Spring pests coming

STAFF WRITER

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Spring is in the air, and we all know what that means — pests.

Curt Jaynes, co-owner of the Garden Source in Portales, said the first pests that will be noticeable this time of year are aphids.

“Aphids will be prevalent on your irises, daylilies and some of your tender plants, such as pansies,” he said.

Jaynes said people need to watch for the shells that aphids shed as they become adults, which are little white scales, or they can look for shine on leaves, which are aphid droppings.

Jaynes added that mealy bugs will start coming out in a couple of weeks, and as the summer progresses, people will begin to see grasshoppers and squash bugs on their vegetables.

“That is usually around June or July, and there are about three or four organic insecticides that can take care of those,” he said. “I would not use chemicals if you are planting edibles.”

Jaynes said keeping weeds at bay in gardens and yards helps prevent the pests from coming in.

“Those weeds tend to harbor a lot of insects,” he said. “If people can keep them trimmed, they can avoid a lot of those bugs and insects that come in with them.”

Jaynes said the best way to get rid of weeds is by pulling them. “Mowing the lawn, bagging and throwing it away helps,” he said.

Jaynes said he is also noticing pinon scales on the pinon trees this year, which happens every three or four years.

“The way people will know if they have the pinon scale is where the needles are, they will turn yellow and drop off, but there will be little brown dots on them,” he said. “Those can be taken care of with a systemic insecticide, and it will last for a year when they put it on their trees and shrubs.”

Bryan Guthals, co-owner of Guthals Nursery and Landscape in Clovis, said he thinks grubs are going to be bad this year.

“People are finding them now, but they aren’t really in the numbers yet,” he said. “They’ll start getting really aggressive and damaging lawns in late May.”

Guthals said grubs eat the grass roots out from underneath.

“So people will start having brown or death spots, and if they are pulled, it comes up like loose carpet,” he said.

Guthals said these particular grubs need to be treated with an insecticide called Dylox.

According to Adam Aguilar, master animal control officer at the Portales Police Department Animal Control, ticks are the worst pests for animals during spring.

Aguilar said these pests can spread and infest in the household.

“People can use their basic tick repellents to get rid of those pests,” Aguilar said. “You can also get the animal dipped in a chemical bath at the veterinarian.”

Rebekah Ford, a veterinarian at Clovis Veterinary Hospital, said the ticks are tough to eliminate.

“It’s important to stay on top of yard treatment every 21 days or so,” Ford said. “Otherwise, if there is an infestation, you will see the ticks return.”

Ford said it is important to treat yards and pets in order to prevent tick bites, which can lead to fatal diseases and cause prolonged illnesses.

“Ticks carry horrible diseases called rickettsia, which can affect both humans and animals,” she said. “Rickettsia is not among the common illnesses doctors screen for, so humans can be ill for a long time before it is detected. In dogs, we can think that it is effectively treated and tested, and then it can reoccur.”

Ford said she recommends treatment whether ticks are visible or not.

“You should get a good prevention product recommended by your veterinarian,” she said. “There are a lot of available products that are unsafe for people and animals, or they don’t work.”