1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: Broadcasting from Studio A Here at Proven Winners, Color Choice Shrubs. 2 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:10,720 It's time for the Gardening Simplified Show with Stacy Hervella, me, 3 00:00:10,919 --> 00:00:15,880 Rick Weist, and our engineer and producer Adrianna Robinson. Well, 4 00:00:15,919 --> 00:00:21,039 the reality is when push comes to shovel, not everybody 5 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,920 wants to be an entomologist or even have an interest 6 00:00:25,039 --> 00:00:30,039 in entomology for that matter, And for me personally, I 7 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,799 used to just throw something at the wall and see 8 00:00:33,799 --> 00:00:37,240 if it sticks. As it relates to trying to attract 9 00:00:37,359 --> 00:00:41,880 beneficial insects to your landscape, but one of the most 10 00:00:42,119 --> 00:00:47,399 important aspects to understand and attracting beneficial insects to go 11 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,159 to work for you and your garden or your landscape 12 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:55,640 is diversity to try to have blooms the entire season's spring, summer, 13 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,600 and fall. And one thing that I learned Stacy, when 14 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:04,599 I say diversity, not only diversity of plants, but diversity 15 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:10,840 of size and structure. Structure is very important in the 16 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:16,439 landscape and plays a important role for a landing site 17 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:20,200 for those beneficial insects we want to attract to our landscape. 18 00:01:20,359 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 2: Definitely. You know, we talk a lot on the show 19 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:27,400 about the concept of IPM Integrated Pest Management, and today's topic, 20 00:01:27,519 --> 00:01:30,920 beneficial insects, is the perfect example of that. We're talking 21 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:35,840 all about how some insects will actually eat the predatory 22 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,879 insects that are eating your plants, and that's a good thing. 23 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,319 We want to invite more of those into our garden 24 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:44,239 so that we don't have to work as hard or 25 00:01:44,519 --> 00:01:48,599 you know, stop spraying whatever. So it's really about creating 26 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:52,760 that balance in your garden that sustains beneficial insects and 27 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:56,400 gives them a good buffet because a lot of times, 28 00:01:56,439 --> 00:02:01,799 even though beneficial insects by definition eat pest insects very often, 29 00:02:01,879 --> 00:02:04,799 there is some phase of their life cycle where they 30 00:02:04,879 --> 00:02:08,120 actually feed on nectar. Yes, so it's you need the 31 00:02:08,159 --> 00:02:10,560 flowers to have, you know, the pest insects for them 32 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:13,560 to come for. But also things like take ladybugs for example, 33 00:02:13,599 --> 00:02:16,360 I mean, I think probably the classic example that people 34 00:02:16,439 --> 00:02:18,639 think of when they think of a beneficial insect. 35 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,199 Speaker 1: And voracious predators. 36 00:02:20,479 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 2: But primarily as a larval in their larval stage, not 37 00:02:24,039 --> 00:02:26,960 that cute little red ladybug that lands on your finger exactly. 38 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:31,199 They eat some aphids, but nothing compared to that larval stage, 39 00:02:31,319 --> 00:02:33,120 and it's so funny. I mean you've seen it, I'm 40 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,840 sure so many times. Right, people take a picture or 41 00:02:35,879 --> 00:02:38,280 they bring a leaf in with a ladybug larvae and they. 42 00:02:38,159 --> 00:02:40,599 Speaker 1: Are freaked out exctly. 43 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 2: They are so freaked out. But that's actually the stage 44 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:45,159 that you want. But you need to be able to 45 00:02:45,159 --> 00:02:47,080 sustain the adults with nectar. 46 00:02:47,199 --> 00:02:49,919 Speaker 1: So you mentioned two key words there. One is balance, 47 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,719 a good healthy balance. The other one is freak out. 48 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,360 How many times have I seen people freak out? Just 49 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:02,319 as past weekend in the center, we were looking at 50 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:06,919 these beautiful hydranges in bloom. As a matter of fact, 51 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,599 they were tough stuff, top fun high rangers, and I 52 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:15,560 heard this lady's scarem and I'm like, what's wrong? And 53 00:03:15,599 --> 00:03:20,159 she's like, there's a spider on that plant. Do something 54 00:03:20,199 --> 00:03:24,039 about it? Like wow, you know, so that's amazing to me. 55 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,479 Or I think back doing a radio call in show 56 00:03:29,159 --> 00:03:33,080 and a lady called in and was absolutely freaked out 57 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:37,120 about the fact that she had ants crawling all over 58 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:42,520 her paeonies and she had emptied out an entire can 59 00:03:42,759 --> 00:03:47,800 of raid on the paeony plant because she was afraid 60 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:51,199 that the ants were going to make their way inside 61 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:53,680 the house. And you know, I've always called ants the 62 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:58,080 Rodney danger Field of the insect world. They get no respect, 63 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:03,159 but they're important. They role and actually the p and 64 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,199 E is benefiting from the ants. The ants are benefiting 65 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:09,879 from the p and E. The whole cycle. The balance 66 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:15,599 is amazing to me to watch. And it's important that 67 00:04:15,639 --> 00:04:21,600 people have in understanding of how important ladybugs, spiders, ants, 68 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:26,480 all of these various insects are to the ecological balance 69 00:04:26,519 --> 00:04:27,399 of our landscape. 70 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:29,480 Speaker 2: It really is. You know, I have long said, with 71 00:04:29,639 --> 00:04:33,800 all of this talk and interest in native plants that 72 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,079 that's all fine and good, that's all important, But what 73 00:04:36,319 --> 00:04:40,120 people really need to get on board with growing native plants, 74 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:43,560 insects need a massive pr campaign. 75 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:44,519 Speaker 1: Yau. 76 00:04:44,759 --> 00:04:49,160 Speaker 2: People are just they just don't like them. But also, 77 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:51,759 insects are so much more complicated than just the couple 78 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,800 of pests that we know and identify, and that's what 79 00:04:54,879 --> 00:04:56,399 this episode is really all about. 80 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: You got it, And you mentioned the Larva state. I 81 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:04,480 think about surfed flies, Oh yeah, and how they look 82 00:05:04,639 --> 00:05:09,680 in the landscape like a boy, a dangerous wasp, somebody 83 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,120 that's looking to They don't even have stingers. I believe 84 00:05:13,199 --> 00:05:15,600 they don't even have stingers, and of course it's in 85 00:05:15,639 --> 00:05:21,639 their larval state where they are taking care of as 86 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:25,600 a beneficial insect are landscapes, and then in the adult 87 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:29,199 state looking so menacing, and yet all they're doing is 88 00:05:29,319 --> 00:05:33,439 essentially pollinating our plants and moving from flower to flowers. 