Songbirds that eat insects? Fleas are a natural part of their diet. A water source is just as important as the food and even more of an attractant, since flowers and seeds and insects are everywhere, but water sources can be scarce.
You can keep your birdbath going until the temperatures drop below freezing, or if you have a special watering station you use in winter you can set it out now so they become accustomed to it.
Information about feeding birds abounds on the internet. Most wild animals harbor a few fleas, and some species are typically infested. Trust me, we know.
My squirrels spend about half their time scratching, and wild rabbits, chipmunks, gophers, mice and voles are also heavily infested with fleas. I really did have a few squirrel nests and an opposum, plus the groundhog who spent part of the winter holed up in the dirt right beneath where the door is.
Once I cleaned off the deck, swept and washed it as well as hosed down all the items that were there, my constant re-infestation stopped, but it reinforced the importance of fall and spring clean-ups for controlling fleas! You can get ten pages of results or more in an internet search on flea control, diatomaceous earth, pyrethrins and so on though much of it is from manufacturers and sellers, but I try to find studies or information from non-commercial sources to cite.
Waterproof collars. E Collars. Flat Leashes. Rope Leashes. Retractable Leashes. Easy On Harness. H - Harness. All Toys. Odour Control. Elevated Bowls. Licki Mats. Melamine Bowls. Steel Bowls. Training Treats. Jungle Collection. Walk With Me Collection. True Love Collection. Dingy cutworms are climbing cutworms that feed almost entirely on leaves especially the ends and seldom cut or bore into seedling maize. Thus, they cause less damage than the black cutworms which may feed on the leaves and cut the stems.
The true armyworm, Pseudaletia unipuncta Haworth moth has pale brown to grayish-brown forewings with a wingspan of about 39 mm. There is a distinct white spot in the center of each forewing.
The hind wings are grayish-white. The egg is greenish-white and globular. The young larva is pale green. Late instar larvae vary in color from green to light brown see figures. Longitudinal stripes are as follows: a narrow broken stripe down the center of the back, bordered by a wide, darker, mottled stripe reaching halfway to the side; on the side there are 3 stripes of about equal width; next to the mottled one on the upper side is a pale-orange, white-bordered stripe, next a dark brown stripe just reaching the spiracles; and just below the spiracles, there is a pale-orange stripe edged with white.
Each proleg has a dark band on the outer side and a dark tip on the inner side. A mature armyworm is 30 to 35 mm long. The head is brown with dark honeycombed markings. The pupa, about mm long is reddish-brown at first, and gradually darkens becoming black.
In the southern states, partially grown larvae overwinter in soil near the surface. The insect does not overwinter in the northern states. The adults migrate to these areas each year from mid to late May. Early in the spring, larvae resume feeding at night, usually on grasses and small grains.
During daylight hours, larvae prefer to remain under litter on the ground. The larvae pupate and the adults emerge. First generation adults appear in May or June depending upon climatic conditions. Moths mate soon after emergence and feed on nectar for 7 to 10 days. Within about 21 days after emergence, at night, females deposit up to eggs on the leaf sheaths of grasses and small grains which usually grow near maize fields or around field margins. Eggs are laid in masses or rows of 30 to 75, often with the edge of the leaf folded over them.
About 8 days later, larvae emerge and feed for 3 or 4 weeks on the foliage of grains and grasses. After stripping the grasses, the larvae invade adjacent maize fields. Occasionally, when herbicides fail to control grassy weeds within maize fields, armyworm moths may lay eggs throughout the maize field, resulting in an outbreak.
After feeding, mature larvae drop to the ground and pupate in earthen cells 5 to 8 cm deep within the soil. Moths emerge about 2 to 4 weeks later.
True armyworms complete about 3 generations per year in most locations but in extreme southern locations, there are continuous generations. The armyworm is a pest of maize, sorghum and small grains. In maize it is a common early season pest of maize. Damage to maize consists primarily of stripping of the leaves figure below. Larvae may feed on the ear causing injury similar to that of the corn earworm but damage to the ear is usually slight.
Armyworm infestations are noted for their rather sudden appearance in large numbers. Armyworms feed on the maize foliage starting with the edge of the leaf. Feeding starts on the lower leaves and progresses up the plant. The whorl leaves are eaten last. Depending on the plant size, armyworms may completely defoliate to the point that onlythe leaf midribs remain.
In the case of heavy infestations, armyworms may devour plants to the point that only stubble remains. Because they feed at night, the larvae may inflict much injury before they are detected. Once having exhausted their food supply, larvae migrate to new host plants.
Field borders are typically more severely damaged. Armyworms often cause problems in maize when grassy areas of fields are destroyed by cultivation or by herbicides, or when maize is planted no-till into wheat or rye.
In some northern states, the second and third generation larvae often are most injurious to maize, especially in fields that have an abundance of grassy weeds. The armyworm does not overwinter in the upper-Midwest, but reinvades the northern part of its range each spring. Armyworm outbreaks in Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma or Kansas indicate a potential invasion of Nebraska and other states to the north. Damaging infestations, however, may occur despite low numbers of migrating moths.
