August: Look out for Destructive Critters!

In August we’ve finished most succession planting and we have a while to wait for fall planting perennials and woody plants. Our seasonal vegetable, herb, and flower plantings are still producing, but critters may be taking a significant toll! Taking time to learn more about friends and foes can help you sustain your plants and avoid pest problems in the future.

Insect foes. As summer progresses you may recognize pests on many plants in your
landscape—not only your vegetable crops and annuals, but other plantings such as shrubs and trees.

Furry pests. Another source of significant damage to crops and landscapes are wildlife such as deer, ground hogs, and rabbits. Although it can seem overwhelming, there are strategies for managing wildlife—see some resources, below.

Beneficials. Take care to identify critters you see on or around your plants before you take any action to remove them!

• Many are friends, not foes, yet may look like undesirables.
• We know that many plants depend on pollinators to produce flowers and fruit—as described in the North Carolina Pollinator Identification Guide, these include bees, ants, and wasps; butterflies and moths; beetles; flies; and birds.
• Another helpful group are those that prey on pests, some are discussed in a Blog post on this site: Beneficial Insects: Attract the Good, the Voracious, and the Ugly in Your Garden.

You may also find that you need to tolerate some damage to support beneficials, for example, the chomping caterpillars of pollinators do to turn into butterflies!

New invaders to watch for now! At least two major imported invaders are likely to show up soon in WNC landscapes. The yellow-legged hornet and the spotted lanternfly are invasive pests that are working their way to us and represent a threat to bees and crops (grapes, fruit trees, hardwood trees), respectively. Learn how to identify these and if you see these here in Buncombe County, please take time to take photos if possible and report them using them using the links in the information below.

Pollinator Census opportunity! If you are interested in learning more about pollinators, consider signing up for the Buncombe County Pollinator Census event at The Learning Garden on August 21st.

Article by Debbie Green, Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer

For more information:

Invasive Insect Pests:
Yellow-legged hornet—NC Department of Agriculture
Spotted lanternfly Resources—NCSU

Vegetable pests:
Insect Management on fruiting Vegetables in NC

Deer, ground hog, and rabbit damage management:
Management Strategies to Minimize Deer Damage in the Landscape, by Lucy Bradley
Groundhogs, by Jim Hamilton
Rabbits in the Landscape, by Isaac Wyatt

Critter ID:
NCWF—Pollinator ID Guide

North Carolina’s Very Hungry Caterpillars, by Justin Moore

Beneficial Insects: Vegetables & Cut Flowers, by Debbie Roos

The Garden Detective: What Are Those Webs in My Trees? by Barbara Hayes