89 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:35,519 Speaker 2: Well, see, this is the perfect example of the pr 90 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:38,720 campaign that I'm talking about. Surf and flies are really 91 00:05:38,959 --> 00:05:40,560 a great example of this. So if you aren't familiar 92 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:42,759 with the surf and fly, it looks like a bee, 93 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:46,920 and from a fly evolutionary perspective, they're like, hey, might 94 00:05:46,959 --> 00:05:48,399 as well look like a bee. No one's going to 95 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:52,000 mess with me if I resemble a bee. But surfed 96 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,360 flies so they have the little yellow and kind of 97 00:05:54,439 --> 00:05:57,680 dark brown black stripes. Honestly, once you get to know 98 00:05:57,720 --> 00:05:59,879 a surf and fly, they are the cutest freaking little 99 00:06:00,439 --> 00:06:04,040 They are so adorable. You get those big eyes looking 100 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,319 up at you. They're always hovering around flowers. So unlike 101 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,959 a bee, which is gonna kind of, you know, zigzag 102 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,879 and go all over, surfed flies maintain a pretty like 103 00:06:13,759 --> 00:06:17,160 steady hover and a landscape and you can always tell 104 00:06:17,199 --> 00:06:20,480 a surfed fly from a bee. Now I understand this 105 00:06:20,519 --> 00:06:22,600 is easier said than done for a lot of people. 106 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,560 But surfed flies are trueflies, so they only have two wings, 107 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:29,680 whereas bees have four wings. Look them up if you 108 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:31,480 haven't seen them already. You won't even see the larva 109 00:06:31,519 --> 00:06:33,519 because they're laid in the ground and they're a little 110 00:06:33,639 --> 00:06:35,399 kind of wormy looking things. So most people don't even 111 00:06:35,439 --> 00:06:38,240 see the beneficial stage of the surfed flies. But they're 112 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:40,319 still wonderful to have around and they accomplish a lot 113 00:06:40,319 --> 00:06:44,360 of pollinations. So it's really about getting to know what 114 00:06:44,399 --> 00:06:47,920 these beneficial insects are, what they eat, and obviously if 115 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:50,000 they are in your yard, chances are there's something for 116 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:52,240 them to eat. They don't just happen by because they 117 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:54,560 just think you have great taste in gardening. You may, 118 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:56,839 but they also need something to eat in a place 119 00:06:56,879 --> 00:07:01,680 to live, and so that's gonna very by different regions. 120 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:03,800 But overall, we're talking about kind of the big ones 121 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:07,879 you know that the people know about, people can buy, 122 00:07:08,199 --> 00:07:10,360 and the ones that you need to identify and know 123 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:13,040 all your friends, not your foes, so you can create 124 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:14,639 a more hospitable environment for them. 125 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 1: You got it. Many For many people, their introduction to 126 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,879 beneficial insects is when they try to grow a couple 127 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:25,519 of tomato plants in their yard and the bracknid wasp 128 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:30,800 would lay its eggs or inject venom, so to speak, 129 00:07:30,879 --> 00:07:35,680 into those big, scary tomato hornworms out there. And the 130 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:39,199 reality is is if you do find that, and it's 131 00:07:39,279 --> 00:07:42,959 quite a sight to see, you're best off just leaving 132 00:07:43,079 --> 00:07:48,160 that infected let's say, tomato hornworm in the landscape, because 133 00:07:48,319 --> 00:07:53,160 the bracknid wasp again a beneficial insect in our lands. 134 00:07:53,199 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 2: Would you believe I have never had the pleasure of 135 00:07:55,759 --> 00:07:59,800 having a parasitized tomato hornworm in my brain. Yes, I 136 00:08:00,199 --> 00:08:02,720 get tomato horn rooms, don't get me wrong, But I 137 00:08:02,759 --> 00:08:05,399 have never yet had the pleasure of seeing one completely 138 00:08:05,439 --> 00:08:08,120 covered in eggs and knowing that it will meet it's 139 00:08:08,199 --> 00:08:11,439 untimely demise. Now Here is my confession for twenty twenty six, 140 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,519 because I say this every year. I love insects. I 141 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:16,879 am into gardening for the insects. They're a huge part 142 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:21,279 of it. For me. The only insect I absolutely positively 143 00:08:21,319 --> 00:08:24,920 cannot abide by is a tomato horn room. It freaks 144 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:28,920 me out. They're so big and leshi. 145 00:08:29,319 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: They sneak up. 146 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:33,759 Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know, you can hear them chewing on 147 00:08:33,799 --> 00:08:37,320 a good day in the garden, and that's pretty horrendous. Yeah, 148 00:08:37,799 --> 00:08:40,720 that is the one thing that like I just cannot 149 00:08:40,759 --> 00:08:42,720 deal with in the garden. If I find them, I 150 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:45,480 usually will throw them into the driveway in the hopes 151 00:08:45,519 --> 00:08:47,720 that a bird will come along, because I can't even 152 00:08:47,759 --> 00:08:50,000 bring myself to like step on them, you know, like 153 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:52,480 I will smash Japanese beetles bare handed. But when I 154 00:08:52,519 --> 00:08:55,960 see those tomato horn rooms, it's like all of my 155 00:08:56,039 --> 00:08:59,399 stomach to get them off the plant and like hurriedly 156 00:08:59,519 --> 00:09:02,639 fling them into a piece of pavement in the hopes 157 00:09:03,279 --> 00:09:05,759 that something else will eat them. And yeah, I've never 158 00:09:05,799 --> 00:09:07,519 had the wasp, but you know that you have it 159 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:10,720 because this gross little tomato, gross big tomato horn room 160 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:14,000 is just completely covered in white eggs sticking out all 161 00:09:14,039 --> 00:09:17,200 over it. And what's gonna happen is those are gonna 162 00:09:17,519 --> 00:09:20,080 hatch out. Those eggs are gonna hatch out. The larva 163 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:24,360 are going to actually feed on the living caterpillar. You know, people, 164 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,840 those corpse flowers get all of the attention when they bloom, 165 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,519 but this is like happening in everybody's garden every summer. 166 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,440 Those larva hatch out. They feed on the live horn room. 167 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:38,879 It obviously dies the wasps, which are harmless, stingless, tiny 168 00:09:38,919 --> 00:09:41,600 little wasps you wouldn't even register as a wasp, right, 169 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:43,279 A lot of people here wasp and they're like whoa. 170 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,399 And this is an everyday occurrence in the summer for 171 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,679 people who grow tomatoes. And it's again, it's that kind 172 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:53,960 of thing that you need to know what to look for, 173 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:55,919 and you need to know that's a good thing you 174 00:09:55,919 --> 00:09:58,679 would want to leave the tomato horn room, which, let's 175 00:09:58,679 --> 00:10:01,240 face it, is probably already on the downswing and not 176 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,399 eating that much of your tomatoes for it to be 177 00:10:04,519 --> 00:10:07,240 that infested, if you can exactly it. 178 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:11,399 Speaker 1: And I want to mention also for the limb a 179 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:14,960 rick this week. Actually I'm changing it from a limb 180 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:20,200 a rick to a limb a tick. Oh and of 181 00:10:20,279 --> 00:10:23,559 course I'm not trying to be humorous about ticks. It's 182 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:29,440 a serious, serious issue in the Midwest Northeast. Of course, 183 00:10:29,519 --> 00:10:32,720 lime disease. We are just leaving the month of May, 184 00:10:32,919 --> 00:10:38,080 which is National Lime Disease Awareness Month. I just found 185 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:41,559 a tick on the curtain in my office. No, yes, 186 00:10:41,799 --> 00:10:44,480 and I'm like, wow, where did this come? From and 187 00:10:44,639 --> 00:10:47,639 bear in mind that there are animals like possums, which 188 00:10:47,679 --> 00:10:52,559 are very important within the landscape to deal with tick issues. 