With all the media frenzy around this year’s upcoming cicada emergence, what can we really expect?  Let Extension help you separate fact from fiction. Why do they live so long? Cicada larva (or grubs) spend most of their life underground, feeding on tree roots.  Depending on the species, this can...

It’s that time of year again. In the fall, yellowjacket wasps (often mistaken for bees) have reached peak populations, becoming more noticeable as they hunt for food—often in garbage cans, hummingbird...

This time of year, garden insects are often a topic of questions or discussion. Plants and pests have grown up alongside each other, and now there may be a little too much feeding going on for your liking. It is also about now that the natural insect predators show up to take care of the damaging...

For more than 20 years, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) has been continually...

Last week, I wrote about what I feel is the most damaging fungal disease for apples and flowering crabapples – apple scab. These ...

Our Master Gardener help desk gets emails mid-summer when apple trees drop many of their leaves, except for the outer 12 inches or so. The same thing can happen to our ornamental ...

Outdoor insects have endured quite well, despite our hopes that either the cold or snow would have done them in for the 2021 gardening season. The cold is more of a factor than the snow. The snow will act as...

Now that our days are warming up, so are those outdoor overwintering insects along with our not-so-favorite winter indoor pests. Outdoor insects coming inside Late last fall, adult insects like Box...