There are actually three different moth species called winter moths in the U.S. In addition to our invasive Operophtera, there are also the native Bruce spanworms (O. bruceata) and linden loopers (Erannis tilaria). These native species feed on deciduous hardwoods.​

Those buds provide her babies with plenty of food, but that’s bad news for the tree. After burrowing into and feeding on new buds, winter moth caterpillars start feeding on leaves. When they get big enough, they spin silk strands in ‘balloons’ that carry them to neighboring trees. Caterpillars continue eating leaves until mid-spring when they abandon their tree and enter the soil where they will pupate. In late autumn and early winter, adult moths emerge, and the cycle continues.

Anyway, sharp-nosed leafhoppers (Scaphytopius magdalensis, also known as Platymetopius magdalensis) are invasive pests found throughout the U.S. They feed on cranberry, huckleberry, and other members of the heath family (Ericaceae), as well as soybeans, potatoes, willows, and grasses. This feeding doesn’t cause much in the way of damage besides stippling, but these pests are also vectors for blueberry stunt disease, soybean bud proliferation, and western X-disease.

Sharp-nosed leafhopper identification

Sharp-nosed leafhoppers are small, brown, and quick. They are narrow and less than one-quarter of an inch long. Like other leafhoppers, they tend to hide until disturbed, then they leap to safety. Very often, leaf stippling and this sudden leaping are the only clues that leafhoppers have arrived. If you catch one on a yellow sticky sheet, you can see that they are brown with white markings on both body and wings. And they have pointy, anvil-shaped heads. Nymphs are off-white with dark, hourglass-shaped wingpads.

Sharp-nosed leafhopper lifecycle

Eggs are laid in leaf tissue, where they overwinter. A second generation is started in mid-summer. Wingless nymphs tend to emerge just as blueberry buds are beginning to open. Sharp-nosed leafhopper nymphs go through five instars before reaching adulthood.

Sharp-nosed leafhopper management

Sharp-nosed leafhopper feeding isn’t particularly damaging. The leaf stippling they cause can slow photosynthesis, but leaf stippling can also be caused by aphids, spider mites, thrips, and other pests, so it’s important to look closely and try to catch a specimen if you can. The real problem is the diseases these pests can spread as they feed. Yellow sticky sheets are the best way to monitor for sharp-nosed leafhoppers. If they become a problem, you may have to apply insecticidal soap.

Both lowbush (Vaccinium angustifolium) and highbush blueberries (V. corymbosum) are susceptible to the blueberry shoestring virus.

Blueberry shoestring virus symptoms

The leaves and stems of a plant infected with the blueberry shoestring virus are red and deformed. Young stems may show red streaking and leaves become significantly thinner than normal, hence the name. Ultimately, leaves become crescent-shaped and fruit production is all but eliminated.

Other symptoms of blueberry shoestring virus include an oak-leaf pattern of red surrounding leaf veins, flowers of infected plants tend to be pinkish-purple, rather than white, and discolored berries do not turn blue.

Blueberry shoestring virus lifecycle

The blueberry shoestring virus may take up to 4 years to start expressing itself. This allows the disease to spread silently as aphid vectors move from plant to plant, feeding and infecting. Since this disease is spread by aphids, monitoring for and controlling these pests is the best way to keep your blueberry plants healthy.

Infected aphids spread the disease as they feed. They also lay eggs at the base of blueberry buds where they overwinter. As spring temperatures begin to rise, the eggs hatch, and a new generation of infected aphids continues the problem. These eggs tend to hatch when temperatures reach 38°F, so that’s when you need to start treating blueberry plants for aphids.

Blueberry shoestring virus management

Natural predators, such as ladybugs, especially seven-spotted lady beetles, and parasitic wasps provide significant protection against aphid-borne diseases, so avoid using broad-spectrum pesticides. Also, starting with certified pest- and disease-free plants is always a good idea. Infected plants should be bagged and removed immediately. There is no cure for the blueberry shoestring virus.

To protect your plants against the blueberry shoestring virus, do your best to keep aphids under control.

If the tips of your blueberry stems suddenly start wilting, it’s probably blueberry tip borers. Blueberry tip borers (Hendecaneura shawiana) are the larvae of moths. These are not the same thing as blueberry stem borers (Oberea myops), which are a type of beetle.

Blueberry tip borer description

I couldn’t find photos that I could use, but these mottled brown moths look like they have a white saddle and their antennae tend to be long and thin. If you get your hands on one, you may be able to see that they have orange marks near the tips of their wings and a one-half-inch wingspan. The larvae are somewhat yellowish and the eggs are translucent.