189 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:56,320 They clean themselves and they take care of a lot 190 00:10:56,320 --> 00:11:01,000 of ticks. So just a very short limb pick. This 191 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:05,600 week we embrace the outdoors with affection, but after take 192 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:11,840 time for inspection. Inspect the kids, dogs and you for 193 00:11:12,039 --> 00:11:18,559 ticks that get through, don't let them escape. Detection and 194 00:11:18,639 --> 00:11:21,679 awareness of the ticks out there also a very important 195 00:11:21,759 --> 00:11:25,279 part as we enjoy our. 196 00:11:24,759 --> 00:11:26,960 Speaker 2: Last and know how to remove them before you're in 197 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:31,279 the panic situation of finding it on someone that you 198 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:34,480 care about. Do a little take a moment to look 199 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:36,799 up a YouTube video on removing ticks so you have 200 00:11:36,919 --> 00:11:40,000 that information internalized, because if you do it wrong, it's 201 00:11:40,039 --> 00:11:41,039 like you never did it at all. 202 00:11:41,519 --> 00:11:44,799 Speaker 1: Super important, and the number of people in North America 203 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:49,240 who deal with lime disease and other diseases due to 204 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:54,639 ticks a serious issue. Plants on Trial is next here 205 00:11:54,759 --> 00:11:56,960 on the Gardening Simplified Show. 206 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,320 Speaker 2: Beautify your home and community with proven winner's color choice 207 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,440 shrubs with over three hundred and twenty five unique varieties 208 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:12,120 to choose from. There's a flowering shrub or evergreen for 209 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,360 every taste and every space. Just look for the distinctive 210 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:18,120 white container your local garden center or learn more at 211 00:12:18,159 --> 00:12:23,440 proven Winners, color Choice dot com. Greeting's gardening friends, and 212 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:26,200 welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show or Our topic 213 00:12:26,279 --> 00:12:29,919 of the day is beneficial insects. Now, we did end 214 00:12:29,919 --> 00:12:32,519 the previous segment talking about ticks. Ticks are a not 215 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:36,360 an insect and be in no way beneficial, at least 216 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:38,080 not as far as humans go. They don't serve as 217 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,320 an important food source for anything, so that was a 218 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:42,840 little diversion. We are certainly not saying that ticks can 219 00:12:42,879 --> 00:12:44,759 do anything good in your yard, but there are a 220 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:48,759 lot of beneficial insects that you can invite into your yard, 221 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:52,080 or really you can make your garden your landscape a 222 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:56,200 more hospitable place for these insects. And you know the 223 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:59,799 really important thing I think, obviously, there's two very crucial 224 00:12:59,799 --> 00:13:02,320 things about beneficial insects. Number one, you need to know 225 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,200 what they are so you can identify them and figure 226 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,120 out you know how they how to welcome them into 227 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:11,919 your landscape. And number two, you really if you are 228 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,840 working with beneficial insects, you really need to change your 229 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:18,840 entire approach to your landscape because it's no longer an 230 00:13:18,879 --> 00:13:22,240 issue when you're guarding with beneficial insects. It's no longer 231 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:25,639 an issue of management. It's about striking that balance because 232 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:30,600 if you completely eliminate the pest insect, then there's nothing 233 00:13:30,639 --> 00:13:33,200 for the beneficial insect to eat, and they either die 234 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:36,480 or they leave. So what you're really aiming for is 235 00:13:36,519 --> 00:13:41,480 this kind of stasis of beneficial insects with enough food 236 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:44,919 to keep them around and to keep you know, feeding 237 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:49,200 their whatever stage they're beneficial in. So you need to 238 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:51,200 have a little bit of tolerance. And I mean, I 239 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:54,759 think really this is a very freeing thing for people. 240 00:13:54,799 --> 00:13:57,799 It certainly is for me. It's really a shift in 241 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:01,159 your mindset from oh my gosh, there's holes in my leaves, 242 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:04,240 there's missing parts of my leaves, whatever, I have to 243 00:14:04,279 --> 00:14:07,480 go and spray something where No, that's not it at all. 244 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:10,200 You identify the past. That's the IPM part. You try 245 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:12,559 to identify what the pest is that's eating your plant. 246 00:14:12,879 --> 00:14:15,440 So then you need to identify if there's any beneficial 247 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,039 insects that can take care of the problem or help 248 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:20,320 you take care of that problem, and then you just 249 00:14:20,399 --> 00:14:22,159 kind of need to sit back and let the two 250 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:23,399 do get out in your. 251 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:26,960 Speaker 1: Garden well and Stacy. That's true, and along that line 252 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:32,440 of tolerance and balance also comes to the work that 253 00:14:32,519 --> 00:14:35,679 we have to keep the plants as healthy as possible. Yeah, 254 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:38,279 a plant that's under stress is going to be more 255 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:39,279 prone to attack. 256 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 2: That's absolutely true. A lot of people are surprised to 257 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:44,840 find that out, but stress plants actually emit some kind 258 00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:48,000 of hormonal signals that pest insects can go ooh, here's 259 00:14:48,039 --> 00:14:50,679 my chance an unhealthy plant. I guess I'm going to 260 00:14:50,759 --> 00:14:52,360 go in and see what I can eat. 261 00:14:52,559 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 1: Japanese beetles are a great example. 