. They move toward the surface again in early spring. In warmer weather they turn into pupae and adults emerge to start the cycle over.

THE OPTIONS

Japanese beetles are difficult to kill in the adult stage. Pheromone traps that have been developed confuse breeding beetles but tend to eliminate only about 50% or 60% of the population. Traps actually attract more beetles to the garden. There are sprays that may kill the beetles. I have not heard many good reports of the effectiveness of sprays.

Hand picking into a bucket of soapy water every morning when they are slow to move is an excellent non-chemical solution but it may not be an option for every gardener. This may be the best practice if there is a low count or if the gardener has a high tolerance for large populations.

There are options that are effective in the larval stage. Here timing is important. Grubs need to be near the surface which usually happens in June or July here in zone 6. We can tell when there are grubs near the surface in our yard. When the skunks forage for grubs at night, they leave round shallow holes in the grass. This is a sure sign that grubs are near the surface. Lifting a small clump of sod will also unearth some grubs.

I am trying to keep an open mind. I’ll look at the options in the next blog. Are we having fun yet?

In the meantime, here are two publications recommended by Lyn Garling, Program Manager PA IPM, Penn State University “Welcome to IPM” and the ”Extension Toxicology Network”.

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(Comments, arguments, corrections welcome.)

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