Blueberry tip borer lifecycle

Eggs are laid on the underside of leaves. Once they hatch, larvae burrow into canes, usually within half an inch from the tip of the shoot. These larvae feed all summer while inside the plant and then overwinter in their protected space, before pupating in spring.

Managing blueberry tip borers

If new shoots suddenly start wilting, take a closer look. You may be able to see tiny pinhole entries. Tunneling and feeding by blueberry tip borers result in stem wilting and leaf browning, especially around leaf edges.

If you suspect blueberry tip borers, remove an affected shoot and cut it open lengthwise. If you see borer larvae, it’s a good idea to prune out any infested shoots. If you can catch the larvae between hatching and boring, you can apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Once inside a plant, these pests are pretty safe from whatever you might want to spray.

Like most other blueberry pests and diseases, this one is still mostly found on the East Coast. As more people around the world start growing blueberry varieties that need fewer chill hours, those problems will also spread, so be forewarned.

Blueberry stunt disease comes to your garden through sharp-nosed leafhoppers infected with a phytoplasma. Phytoplasmas are cell parasites.

Blueberry leaf mottle, affectionately known as BLMV, is a Nepovirus. Nepoviruses are transmitted by nematodes most of the time. Not this one. [I couldn't find a usable photo of blueberry leaf mottle, but this image is close.]

Unfortunately, this disease is spread by honey bees as they collect pollen. It can also be seed-borne, though this is rare. As far as I could learn, blueberry leaf mottle is currently only found in Michigan, Canada, and South Korea. Of course, things can change in a single day. Case in point, this virus has decided that blueberries are no longer their only host. Grapes ​are now on the menu.

Blueberry leaf mottle symptoms

True to its name, leaf mottling is the primary symptom of blueberry leaf mottle. Infected leaves are often lighter in color and smaller than healthy leaves and might be puckered or otherwise deformed. Stunting and dieback may also occur. Infected grapevines exhibit delayed budbreak, elongated fruits, and sparse fruit clusters.

How to manage blueberry leaf mottle

The kicker about this disease is that symptoms don’t appear until three or four years after the plant is infected. And there are no known treatments. So prevention is your only option. To prevent blueberry leaf mottle in your garden, buy certified disease-free rootstock. Infected plants must be removed and thrown in the garbage.

I hope your blueberry bushes stay healthy and productive.

You may not be able to see blueberry bud mites, but they can be devastating to your blueberry and huckleberry plants.

Commercial growers apply miticides directly after harvesting when blueberry bud mites are detected. Once buds have formed completely, the mites are safe from chemical treatments. Many of the miticides used against blueberry bud mites are not available to home growers. Those that are available require careful timing. Other options include pruning infested shoots and tossing those shoots in the garbage. Predatory mites and predatory thrips provide a little protection, so avoid using broad-spectrum pesticides and plant a few insectaries near your blueberries.

Blueberry bud mites are currently only found east of the Rocky Mountains, but that can always change as more people grow blueberries and huckleberries on the West Coast.

plant-food.htmlUnlike gravity watering systems that use inverted bottles that drain into the soil, pot irrigation uses moisture tension to irrigate plants.

What is an irrigation pot?

Irrigation pots are unglazed clay jugs that have been buried in the soil with only the upper edges above the soil line and covered with a ceramic lid or plugged with a cork. Water can seep through these unglazed pots. If the soil is already wet, the water stays in the pot. If the soil is dry, plant roots and the soil pull water from the jug, providing a steady source of water. Over time, plant roots will grow toward and wrap around the irrigation pot.

History of irrigation pots

Irrigation pots or “ollas” have been used for thousands of years. Archeologists have found them around the world, from South America to China. I can imagine that carrying water every day was quite a chore. Being able to fill irrigation pots every few days instead of watering daily would be a big attraction. In fact, I wish I had heard about pot irrigation while I still had my raised beds! I would’ve put one pot right in the middle of each 4x6 bed and saved myself a lot of time and water.

​How to use ollas

Inexpensive unglazed ceramic jugs and pots are often available at yard sales and thrift stores. They can be a bit pricey in retail stores, but you have to ask yourself what your time and water are worth. You can also use standard ceramic planter pots. Simply plug the drainage hole with a cork and use the saucer as a lid. If you want to, you could create a system of connected ollas. But that’s beyond this post.

