Japanese Beetles
Summer is here and with it comes the copper and green menace- The Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica Newman). According to the Agriculture Research Service, every year Japanese Beetles cost the ornamental plant industry over $450 million in damage.

They invade your yard from late june to mid-August and begin feeding. These _" long insects are easy to identify by their metallic green bodies and shiny copper wings. They feast on a wide variety of plants including their favorites roses, raspberries, hibiscus and more. Their diet includes over 350 plants and 79 plant families.

The adult beetles emerge every day over a several week period which can make them difficult to control. Beetles can be controlled with several different methods.

A) Hand-picking- This involves picking the beetles off of the plants and tossing them into soapy water to kill them. This method is effective but very time-consuming.

B) Spraying- Spray every 3-7 days with Sevin or Bonide Japanese Beetle Killer. These are available in trigger-sprays or in a hose-end spray for quick application and a quick kill. The method tends to be the most effective. Always follow label instructions.

C) Organic Sprays- Most organic sprays like Bonide Tomato and Vegetable or Bonide Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew, don't achieve an instant kill but they do stop the beetles from eating until they die a few days later. This is the safest method for edible plants.

D) Traps- This is by far the most controversial method of ridding your yard of Japanese Beetles. Traps are simply a bag attached to a lure that has food scents and pheromones that attract Japanese Beetles. They attract and catch lots of beetles but it is argued that the traps attract even more beetles and make the problem worse. Traps are best used as a group effort by a neighborhood or by hanging them on the perimeter of your property to keep them away from the home.

Earwigs
Earwigs are the brownish/black insects (about æ inch long) with pointed pincers on the rear of their abdomens. Earwigs' lifelong pursuit is to be active members of the insect cleanup crew of the garden. They chew up plant debris and turn it into humus. For this job, earwigs are considered a beneficial insect. You rarely see this insect out in the open, but rather under leaves, under low growing foliage plants or in a woodpile. Creating humus is part of the earwig "career" that is a positive thing for any garden.

However, they also have a liking for new tender foliage and this is what gets them into trouble with gardeners. When they eat tender foliage, they are considered a pest. Also, they can find homes along moist foundations or in the basement of your home.

There are a number of different earwig management techniques. Earwigs like dark, damp places in the yard, so keep the garden clean of debris. Earwigs around the home can be treated with an application of Ortho Home Defense. This will last 8-12 months and is safe to use inside the home as well. Follow label instructions.

We spend thousands of dollars on our lawns, and hundreds of hours of work to make them beautiful, but sometimes there just is no protection against a common lawn fungus, and it can take months to bring our lawns back from an attack. So be proactive; mow and water regularly, and learn to recognize the signs of a fungal attack so that applications of a fungicide can save your lawn and help your wallet.

Common fungus types are the following:

Fairy Ring: 
Bright green circular areas that appear to be growing more rapidly than the rest of your lawn are probably fairy rings, a fungus that often occurs after an extremely rainy period. If the fairy ring consists only of mushrooms or puffballs, with no stimulated grass growth, simply rake off and dispose of these fungal fruiting structures. If handling the mushrooms, wash your hands when done.

As serious injury to the turf does not occur often with fairy rings, the most practical method of dealing with them in lawns is through a cosmetic approach. Disguise the symptoms by providing adequate water deep into the root zone, and by applying moderate rates of fertilizers. This will increase the vigor of the surrounding grass to the level more like that of the grass in the fairy ring. Excessive application of water or fertilizer should be avoided as either may contribute to other turf diseases or stimulate fairy ring development. More frequent mowing may make the difference in height between the grass of the fairy ring and adjacent grass less conspicuous.

Dollar Spot:
That straw-colored spot the size of a silver dollar in your lawn is a fungus that thrives on dry, undernourished lawns. Appearing as small, white cobwebby spots in the morning that turn brown later in the day, Lawns under stress from not having been fed or watered enough are most susceptible to dollar spot. Maintaining a regular feeding program with a slow-release lawn fertilizer can help prevent the disease, and even help underfed lawns recover from it. Controlling thatch in the lawn can help, too.

Don't Spread It
Dollar spot can be spread easily by people walking on the grass or by hoses, lawnmowers, and other turf equipment. So if you find dollar spot on your lawn - or on the golf course - try not to walk across it. Also, if you use a mowing service, ask whether the company cleans the blades regularly. The disease can hitch a ride on dirty blades.

If Dollar Spot Persists apply a lawn fungicide like Scotts Lawn Fungus Control.

Pythium Blight:
This particular fungus presents as a blackened, water-soaked appearance of patches of grass in your lawn. During humid weather, you may also see a cottony growth also known as cottony blight or grease spot. Prevention is your best method of avoiding it; water your lawn in the early morning instead of the late evening.

Rhizoctonia blight:
Also called brown patch or summer patch, this is a fungus that kills circular patches of the grass up to 2 feet in diameter. It flourishes in warm temperatures, especially with damp conditions caused by thatch. Apply Scotts Lawn Fungus Control at the first sign of disease. To avoid reccurrence, remove underlying thatch with a rake or a dethatcher, avoid applying heavy doses of nitrogen fertilizers, and improve drainage.

This is by no means a complete list of lawn fungals, but the common themes of over-watered lawns, dry lawns, and poorly maintained lawns can lead to unwanted fungus. If you see what you think may be a problem, identify the condition, and treat accordingly. Our garden center experts are here to help you grow and maintain a beautiful and healthy lawn.