The Value of Christmas Trees

"...there is no reason why the joy associated with the Christmas evergreen may not be a means of arousing in the minds of children an appreciation of the beauty and usefulness of trees; and keen appreciation of the beauty and usefulness of trees is a long stop toward the will to plant and care for them (Arthur Sowder, US Forest Service, 1949)."

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Post Harvest Pests

Heard about my first post-harvest pests today. Cinara aphids. Anyway, here are links to information about these pests.
  1. Grower information on Cinaras.
  2. Information for the retail lot operator.
  3. Retail lot information in pdf format.
  4. Photos of Cinara aphids.
  5. Consumer education information on post harvest pests including Cinaras, praying mantids, and spider mites.
If you need me to speak with retailers or consumers about this issue, email me at: jill_sidebottom@ncsu.edu

Jeff Vance is holding a bottle of insecticidal soap.
This works well against aphids and is completely safe
around children and pets. It does have a bit of an odor.
You can buy this pre-mixed in high end garden centers.

This is a photo I received from a consumer a few years ago.
Surprisingly it's never hard to ID Cinara aphids from the  strange photos I receive.