262 00:14:54,519 --> 00:14:56,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, but I think that they will also eat 263 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:59,200 healthy plants, all right, they will. It would be nice 264 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:02,000 if they only ate on healthy plants. So what we're 265 00:15:02,039 --> 00:15:04,919 really talking about today is beneficial insects, what they are, 266 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,039 and how you can welcome them into your yard. I mean, 267 00:15:07,039 --> 00:15:09,879 there are some beneficial insects we know that you can 268 00:15:09,919 --> 00:15:13,519 buy and release into your yard, like ladybugs or praying mantis, 269 00:15:13,519 --> 00:15:16,720 and that's kind of its own separate thing. Those are 270 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:20,679 always interesting experiences, but not necessarily effective. Really, what we're 271 00:15:20,679 --> 00:15:22,679 trying to do you know, a lot of the insects 272 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:25,639 that we get in our gardens that are problem insects 273 00:15:26,159 --> 00:15:28,399 are native, and so it's really just a matter of 274 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:32,320 making knowing who the beneficials are who are going to 275 00:15:32,399 --> 00:15:35,519 eat them, and then making your garden more hospitable to them. Now, 276 00:15:35,559 --> 00:15:38,240 I will say, and I have a question for mailbag. 277 00:15:38,279 --> 00:15:41,200 In the next segment, it's talking a lot about pollinators, 278 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:44,440 and that will very much cover the types of perennial 279 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:47,080 flowers that you should be adding to your garden to 280 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:50,960 help to encourage beneficial insects. But when it comes to shrubs, 281 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:54,440 and since this is proven Winner's color choice, shrubs, shrubs 282 00:15:54,480 --> 00:16:00,240 are a little bit less helpful, a little bit acting 283 00:16:00,279 --> 00:16:04,039 beneficial insects, primarily because their flowers are big, and the 284 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:06,279 beneficial insects, for the most part that we're talking about 285 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:09,159 that need to eat the pollen and nectar, they tend 286 00:16:09,159 --> 00:16:12,120 to be pretty tiny, correct, tiny little guys, And so 287 00:16:13,799 --> 00:16:16,600 because shrub flowers are big, they're not always amenable. With 288 00:16:16,679 --> 00:16:20,519 one big exception, and that is lace cap flowers. So 289 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:24,159 today's plant on Trial is dedicated to lace caps. Now, 290 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:26,919 that is a term that gets thrown around a lot 291 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,399 without a lot of people actually explaining what it is. 292 00:16:30,639 --> 00:16:34,519 But basically, the two plants that I know for a 293 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:38,840 fact this demarcation of lace cap and mop heads are 294 00:16:38,919 --> 00:16:42,440 true for are going to be hydrangeas and viburnums. Those 295 00:16:42,559 --> 00:16:44,879 two groups of plants are not botanically related. I don't 296 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:47,559 know why this is unique to those two. There may 297 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:49,399 be other types of plants out there that can do this, 298 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:50,960 but those are the two that most of us in 299 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:54,120 North America are going to encounter in our gardens. So 300 00:16:54,279 --> 00:16:57,840 a lace cap version of these plants is basically closer 301 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,480 to what you would find in the wild. So these 302 00:17:00,519 --> 00:17:03,639 types of plants can set two different types of florets. 303 00:17:03,759 --> 00:17:07,400 So a flower is made up of multiple little florets, 304 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,799 So what they can set is fertile florets. These are 305 00:17:10,799 --> 00:17:13,160 going to be tiny, little starry They remind me of 306 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:14,960 star so I always talk to them, talk about them 307 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,960 as story tiny little starry flowers. They're going to have 308 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:21,960 both male and female reproductive parts. They're gonna have nectar, 309 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,359 they're gonna have pollen, all that good stuff. That is 310 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:27,200 where the business of plant reproduction happens is in those 311 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:33,200 aptly named fertile florets. However, a lot of insects as 312 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:35,759 they're flying about, zipping around looking for their next meal, 313 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:39,319 may not notice a plant that has these tiny, little 314 00:17:39,599 --> 00:17:43,119 ster fertile florets way down there. So what a plant 315 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:47,680 will do is put out some sterile florets, which are 316 00:17:47,799 --> 00:17:51,319 a bigger version, which don't typically contain any reproductive organs. 317 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:54,279 Sometimes they can, it's not like universal that they never do, 318 00:17:55,359 --> 00:17:58,920 and those will very often in nature be space sort 319 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,279 of in a ring around the fertile florets, so they 320 00:18:02,319 --> 00:18:05,519 are the showier ones. The plant only produces them to 321 00:18:05,559 --> 00:18:09,279 be like, hey, insects over here, I've got look at 322 00:18:09,319 --> 00:18:12,799 this big juicy flower with all these big showy flowers 323 00:18:12,839 --> 00:18:16,319 on them, and then they go down and they immediately 324 00:18:16,359 --> 00:18:19,039 start pollinating the fertile floort. So it's really just a 325 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:23,960 question of visibility to insects because those sterile florets, those 326 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:26,559 big showy ones, takes a lot of the plant's energy 327 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:27,440 to produce those. 328 00:18:27,519 --> 00:18:30,039 Speaker 1: It's almost like a landing pad on top of a 329 00:18:30,079 --> 00:18:31,400 building for a helicopter. 330 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:33,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, you put the little plus sign up there and 331 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:36,839 then you know you can little color those windsock things. 332 00:18:36,839 --> 00:18:39,960 You're good to get land, right, So it really just 333 00:18:40,079 --> 00:18:43,960 helps to catch insects attention. Now, so in nature, where 334 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:48,359 a plant's sole purpose and sole existence is for reproduction, 335 00:18:48,599 --> 00:18:53,240 producing seed and ensuring the next generation and ensuring genetic diversity, 336 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:56,319 so they can withstand any who knows what types of challenges. 337 00:18:56,359 --> 00:18:58,319 Because of course plants can't just pick up and leave 338 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:02,079 when things get get rough, so they rely on propagation 339 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:05,680 by seed in nature to help expand their population and 340 00:19:05,759 --> 00:19:10,920 to increase their resistance to whatever challenges come along. But 341 00:19:11,039 --> 00:19:14,240 so in nature, all of all hydranges that you will 342 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:16,160 see growing out there in the wild are going to 343 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:19,240 be lace cap hydranges. But of course, at some point 344 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:22,680 along come humans and they're like, ooh, look at these 345 00:19:23,319 --> 00:19:27,079 very showy sterile florets. I like these way better. And 346 00:19:27,279 --> 00:19:29,599 you know I'm talking something that goes back, you know, 347 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:33,599 three four hundred years earliest. Plant readers start messing with them, 348 00:19:34,039 --> 00:19:37,039 and they start selecting hydrangeas that have more and more 349 00:19:37,079 --> 00:19:39,119 of these sterile florets, and that is how we get 350 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:43,400 them Mophead hydrangea. Now mopheed hydrangeas do still have some 351 00:19:43,599 --> 00:19:47,400 fertile florets, but they are just completely covered and obscured 352 00:19:47,519 --> 00:19:51,079 usually by those sterile florets, so they don't really do 353 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:54,680 