Conversely, large moth flights into the Midwest do not always result in economic infestations. The high reproductive potential of this insect and complex environmental factors determine the ultimate degree of infestation. In the Midwest, four grasshopper species -- the differential, Melanoplus differentialis Thomas ; redlegged, M. Grasshopper species are generally similar in appearance. The differential grasshopper figure, left is one of the largest of the crop destructive species in North America reaching a length of 45 mm.
Adults and nymphs are brownish or olive green with yellow areas on the lower parts and black chevron-like markings on the hind legs. The redlegged grasshopper is smaller, about 25 mm long, brownish red with the hind tibiae pinkish red with black spines figure, right.
The migratory grasshopper is similar inappearance to the red-legged but the hind tibiae is not as brightpink as the red-legged.
The twostriped grasshopper is about 35 mm in length. The upper part of the body is olive colored with a yellow stripe on each side, extending from the head to the tip of the wing. It is distinguished by the dark stripe on the upper half of the hind leg.
Grasshopper eggs are laid in masses egg pods about 25 m long consisting of up to 30 elongate eggs cemented together figure, left. There are three stages in the grasshopper life cycle -- the egg, nymph, and adult. The number of egg pods deposited by a single female may range from 7 to 30, and the number of eggs per pod may vary from 8 to 30, depending on the species. The eggs are well protected by the insulation of the pods and can survive extremely cold temperatures.
Some grasshoppers prefer to lay eggs in soil surrounded by roots of grasses; other species select open areas in locations with accumulations of surface debris. Grasshoppers in croplands only lay their eggs in untilled soil. Therefore, to infest a crop the grasshoppers have to migrate from field margins or other areas of untilled soil. Most grasshoppers overwinter in the egg stage, but a few species hibernate as nymphs. Hatching time is influenced by weather.
Hatching time can be predicted by correlating the four developmental stages of eggs clear, coagulated, eye spot, and segmented with soil temperatures.
Eggs hatch about the middle of May in Nebraska. Most nymphs start feeding within one day after egg hatch, and usually feed on the same plants as the adult. The nymphal stages require about 6 weeks and adults begin appearing in early July. Hoppers begin laying eggs one to three weeks after becoming adults, starting in early August. They may live 45 to 50 days. Because many of the grasshopper breeding areas are now under tillage, the potential for devastation, while still serious, is not as great as it was years ago.
In the Midwest, croplandgrasshoppers feed primarily on maize, wheat, and alfalfa, but during years of high populations, may feed and seriously damage any crop as well as trees and shrubs. Feeding may begin anywhere on the plant but rarely on the bottom leaves. This publication will help you eliminate your flea problem and reduce the risk of future infestation.
Fleas are common external parasites of both dogs and cats. The adults are ravenous blood-feeders, consuming up to 15 times their body weight in blood per day. Pets initially become infested when adult fleas occurring indoors or outdoors jump on the animal.
With the ability to jump vertically up to about 6 inches, the adults can easily hitch a ride onto a passing dog or cat, or even the shoes and pant legs of a human. Pets acquire fleas from kennels, groomers, etc. Contrary to popular belief, fleas seldom jump directly from one pet to another.
Adult fleas spend most of their time on the dog or cat, not in the carpet. This is why treatment of the pet is an essential step in ridding a home of fleas.
Within minutes of jumping onboard, fleas begin to feed. Mating and subsequent egg laying occurs within 24 hours. All of the eggs per day are laid in the fur. However, the eggs soon fall off into carpeting, beneath the cushions of furniture, and wherever else the pet rests, sleeps, or spends time. When treating premises, thorough attention to these areas is crucial.
After hatching, the eggs develop into tiny, worm-like larvae that remain hidden beneath carpet fibers, furniture cushions, and other protected areas. The larvae feed mainly on the feces dried blood expelled by the adults which accumulates, along with the eggs, in areas where pets tend to rest or spend time. Before becoming adult fleas, larvae transform into pupae within a silk-like cocoon surrounded by bits of debris.
Pupae remain inside the cocoon for 1 to 4 weeks. However, it might take longer for them to emerge if conditions become unfavorable, for example when a flea-infested home becomes vacant. The cocoon is also impervious to insecticides—another reason some fleas may persist for an extended period, even after the pet and home are treated.
The traditional approach for battling fleas typically involved concurrent treatment of both the pet and the premises. Revolutionary new products for eliminating fleas on pets have led to rethinking this long held approach. Be sure to read the product label to ensure you are purchasing the correct formulation and dosage for your pet. Some flea products should not be used on cats, while others are not approved for puppies and kittens.
Some flea treatments also control ticks and internal parasites such as heartworms. It is usually prudent to consult a veterinarian for the most appropriate treatment for your pet.
0コメント