Saw this where we walk our dog :-(

[PepperElf]

In the last week or so there's been some rust-colored crap covering the leaves and plants where we normally take the dog to have her poop.

I've been keeping her back from those plants but... today I decided to look closer at them to see why the plants are so unhealthy looking.


This was pretty much me: .... ....

The rust was clusters of tiny little light brown ... eggs? Oh fuck. I googled it just to be sure it was what I thought it was.



The eggs looked pretty much like that. Tick eggs.



The apartment manager isn't in today I guess, so I found the head maintenance man and let him know about eggs. He said he'd spray them.


In the meantime however... we're not walking her there. She can poop on the side of the street instead. (we have a bag dispenser for her).


*shudder* ticks. bleh.

[Crossbow]

Yeah, I'd say the other side of the street is a good idea. For both of you.

No tick issues for me at the moment, but my weed garden (I don't have a real garden. Just a place to grow weeds) is absolutely covered in aphids. Usually the ladybugs take care of them, but the ladybugs have been strangely absent this year.

[Food Lady]

Maybe the ladybugs are disappearing, like honey bees.

[Kanalah]

I just threw up in my mouth.

I freaking hate ticks!

[Crossbow]

Maybe the ladybugs are disappearing, like honey bees.

Possible. I'm used to seeing literally hundreds of the orange Asian variety around my house (and at least a few inside). This year, I've seen two, total.

[XCashier]

Maybe the ladybugs are disappearing, like honey bees.

I hope not. And I hope they can find and reverse what's causing the honeybees to disappear, too.

I think you can buy ladybugs at your local plant nursery; I've seen them advertised.

[Kanalah]

If the bees are dissappearing doesn't that mean the Doctor will come and save us?

Please?

[BlaqueKatt]

The eggs looked pretty much like that. Tick eggs.

problem is a million different types of insect eggs look identical.

and ticks usually lay eggs in the spring/fall, summers are too hot and the eggs will dry out before hatching. They are not "social insects" and generally speaking, female ticks look for off-the-beaten track locations to lay their eggs, the equivalent of a hiding place(usually in leaf litter, on the ground), as their eggs won't stick to surfaces.

cutworm eggs

ladybug eggs

"bug egg" slime mold

[LillFilly]

I think all the honeybees migrated to my town! They love my evergreen bushes for some reason.

At work we were tearing down a wall and inside was a HIVE. Something like 60,000 bees. They had to bring in a professional to collect and relocate the bees since it's illegal to kill them. The bees got a new home and the contractors got a couple lbs of honey!

[Marmalady]

Maybe the ladybugs are disappearing, like honey bees.

There's a lot of ladybirds in my garden, especially around my roses...which pleases me greatly

[PepperElf]

we have bees here too. the dog likes trying to eat them.
she also ate a firefly.

although the last time i looked it up, bees were back on the increase. at least in some areas

[Aethian]

Haven't seen any lady bugs, honey bees, or lightning bugs... Feel so left out now.

[Shpepper]

A fairly simple way to get rid of Aphids. If you have someone you know who smokes, have them save you the butts of their cigarettes. Wearing gloves, strip out the remaining tobacco, place in a jar and cover with water. Allow a day or two for it to steep, similar to tea. Strain out the tobacco leaves and use the remaining liquid as a spray on your plants covered in aphids. It will get rid of them for you without the use of toxic man-made chemicals. Menthol or other flavored cigarettes do not work for this. Plain ones only.

[Crossbow]

I've heard that, Shpepper. In fact, I *might* have some tobacco water in the garage from when I helped clean out my friend's dad's garage. No idea if it's still effective since I don't know how old it is...

[XCashier]

A fairly simple way to get rid of Aphids. If you have someone you know who smokes, have them save you the butts of their cigarettes...

Nicotine is a known insecticide.

It is as deadly to bees as it is to aphids. At my old high school, some jerk left his used tobacco chaw in a drinking fountain, and I saw several bees buzzing around it. When I walked by there later, those bees were lying there, dead. So honestly, I would ask the local plant nursery if they could sell you some ladybugs instead.