anything for pollinators. So when I talk about pollinators, pollinating 354 00:19:54,759 --> 00:19:57,960 is of course a type of beneficial insect. But what 355 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:00,640 we're really talking about is bugs that eat other bugs. 356 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:04,599 So if you opt for a lace cap hydrangea when 357 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,200 you are adding hydrangeas or viburnum to your landscape, you 358 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:09,839 are going to be doing a lot more for these 359 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:13,079 beneficial insects than if you opt for the mophead. And 360 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:15,359 I have to say for years I have been saying, hey, 361 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:17,519 lace caps are going to have their day any moment 362 00:20:17,599 --> 00:20:21,200 now because people are so interested in pollinators, and yet 363 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:23,799 we always have to drop lace cap hydrangeas in the 364 00:20:23,799 --> 00:20:27,160 proven Matter's color Choice program because no one buys them. 365 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:29,799 It's really sad because I think they're still lovely. They 366 00:20:29,799 --> 00:20:32,000 definitely have a little bit of a different look. I 367 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,519 would call it more of an informal, woodlandy natural look 368 00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:42,039 than the big, blousy mophead types. But basically all hydrangs 369 00:20:42,079 --> 00:20:44,880 in nature are lace cap and we have several that 370 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:47,480 you could consider. Now. I do want to talk about first, 371 00:20:48,079 --> 00:20:51,599 incredible stormproof hydrangea, because this is quite an interesting one. 372 00:20:51,759 --> 00:20:53,759 This is new, it's new and garden centers this year. 373 00:20:54,400 --> 00:21:00,680 Incredible Stormproof is a mophead smooth Hydrangea. Only lace caps 374 00:21:00,839 --> 00:21:02,559 with hydrange that we have in the line is in 375 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:07,440 Vinceibel Lace. Incredible Stormproof is indeed a mophead, but an Adyrana. 376 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:09,480 Can attest to this because we were out filming with 377 00:21:09,519 --> 00:21:12,519 it and you could hear the bees on this plant 378 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,759 in my microphone. There is something about the fact that 379 00:21:15,799 --> 00:21:17,839 even though it is a mophead, with those big, round, 380 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,559 full flowers, the fertile florettes down there are somehow still 381 00:21:20,559 --> 00:21:23,279 accessible to bees and other pollinators. It does not seem 382 00:21:23,279 --> 00:21:25,680 to bother them in the lease, whereas something like you know, 383 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:30,720 your standard mophead big leaf Hydrangel, Hydrangel macrophylla. They can't 384 00:21:30,759 --> 00:21:33,400 push through those giant orbs of You know, if it's 385 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:34,920 the kind of flower that you can like put your 386 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:37,720 hand on and it feels like a snowball, probably not 387 00:21:37,759 --> 00:21:41,200 going to be good for pollinators. So Incredible Stormproof is 388 00:21:41,279 --> 00:21:44,480 the rare exception. In Vincibel lace is a lace cap. 389 00:21:44,519 --> 00:21:47,799 Flirty Girl and Rose Sensation Climbing hydranges are also lace caps. 390 00:21:48,039 --> 00:21:50,920 Let's Stance Can Do is probably our best selling lace cap, 391 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,079 and it is a very high performer. Let's stance hot 392 00:21:54,079 --> 00:21:56,920 Stepper new but also a lace cap fairy trail bride. 393 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:00,400 Of course lace cap people love it anyway. And then 394 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,519 when it comes to the panicle hydranges and oak leaf hydranges, 395 00:22:03,759 --> 00:22:06,960 quick fire a little quick Fire, Pinky Winky Pinky Winky 396 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:10,440 Prime and Gatsby Gale, Gatsby Global and Gatsby Pink. These 397 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:15,519 are all absolutely stellar pollinator plants to add to your landscape. 398 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:20,000 They're fragrant, their fertile florettes are so full of nectar that, 399 00:22:20,079 --> 00:22:21,559 on a day when they are in full bloom, you 400 00:22:21,599 --> 00:22:24,720 walk by it, you'll be deafened by the hum of 401 00:22:24,759 --> 00:22:28,200 happy insects. So all the books don't just look to perennials. 402 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,599 Perennials are a great choice for supporting beneficial insects, but 403 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:33,680 shrubs can play an important role too. You just need 404 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,480 to know which ones to pick. So with that, we 405 00:22:36,559 --> 00:22:37,960 are going to take a little break and when we 406 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:39,519 come back, we'll be opening up the mail bag. So 407 00:22:39,519 --> 00:22:49,599 please stay tunt at proven winners color choice shrubs. We 408 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,519 know that a better landscape starts with a better shrub. 409 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,559 Our team of experts tests and evaluates all of our 410 00:22:55,559 --> 00:22:58,559 flowering shrubs and evergreens for eight to ten years to 411 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:03,079 ensure they outperform what's already on the market. For easycare, reliable, 412 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,960 beautiful shrubs to accentuate your home and express your personal style, 413 00:23:07,079 --> 00:23:09,799 look for Proven Winners shrubs in the distinctive white container 414 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:12,440 at your local garden center or learn more at proven 415 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:17,680 Winner's color choice dot com. Greeting's gardening friends, and welcome 416 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:21,440 back to the Gardening Simplified Show where I love talking 417 00:23:21,599 --> 00:23:22,599 about insects. 418 00:23:22,799 --> 00:23:24,839 Speaker 1: This is right in your wheelhouse stance. It is. 419 00:23:24,839 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 2: I love insects, and I think you know again you 420 00:23:28,119 --> 00:23:31,400 do need to Some people are naturally squeamish. I get it. 421 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:33,200 It's a big leap for a lot of people to 422 00:23:33,279 --> 00:23:36,880 suddenly start appreciating insects. But I mean, isn't that the 423 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:40,720 key to appreciating anything. Like I'm pretty terrified of snakes, 424 00:23:40,839 --> 00:23:43,240 but like, I still love seeing them, and I still 425 00:23:43,279 --> 00:23:47,079 have massive respect for everything that they do in the landscape. 426 00:23:47,279 --> 00:23:49,200 I'd never kill one. I mean, I might scream if 427 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,279 I see one, especially if it startles me. I'm grateful 428 00:23:52,319 --> 00:23:54,680 I don't get them in my yard, but I still 429 00:23:54,759 --> 00:23:57,640 understand that they're an important role in the ecosystem. 430 00:23:57,759 --> 00:24:02,799 Speaker 1: Well again, I think the bottom line here diversity and balance, 431 00:24:03,079 --> 00:24:05,799 and those are things we're looking for in the landscape. 432 00:24:05,839 --> 00:24:09,400 And when we see insects, we see things like I 433 00:24:09,519 --> 00:24:13,400 mentioned possums or snakes or whatever it may be. People 434 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:14,799 freak out over possums. 435 00:24:14,839 --> 00:24:17,359 Speaker 2: They do, and I don't know why. They are adorable. 436 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:23,839 They are so cute and so fascinating and just I mean, 437 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:27,839 they are only native marsupial. We have one native marsupial 438 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:32,640 in the US that is absolutely bonkers, and you know 439 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,200 we should all just be like hugging them instead of 440 00:24:35,519 --> 00:24:38,079 you know, running, screaming, or even worse, running them over. 441 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,119 Speaker 1: I think we should do a possum show sometimes. 