Protecting Pollinators 

Smart lawn care to protect pollinators 

January 25, 2017 | Dave Smitley | Whether you choose weed-free or a more relaxed approach to your lawn, here are some practices that will keep it bee-friendly.

How to protect pollinators in urban landscapes and gardens 

April 20, 2016 | Dave Smitley | A new PDF publication is the complete guide to protecting pollinators while gardening, growing flowers or managing trees, shrubs or turfgrass in urban areas.

Planting garden center flowers is good for bees and other beneficial insects 

June 25, 2014 | Dave Smitley | The discovery of neonicotinoid insecticide in leaves and flowers of some garden center plants should not stop you from buying and planting flowers because the benefit to bees far outweighs the potential risk.

Growing a variety of flowering plants helps bees and other beneficial insects 

May 20, 2014 | Dave Smitley | Growing a mixture of annuals, perennials and flowering trees and shrubs will help bees and other beneficial insects that provide natural control of plant pests.

How to protect bees in my yard and garden 

April 10, 2014 | Dave Smitley | Many people are concerned about bees and other pollinators. Here are some simple precautions you can take to keep your yard bee-friendly.

Pest Management

What are all those brown beetles on the porch? 

August 4, 2016 | Dave Smitley | Asiatic garden beetles have had a big summer in mid-Michigan. Adult beetles are mostly a nuisance, but may chew the outer edges of leaves of many yard and garden plants.

Avoid falling for tree and shrub pest control scams 

July 28, 2015 | Dave Smitley | A lawn, tree and shrub care company is leaving notes warning people they need to spray for pests in the Ann-Arbor-Ypsilanti area, yet in follow-up visits by an arborist, no pests or damage were found.

Thin azaleas with crusty stems may have azalea bark scale 

June 2, 2015 | Dave Smitley | If your azalea shrub has thinning or dead branches, look for a crusty covering of scale insects on the stems.

Lawn and Turf Pests

Grub damage to lawns is being reported now in drought stricken parts of Michigan  

November 3, 2015 | Dave Smitley | White grub damage is being reported now because drought conditions in some areas have weakened and thinned turf root systems, making lawns much more susceptible to grub-feeding injury. Insecticide treatments may or may not be effective at this time.

Turfgrass pest and disease diagnostic services offered free to northern Michigan turf managers 

July 2, 2015 | Dave Smitley | The Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center is now accepting turf samples for insect and disease diagnoses.

 Watch for european crane fly injury to turfgrass in April and May 

April 9, 2015 | Dave Smitley | European crane fly is now established in many locations in southeast Michigan and near Grand Rapids. Here are management recommendations for heavily infested turfgrass and lawns.

Ataenius and cutworms feeding on golf courses 

July 18, 2014 | Dave Smitley | In the last week, both Ataenius grubs and cutworms have been observed feeding in Poa annua and creeping bentgrass putting greens.

What are the alternatives to grub control insecticides 

April 1, 2014 | Dave Smitley | A garden center owner asks about alternatives to standard grub control insecticides. Here’s a review of products and best practices.