University of Illinois Extension

Events (3)

Macon County Carolyn Mason Education Day: Out Your Back Door

8:30 AM - Noon

Sat, 04/17/2021 - 12:00

Macon County Extension Office, 3351 North President Howard Brown Blvd, Decatur, IL 62521

Wooden fence and door with outside scenery cartoon

What’s That Bug? How to Identify Insects | Four Seasons Gardening Webinars

1:30-2:30PM CT

Tue, 04/27/2021 - 12:00

Online

Text "What's the bug how to identify insects" over green background and closeup image of bee

Growing Great Tomatoes

10 - 11:00 AM

Wed, 05/05/2021 - 12:00

Online

cjmmGrowingGreatTomatoes

Blog Posts (59)

Forsythia in Spring

Forsythia is currently blooming across central Illinois with clusters of bright yellow flowers creating a dramatic display.

Protect apple foliage and fruit with a spray schedule

close up of red apples on a tree

Don’t lose your crabapple and apple foliage

apple blossoms

Have outdoor insects survived the cold and snow?

snow-covered plant debris

How to create butterfly habitat in your garden

Gray hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus) feeding on a Coreopsis flower. Flower has bright yellow petals with a dark red center

How to handle household pests

Box Elder bugs on wood siding

Spring Garden Cleanup

Standing dead stems are important overwintering habitat that should not be removed from the garden until insects emerge later in spring.

Manage pests and disease in home orchards

Get a gardening fix this winter with houseplant care

Unwanted Winter Houseguests

The brown marmorated stink bug is an increasingly detrimental pest on wide range of agricultural crops that commonly seeks shelter in our homes over winter. Photo credit – Kelly Allsup, Illinois Extension

Stop signs for home landscaping

sphynx moth

Fall finds: praying mantis egg cases

the foamy-looking egg case of a chinese mantis clings to a cluster of twigs

Insects inside the home this fall

Ants and the Partridge Pea

Hackberry Gall

Purple Martins

Emerald Ash Borer and Other Species Eliminating Pests or Pathogens

Spotted Wing Drosophila

Organic Pest Control

Cabbageworms

Winter Impacts to Insects

Asian Lady Beetles

Bacterial Leaf Scorch in Oaks

This pin oak tree tested positive for bacterial leaf scorch and displays the most distinctive symptoms characterized by brown leaf margins, a colorful band and green tissue along leaf veins.

It's big, but it's not a murder hornet: How to identify large wasps

picture of a European hornet on a leaf, a cicada killer on a leaf, and a baldfaced hornet on flowers

How plants and pests begin preparing for fall

Cover Crops for Home Gardening

This bumble bee dangles from a flower of crimson clover, which is an attractive and valuable soil-building cover crop that can be easily hand-seeded into vegetable garden beds.

Late summer questions to the Master Gardeners

At-Home Science for Kids: Raising butterflies and more!

monarch butterfly resting on a finger

Hornworm caterpillars on tomatoes

a large tobacco hornworm feeding on a tomato leaf

Tomato Care

Tomatoes are one of the most planted garden crops in the US, with several common problems here in central Illinois that can be managed through fairly simple cultural practices.

The gall of insects (tree bumps and lumps)

Virtual Field Days Coming to a Screen Near You

mobile phone screen with an image of a corn and soybean field and a person in the field saying "hello"

Top 5 early summer topics for gardeners

Japanese Beetle Emergence

Japanese beetles emerge each June to feed on a variety of host plants, like this rose.

Controlling Spotted-Wing Drosophila

Ladybug, Ladybug

a pink spotted lady beetle on a strawberry flower

My Mole Hills have Turned into Mountains

mole peeking head out of soil

Home Horticultural Remedies

Home Horticultural Remedies

Commercial Ag Webinar Series

agriculture

Trouble(s) with Cucurbits

squash bug nymphs feeding on pumpkin vines

Trouble(s) with Tomatoes

a green tobacco hornworm on a tomato stem

Jumping Worms Update

Training your Apple Tree

apples in tree

Gardening in January: Outside & Inside

plant on window ledge, snow outside window

What are Those Bugs in My Flour? – Pantry Pests

A bowl of white flour in a glass bowl on a wooden counter

Preventing Uninvited Guests (a.k.a. Pantry Pests)

Fall House Guests

Boxelder bugs congregating on the outside of a home

Enjoying the final hurrahs of a staple landscape tree

sunshine through ash tree leaves

Fall Webworms

fall webworm webbing on tree branch with caterpillars inside

Hover Flies may Look Like Bees but are Beneficial Flies

Syrphid Flies: Annoying but Helpful Impostors

Black and yellow syrphid flies feeding on rose

Galls Abound All Around

Lady Beetle Invasion

beetles dead on window sill

Squash bugs

squash bugs

Living with Japanese Beetles

japanese beetle

Blossom End Rot

Common Tomato Diseases

tomato plant

Welcome Beneficial Guests with an Insect Hotel

Mosquito and Tick Season is Upon Us

mosquito on a human arm

News Releases (19)

Keep an eye out for jumping worms this gardening season

It's wild out there! Learn about nature at Master Naturalist education day

Get rid of weeds and insects at home without pesticides

Grow your green thumb this spring with free online gardening classes

Birds, bees need growers' help to keep pollinating

Preventing fruit tree diseases starts in the dormant season

It's big, but it's not a murder hornet: How to identify large wasps

Prevent oak wilt from damaging your trees

Don't get bugged; eliminate mosquito breeding habitats

Protect your plants from Japanese beetles

Cicadas begin to emerge early in cycle

Learn to manage pests and diseases in the home landscape

Get answers to pressing commercial ag questions

Familiar tale: Victims of emerald ash borer and other exotic pests

Practical community management practices for ticks and mosquitoes

Oak Pests and Diseases Workshop

Fall House Guests

Insect monitoring in soybeans: What to look for during pod fill

Extension to Host Weed and Pest Management Webinar

Staff (5)

Christopher Enroth

Christopher Enroth

Horticulture Extension Educator

Doug Gucker staff photo

Douglas B. Gucker

Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator

Richard Hentschel

Richard Hentschel

Horticulture Educator

Sarah Hughson

Sarah Hughson

Extension Specialist, Entomology

Ken Johnson Staff Photo

Ken Johnson

Extension Educator, Horticulture