442 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:43,640 Speaker 2: Oh yes, well, Adriana is one hundred percent on board 443 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:49,039 because I know she shares my love of possums. And yeah, 444 00:24:49,079 --> 00:24:51,839 I mean, you know, it's all about understanding. And once 445 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:58,039 you change your mindset from being scared to being informed, 446 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:00,720 you know you may not ever want to huggapossum. I 447 00:25:00,759 --> 00:25:03,200 very much do want to hug apossum, but even if 448 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:06,480 you never do, it still changes the way you think 449 00:25:06,519 --> 00:25:09,319 about them. To know more about them and their role 450 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:11,799 in the ecosystem and in their role in your ecosystem, 451 00:25:11,839 --> 00:25:14,839 in your backyard, and that's what this is really all about, 452 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:18,720 is seeing your little piece of earth as part of 453 00:25:18,799 --> 00:25:21,160 an eco as its own ecosystem as well as part 454 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:24,200 of the larger ecosystem of where you live. And that's 455 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:26,799 really what having beneficial insects is about. But it is 456 00:25:26,839 --> 00:25:29,480 our time to answer your gardening questions if you have 457 00:25:29,599 --> 00:25:31,680 any of those, And you can certainly ask us questions 458 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,000 about beneficial insects, because as you can tell, I would 459 00:25:34,039 --> 00:25:37,880 love to talk about bugs, good bugs, bad bugs. I 460 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:41,720 love it all, except for those smat of horn oroms. 461 00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,279 So if you have any questions that you do want 462 00:25:44,319 --> 00:25:46,079 to send us, you can leave them on the YouTube 463 00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:48,920 version of the show. We answer all of those. You 464 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:52,279 can also reach us at Gardening Simplified on air dot com. 465 00:25:52,319 --> 00:25:54,680 And I feel like we've seen like a real shift 466 00:25:55,319 --> 00:25:59,400 in the questions from you know, people kind of wondering 467 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:03,160 what's happening in their backyard to kind of wondering what's 468 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:05,160 going on with stuff they're finding at the garden center 469 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:06,519 because it is prime shopping time. 470 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:08,880 Speaker 1: Interesting, right, and yeah, that's true. 471 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:12,279 Speaker 2: You know. And so you sent me this question that 472 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:16,400 someone asked you and I thought it was a great question. 473 00:26:16,559 --> 00:26:20,559 So a listener, Steve asked Rick if you could trim 474 00:26:20,599 --> 00:26:25,839 the shoots on his standard limelight hydrange so tree form hydrangea, 475 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:31,160 and also that he was wondering what he should do 476 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:35,720 about the steak that came with his panicle hydrange. 477 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:40,519 Speaker 1: Yeah, Steve sent a picture and it essentially is a 478 00:26:40,559 --> 00:26:45,240 situation where the steaks are tied directly to the trunk 479 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:48,319 or the standard of this limelight hydrangea. And I see 480 00:26:48,319 --> 00:26:51,079 this all the time where people will move the plant 481 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:55,000 from the container into the ground in the landscape, leaving 482 00:26:55,079 --> 00:27:00,400 the stakes on that were there essentially for shipping perposeises 483 00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:05,279 or display purposes within the nursery, but not ideal for 484 00:27:05,559 --> 00:27:09,079 providing support to the plant once it's been put in 485 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:13,079 the ground in the landscape. So my recommendation to Steve 486 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:16,279 was go ahead and trim off the shoots on the standard, 487 00:27:17,039 --> 00:27:20,680 but then take off those steaks that are tied tightly 488 00:27:20,839 --> 00:27:25,000 to the standard or the trunk of that limelight hydrangea, 489 00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:28,160 because really, your best bet if you're putting a tree 490 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:32,200 in the ground or something like a hydrangea on a standard, 491 00:27:32,759 --> 00:27:36,440 you want a little wind movement with that plant. It 492 00:27:36,559 --> 00:27:41,200 strengthens the trunk, improves the taper at the base of 493 00:27:41,319 --> 00:27:44,640 the trunk. So I always put in steaks removed a 494 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:50,119 foot maybe two feet from the standard, and then tie 495 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:53,319 a tie that won't damage the bark of the plant 496 00:27:53,599 --> 00:27:56,920 but allows a little bit of movement to the trunk. 497 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:00,640 So take those take those stakes off that shipped with 498 00:28:00,759 --> 00:28:04,440 the product, because it's it's not ideal for the home landscape. 499 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:06,559 Speaker 2: Right And let's face it, if you were intent, if 500 00:28:06,599 --> 00:28:10,359 you were intended to keep these standard hydranges or lilacs 501 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:13,440 or physocarpus or whatever, there's lots of different plants that 502 00:28:13,519 --> 00:28:15,759 are grown as a standard or tree form that this 503 00:28:15,839 --> 00:28:19,079 applies to. If you were intended to keep it staked 504 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:21,640 for its lifetime, it would have been sold with a 505 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:26,119 lot more durable steak. There's a reason that those are like, yeah, 506 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:28,720 just like a weak steak that barely seems like it's 507 00:28:28,759 --> 00:28:31,839 appropriate to hold up the plant. It really is just 508 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,720 enough to stabilize it from shipping, because I mean, you 509 00:28:34,759 --> 00:28:38,480 certainly know plants get pretty beat up in the shipping process. 510 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,079 They're going from you know, who knows what state to 511 00:28:41,119 --> 00:28:43,519 your state. It could be several states away at least 512 00:28:43,519 --> 00:28:47,000 a several hour drive, and yeah, they're bouncing around in there. 513 00:28:47,039 --> 00:28:49,240 They get to the garden center, they're being offloaded, and 514 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:52,440 you know, people are at the truck clamoring give me mine, 515 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:55,759 give me mine, And so it's not you know, like, yeah, 516 00:28:55,839 --> 00:28:59,039 it's it's only there to get it through that and 517 00:28:59,079 --> 00:29:01,680 of course to keep things organized and nice at the 518 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:04,839 garden center. But yes, once it is home in your landscape, 519 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:09,720 assuming that the trunk feels sufficiently sturdy, you should remove 520 00:29:09,839 --> 00:29:12,559 that steak and let it grow without a secuse that 521 00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:15,880 really is the point that it shouldn't always need to 522 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:17,720 be stife to give it wiggle room. 523 00:29:17,799 --> 00:29:20,519 Speaker 1: And if you leave that little bamboo steak in there 524 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:24,000 tightly tied to the trunk, that's when we see plants 525 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:28,279 that are subject to wind eventually assume the position of 526 00:29:28,319 --> 00:29:32,240 a forty five degree angle and grow like that within 527 00:29:32,319 --> 00:29:35,599 the landscape, as opposed to being good and straight and 528 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:36,440 stone right. 