Ollas can be filled every few days, depending on the weather and the size of your irrigation pot. Put simply, bigger pots need to be filled less often, will water larger areas, and take up more space. Generally speaking, a 3-gallon pot will water a three-foot diameter area for 3 to 7 days. In 2013, Ecology Action used five 5-gallon ollas for a 100-square-foot garden plot. Their ollas had caps that reduce evaporation and collect rain.

The important thing to keep in mind when using ollas is that they water the subsoil. Seeds and new transplants will need extra water at the surface to get established. Also, plants should be installed at least one foot away from the olla to keep young roots out of the heavily saturated soil.

Benefits of pot irrigation

Pot irrigation is said to conserve 50% to 70% of your irrigation water. That’s a lot of water! Watering from the soil also significantly reduces fungal diseases and you don’t have to mess with the garden hose as often. You can also add fertilizer to your olla, allowing plant roots to absorb those nutrients at a gentle pace while preventing up to 66% nutrient loss due to evaporation and inaccessibility. Finally, clay pots are earth-friendly. There are no plastics or chemicals to leach into your soil or food supply. You may have to monitor for slugs, however.

Crazy ant lifecycle

Crazy ants are not as well-organized as other ant species. Instead of building nests, they live in piles of plant debris, tree cavities, under rocks, and in electrical equipment. Very often, as temperatures drop, these pests move indoors and into your stereo. Instead of a single queen lording over her countless minions, crazy ant colonies tend to be small with several queens. As many as 20 queens may be hiding under a rock. And these single colonies network with neighbors. A single collection of a few hundred crazy ants can quickly become a “supercolony” of hundreds of millions of ants.

These crazy ants search far and wide for food. They do it quickly, and they eat pretty much anything: living or dead insects, nectar, honeydew, seeds, plants, grease, and sugar are just a few of the snacks these pests will bring home for the colony.

Crazy ant control

First found only in southern states, these pests have moved northward to Massachusetts and west to California and Hawaii. Controlling crazy ants is difficult because of their networked colonies. Standard ant baits and over-the-counter pesticides do not work against crazy ants.

If your house, garden, or vehicle are infested with crazy ants, call a professional exterminator. In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency authorized the use of fipronil against these pests. Unfortunately, fipronil is considered one of the worst causes of colony collapse disorder in honey bees. It’s best to leave those treatments to the pros.

Stump stabbers may look dangerous but these beneficial insects lay their eggs in pests.

Asian giant hornet lifecycle

Asian giant hornets are most commonly found in forests and hilly areas. They feed on large insects, tree sap, and honey bees. Mostly honey bees. A group of Asian giant hornets can kill an entire colony of honey bees in just a few hours. Your average honey bee colony contains tens of thousands of bees.

Asian giant hornets use vision, sound, and chemicals to communicate. They are the only hornets that use scent markers to guide the colony to food sources. Sadly, honey bees are their most common food source. But a single hornet cannot attack a honey bee hive. The bees will surround the hornet and use their wings to generate so much heat and carbon dioxide that it kills the hornet. In most cases, however, these hornets attack hives in concert.

They build their nests in tree cavities, around rotting tree roots, and in rodent and snake holes. These holes can be 6” to 24” deep. The comb is formed into towers that can be 18” tall and wide. Old towers are abandoned and left to rot, and new towers are built alongside the old ones.

Reproduction and castes are similar to honey bees, except that Asian giant hornet hives may contain dozens or even hundreds of queens. The highest-ranked queen gets first dibs on any available sap, followed in ranking order by other queens. Drones provide semen and workers collect food. They also fiercely protect whatever they consider theirs.

Mated queens go in search of new nesting sites in mid-spring. Once a site is found, she creates a small hive where she will lay 40 or so worker eggs. These workers emerge in mid-summer. By this time, the hive is likely to have 500 cells and 100 workers. This is when unmated queens disappear. By the end of summer, cells are filled with eggs. When the eggs hatch, Asian giant hornet larvae tells their caregivers it’s dinner time by scraping their mandible against cell walls. When they have eaten their fill, they spin cocoons around themselves.

So many people and steps were involved with something that used to grow freely in my yard. This is true of every food we eat that we do not grow at home. And I am grateful to all those people.

Have I planted cilantro seeds in a pot on my balcony? I have. But that isn’t always an option.

I cut open the last Valencia orange from my California home to use while cooking some black beans a couple of nights ago. I had to take a bite. It was so sweet and delicious! It made me a little sad to have left so much behind. Will a store-bought orange ever taste so good? It will certainly never be as fresh.

Can I grow oranges in my Seattle apartment? I don’t know yet. But I will find out. And I will love being closer to my children and grandchildren as I learn.