One reader shares his opinion along with a pertinent question:
One reader shares his opinion along with a pertinent question:
In all my 40 plus years in agriculture, I have never encountered an insect pest as detrimental to plants and humans as the little fire ant (LFA). When I was a grower in California, state AG authorities along with the U.C. Extension System never allowed the occasional fire ant out brake to take hold. Quick action always eliminated any wide spread infestations. To this day, California is fire ant free.
Sadly, the same cannot be said of the current “LFA” infestation on the Big Island. Government officials, for some inexplicable reason, chose to ignore the first Puna LFA siting in 1999 when the LFA could have been eradicated at a reasonable cost. Now, the LFA has been found on Oahu, Maui and Kauai. No amount of money or chemicals will ever make Hawaii LFA-free again.
One point of consolation: the LFA has little, if any, presence in West Big Island, so far!
I have an opportunity to relocate to West Hawaii … I have a dozen potted citrus trees I want to plant at the new location. In order to guarantee no LFAs are present in the plant soil, would an insecticidal soil rinse be advisable? I worry all the earthworms I cultivated in these pots will suffer. However, in a trade off, no LFAs and few earthworms is better than many earth worms along with the fire ants.
Are there any effective biological, IPM or genetic solutions for the LFA in the pipeline? Your thoughts on LFA control along with soil rinses would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for all the timely advice and data you publish in your newspaper column that helps make the Big Island a great place to live. — Respectfully, A. W. Keaau
I will use this opportunity to once again direct gardeners to a first-rate website, www.littlefireants.com, developed by Dr. Casper Vanderwoude, research manager of the Hawaii Ant Lab. Here, you will find in-depth information about this serious pest. Topics include frequently asked questions, projects, news, the latest research and most important, the control of this distressing pest.
For the specific question about treating container plants, two materials are recommended: Sevin, which contains the active ingredient carbaryl, and Talstar Select, with the active ingredient bifenthrin. Ants can nest and live in either the potting medium or the foliage of potted plants and sometimes both. Therefore, the entire plant needs to be treated.
My squash plants are finally blooming, but they fall off without giving any fruit. The vine is growing well and looks great. Will there be fruit eventually?
Not to worry. The first blooms to appear on squash plants, and others in their family, are male flowers and do not produce fruit. In time, female flowers will appear and give fruit — as long as the pickleworm doesn’t get them. Female flowers can be identified by a small knob resembling a miniature fruit at the base of the bloom, just below the petals. The stalk of the male flower is slender, producing no bulb.
Also, remember cucumbers, melons and squash do not cross-pollinate — a cucumber will not cross with a melon; a squash will not cross with a cucumber, etc. Within each species, however, cross pollination often occurs. A zucchini squash can pollinate a crookneck squash, and a Crenshaw melon can pollinate a Casaba melon. You can save the seeds from these crosses and get fruit that will be different from either parent.
Class Announcement
I will be teaching a class titled “General Care of Backyard Citrus and Avocado Trees.” The class is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, on the University of Hawaii at Hilo campus.
This half-day workshop will cover preparing the soil, planting the best varieties, pruning and fertilizing for citrus and avocado trees. Also included is basic information about diseases, insect problems and troubleshooting. Avocados are similar to citrus but have unique diseases and insect pests, flowering characteristics and propagation.
Call the UHH College of Continuing Education and Community Service at 974-7664 to register for the class.
There is a fee.
Hilo resident Nick Sakovich is a professor emeritus of the University of California. He has worked in the field of agriculture for 30 years. Email your questions to Sakovich at askthegarden guy@earthlink.net. You also can visit his website at www.gardenguyhawaii.com.