529 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 2: So, if you do feel like your plant needs a 530 00:29:39,039 --> 00:29:44,519 little more time with a steak, definitely cut whatever string 531 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:48,480 or attachment point that the grower has used solely for shipping, 532 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,519 because that's usually not going to accommodate growth. Put in 533 00:29:51,559 --> 00:29:54,200 something new put in something soft, put it in a 534 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:56,440 figure eight so that it stays where it is but 535 00:29:56,519 --> 00:29:59,640 has room to grow, and then again, plan to remove 536 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:02,559 that a year or two at most down the line, 537 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,599 once you feel like it's actually sturdy enough to grow. 538 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:07,519 The point is that it is sturdy enough to grow 539 00:30:07,559 --> 00:30:10,559 on its own. So we got a question from listener Chelsea, 540 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:15,039 and she says, what would you recommend for a sunny 541 00:30:15,079 --> 00:30:18,279 yard that blooms the longest in the summer and attracts pollinators. 542 00:30:18,799 --> 00:30:21,000 I don't have much room and I want my garden 543 00:30:21,039 --> 00:30:24,559 to pack a punch. So that's a lot, right, Like, 544 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:29,279 how can you maximize flowering in pollinators in a small space? 545 00:30:29,359 --> 00:30:32,319 Speaker 1: It is, but I have learned from my experience one thing. 546 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:37,000 Just as a general broad brushstroke, anything that's in the 547 00:30:37,119 --> 00:30:41,359 astor family has a daisy like bloom. It's kind of 548 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:42,599 difficult to go wrong there. 549 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:45,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree. That is number one on my list 550 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:50,319 here for a plant selection criteria. So the big three 551 00:30:50,359 --> 00:30:52,960 when it comes to attracting pollinators are asta acey, which 552 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,160 is the daisy family. So anything that looks like a 553 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:58,319 regular daisy flower, it doesn't have to be white, can 554 00:30:58,359 --> 00:31:01,920 be typically very much yellow. But you know that really 555 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:04,720 classic look. And there's some members of the estu Ace 556 00:31:04,839 --> 00:31:08,039 that don't look at all like a classic daisy, like lyatrus. 557 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:10,440 So you want to look into the asta ace and 558 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:13,759 the different plants that are in there. Apac which is 559 00:31:14,079 --> 00:31:17,440 the formerly known as the Umbeliffer family. So this is 560 00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:21,279 going to be things like dill parsley, Queen Anne's lace. 561 00:31:21,359 --> 00:31:24,119 These are going to have that umbrella type flower with 562 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:25,599 lots and lots of tiny flowers. 563 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:28,440 Speaker 1: And if you're keeping score at home, Stacey, people will 564 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:31,839 often refer to them as umbo flowers. 565 00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:36,039 Speaker 2: Right, yes, because they look like an umbrellash I use 566 00:31:36,079 --> 00:31:41,680 your imagination. And then the Lammiace or mint family another 567 00:31:41,799 --> 00:31:43,839 big one. This one is easy to tell at the 568 00:31:43,839 --> 00:31:47,160 garden center because they very often have square stems and 569 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:49,839 they very often are aromatic. Even if they don't smell 570 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:51,720 like mint, they usually have some sort of aroma. And 571 00:31:51,759 --> 00:31:57,640 then they have these tubular lipped flowers or something like salvia. 572 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:02,640 Of course, Minarda Agastaki is a great choice, and in fact, 573 00:32:03,079 --> 00:32:05,559 when it comes down to recommending some specific plants for you, 574 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:09,160 Chelsea Agasaki is one of my number ones. Blue Fortune 575 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:11,880 Agastaki blooms so long in my garden and it is 576 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:13,839 just crawling with pollinators. 577 00:32:13,839 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 1: Also fantastic. Top of my list you mentioned it. 578 00:32:17,079 --> 00:32:19,599 Speaker 2: Salvia Salvia, I have great choice, lots and lots of 579 00:32:19,599 --> 00:32:21,759 different things to choose from. If you live in a 580 00:32:21,799 --> 00:32:25,599 warm or arid climate, you are spoiled for choice with 581 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:28,599 fabulous salvias. Those of us here in the Midwest not 582 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:30,519 quite so lucky, but we can still grow some very 583 00:32:30,519 --> 00:32:34,799 cool ones. So agastaki my number one golden rod gonna 584 00:32:34,799 --> 00:32:37,039 bloom a little bit later, but also a hot spot. 585 00:32:37,559 --> 00:32:39,640 I know. I have a bunch of golden rod in 586 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:44,000 my landscape, and I have at times counted fifteen or 587 00:32:44,039 --> 00:32:47,720 more different species on the plant at one time. New 588 00:32:47,759 --> 00:32:50,480 England aster another favorite. Something I see pollinators on that 589 00:32:50,519 --> 00:32:53,000 I don't see them on anything else. If you're growing 590 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:56,000 from seed Zinia, I mean you cannot go wrong with zinya. 591 00:32:56,039 --> 00:32:58,920 I am a full on Zinia convert I could not 592 00:32:59,039 --> 00:33:01,920 believe the hub of activity that my zinias were. Mountain 593 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:06,480 mint picknanthemum hard to say, getting easier to find. Not 594 00:33:06,599 --> 00:33:09,240 the showiest plant, but wow, that thing is also just 595 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:13,400 crawling with pollinators in the summer. Coreopsis is another good choice. 596 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:15,799 There are a lot of choreopsis on the market that 597 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:18,319 are less puminator friendly, so you want to do some 598 00:33:18,359 --> 00:33:21,279 research and look for some of the more unusual types 599 00:33:21,359 --> 00:33:26,240 of choreopsis to really do the job. I would also 600 00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:28,599 say make sure that you are dead heading or cutting 601 00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:31,279 back the plants. There's a lot of plants like Napata 602 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:34,359 is a great example. If you trim it back after 603 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:37,119 it blooms, then it can do summary boom. It's not 604 00:33:37,119 --> 00:33:39,240 going to be like the first bloom, but it will 605 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:41,480 put on some new growth. Intend to flower against. If 606 00:33:41,519 --> 00:33:45,359 you're intensively managing a small area, doing that dead heading 607 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:48,920 and trimming can help you get another flush of flowers 608 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:51,039 out of it. And my number one tip, I know 609 00:33:51,079 --> 00:33:52,480 you're gonna love this one. 610 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:55,519 Speaker 1: Bulbs got it, Alius, you got a. 611 00:33:57,480 --> 00:33:59,480 Speaker 2: Yeah. I've had hummingbirds on my aliums that are in 612 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,119 bloom right now. It's just been delightful. And bulbs take 613 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:05,039 up no room. Yeah, so everybody always has room for bulb. 614 00:34:05,079 --> 00:34:06,599 So I hope that was some good choices to get 615 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:10,039 you started, Chelsea. Also Camassia a bulb that I have 616 00:34:10,039 --> 00:34:13,559 blooming right now that is absolutely gorgeous and crawling with pollinators. 