TechNotes Tips - 11.01.01

The Asian stink bug, a major nuisance to farmers in Japan and an annoyance to everyone else, has been found in the United States for the first time. The insect, known more formally as the brown marmorated stink bug, has been identified in trees and in houses in Allentown, Pa., by Cornell University entomologist E. Richard Hoebeke, the university announced last week. Hoebeke speculated that the insects arrived in Allentown in bulk freight containers from Asia and gravitated into homes because of the cooling weather. "Imagine hundreds of them inside your house. There is no insecticide to get rid of them. The only thing you can do is sweep them up and throw them back outdoors. And even after that, they want to come inside again where it is warm," Hoebeke said. (source: Washington Post, October 15th)

Potassium fertilization of warm season turfgrasses in the autumn is an important practice in enhancing the cold tolerance of these grasses.

Late season fertilization of cool season turfgrasses should be timed so that the turf is still green but top growth has ceased.