Entry tags:
Greeeeat
It's always something.
1) The plumber came in and fixed the sink problem I posted about a couple of days ago, but noticed that the sink is coming unglued from the bottom of the counter, so we get to call a countertop guy and see if they'll fix it. And until then, we're not putting heavy loads into the sink, so we get to avoid cooking with the (cast iron) Dutch oven, or filling the sink up to soak stuff, or putting a big pot in there and filling it with water for pasta.
2) And then this morning we discovered that one of our crape myrtles has bark scale, a lovely relatively new invasive insect pest (PDF). Wheeeeee!

I have made the Definitive Diagnosis (tm) via Dr. Google, by noting that there are ladybugs on the stem (not visible in pic) attacking the various white things, and ladybugs are apparently a predator of bark scale. Go, ladybugs, go! This pest first showed up in the DFW area about ten years ago and is slowly spreading, so go check your crape myrtles if you're in the South. (More info from citybugs.tamu.edu)
3) On the bright side, WE'RE GOING TO JAPAN. We bought the tickets last night so it's official. :D
1) The plumber came in and fixed the sink problem I posted about a couple of days ago, but noticed that the sink is coming unglued from the bottom of the counter, so we get to call a countertop guy and see if they'll fix it. And until then, we're not putting heavy loads into the sink, so we get to avoid cooking with the (cast iron) Dutch oven, or filling the sink up to soak stuff, or putting a big pot in there and filling it with water for pasta.
2) And then this morning we discovered that one of our crape myrtles has bark scale, a lovely relatively new invasive insect pest (PDF). Wheeeeee!

I have made the Definitive Diagnosis (tm) via Dr. Google, by noting that there are ladybugs on the stem (not visible in pic) attacking the various white things, and ladybugs are apparently a predator of bark scale. Go, ladybugs, go! This pest first showed up in the DFW area about ten years ago and is slowly spreading, so go check your crape myrtles if you're in the South. (More info from citybugs.tamu.edu)
3) On the bright side, WE'RE GOING TO JAPAN. We bought the tickets last night so it's official. :D
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3) WOOO TRAVEL TO JAPAN!!!! Yay!
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That tree's got enough trunks/stems that it can spare a few.
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But yeah, that's totally CMBS. You can spray the shit out of it with a specialized insecticidal soap, or about a tbsp of liquid hand soap in a pint of water. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05547.html is a good resource on things. Unfortunately, your infestation is advanced enough that the ladybug probably aren't going to be able to take care of it.
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Thanks! I guess we'll soak it down this weekend and check the other crape myrtles for infestation. I think Toby's leaning towards just cutting the affected limbs off, but I don't know if that's going to work towards spreading it. (I suppose we could spray it, and cut it up on the driveway and spray down the driveway...)
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3) Yay!