617 00:34:13,559 --> 00:34:16,039 So I could go on because again I'm talking about bugs, 618 00:34:16,079 --> 00:34:17,519 but you have to take a little break right now, 619 00:34:17,559 --> 00:34:20,199 and when we come back, we'll continue our conversation on 620 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:29,320 beneficial insects, So please stay tuned. Thanks for listening to 621 00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:32,280 the Gardening Simplified Podcast, brought to you by Proven Winners 622 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:35,639 Color Choice Shrubs. Our award winning flowering shrubs and evergreens 623 00:34:35,639 --> 00:34:38,800 are trialed and tested by experts with your success in mind. 624 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:43,360 Learn more at Proven Winners color Choice dot com. 625 00:34:43,559 --> 00:34:46,039 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show as we talk 626 00:34:46,079 --> 00:34:51,199 about one of Stacy's favorite topics, beneficial insects. And how 627 00:34:51,199 --> 00:34:55,280 about a fun limerick to start off this segment. As 628 00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:59,639 summertime temperatures get hotter, holding a beer in one hand, 629 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:03,599 you can spot her in a lawn chair is my grandmother? 630 00:35:04,159 --> 00:35:08,079 And what she holding in the other her lethal pink 631 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:13,280 bug swater. You've seen people like that, Yeah, But the 632 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:17,360 point here is many of these insects are very very 633 00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:20,880 important in our landscape. I'm not sure I don't think 634 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:24,480 we've mentioned yet the little alligators of the insect world 635 00:35:24,639 --> 00:35:29,880 lace wings to help control mites, aphids, leafhoppers, white flies, thrips, 636 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:36,320 mealy bugs, we've talked about lady bugs, dragonflies, birds and spiders. 637 00:35:36,400 --> 00:35:41,639 Even fish are natural predators of mosquitoes. Of course fish 638 00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:45,199 when mosquitoes are in the larval state. 639 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:48,400 Speaker 2: I think we need to go back to the little lions, 640 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:52,840 the little alligators rather that you call alligator. Lace wings 641 00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:57,920 are easily one of the best and easiest beneficial insects 642 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,679 to attract to your landscape. A lot of people don't 643 00:36:00,679 --> 00:36:02,960 even know what they are. I mean, I feel like, 644 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:04,920 you know, obviously, I follow a lot of gardening forums, 645 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:06,679 and I feel like every year there's a bunch of 646 00:36:06,719 --> 00:36:08,480 people who post a picture of a lace wing in 647 00:36:08,519 --> 00:36:10,400 their garden, going what is this? Is this a friend 648 00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:14,880 or a foe? They are absolutely beautiful. They are one 649 00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:19,039 of the most elegant and beautiful insects. There's this beautiful 650 00:36:19,199 --> 00:36:22,639 fresh jade green color, and then they have these marvelous 651 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:26,079 large wings, even though they're pretty small insects, these marvelous, large, 652 00:36:26,159 --> 00:36:30,039 lacy wings, and they fly so elegantly. And then, of 653 00:36:30,039 --> 00:36:33,159 course the best part is their eggs, because their eggs 654 00:36:33,159 --> 00:36:35,880 are laid on the underside of leaves on a little 655 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:39,119 elegant stalk with a little egg at the tip and 656 00:36:39,239 --> 00:36:41,639 it's just it's lovely and I get so excited and 657 00:36:41,639 --> 00:36:43,039 I find them all the time, and it's one of 658 00:36:43,039 --> 00:36:46,760 those things that you need to know what you're looking 659 00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:49,000 at to know what it is. Because now that you know, 660 00:36:49,039 --> 00:36:50,599 and you're going to look up a picture and Adriana 661 00:36:50,639 --> 00:36:52,599 will put some I'm sure in the YouTube version of 662 00:36:52,639 --> 00:36:55,920 the show, look for them and you will find them 663 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:58,760 because they are abundant. They're everywhere, and again it's that 664 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:02,760 larval stage that is their most loracious. But you want 665 00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:05,039 to make sure that you have the adults there with 666 00:37:05,159 --> 00:37:08,400 pollen so that they can reproduce lay those elegant eggs 667 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:10,519 in your garden and you can get all of that benefit. 668 00:37:10,719 --> 00:37:14,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, you bet. Uh. You know. For me, I like 669 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:17,840 to attract birds to my yard because I love birds 670 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:20,239 in my yard. But birds, of course are great for 671 00:37:20,639 --> 00:37:24,880 insect control. And it just causes me to look back 672 00:37:25,079 --> 00:37:31,320 and remember back to the nineteen seventies when our neighbors 673 00:37:31,519 --> 00:37:34,079 or you'd go to the campground, it was like everybody 674 00:37:34,159 --> 00:37:38,079 had a bug zapp Oh yeah, the nineteen seventies bugs 675 00:37:38,199 --> 00:37:43,800 zapper boom. They became backyard staples like the flotron and 676 00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:48,039 the stinger, and they had the ultraviolet lights and then 677 00:37:48,079 --> 00:37:51,000 you'd be sitting there and then there'd be a huge zap, 678 00:37:51,119 --> 00:37:53,840 some big bug would fly into it. 679 00:37:54,199 --> 00:37:56,480 Speaker 2: On the smell, the smell was ridiculous. 680 00:37:56,519 --> 00:38:01,559 Speaker 1: It was horrible using UV like burnt bugs, toasted bugs, 681 00:38:01,679 --> 00:38:05,199 using ultraviolet light to attract you know, and a lot 682 00:38:05,199 --> 00:38:07,960 of people did it for mosquitos, and when you think 683 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:15,239 about it, completely ineffective. These indiscriminate bug killers were completely ineffective. 684 00:38:15,840 --> 00:38:18,440 A mosquito is going to be drawn to bodies and 685 00:38:18,519 --> 00:38:23,320 heat and sweat. You're better off having Uncle Frank sitting 686 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:25,519 out there in a lawn chair with his shirt off 687 00:38:25,559 --> 00:38:28,639 holding a can of beer, sweating in the sun, if 688 00:38:28,679 --> 00:38:33,239 you want to try and zap some mosquitos. So it 689 00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:35,199 just causes me to go back and think of that. 690 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's pretty wild. Those like everybody ad them like 691 00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:41,840 they were doing something besides just indiscriminately zapping who knows 692 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:43,920 what and then stinking up your backyard barbecue. 693 00:38:46,199 --> 00:38:49,719 Speaker 1: Let's talk about some of these plants that you mentioned, 694 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:54,199 the lace caps, stacy and mumboles. So I think about 695 00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:59,039 Queen Anne's lace or cilantro dill. How do you feel 696 00:38:59,039 --> 00:39:00,360 about planting dill? 697 00:39:01,159 --> 00:39:05,199 Speaker 2: Don't get me started. I love dil. I love, love 698 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:07,440 love dill as a plant. I love it as a food. 699 00:39:08,039 --> 00:39:10,440 And the only thing that loves dill more than I 700 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:13,840 do is the pollinators. And yeah, it smells amazing when 701 00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:16,960 you're out there. Itself sows, which is great, so you know, 702 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:19,239 once you have it, you may not actually need to 703 00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:21,199 plant it again. I do find that I get the 704 00:39:21,239 --> 00:39:23,559 best still for actually using for pickles or whatever by 705 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:26,840 actually starting fresh seed deliberately every year. But I let 706 00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:29,599 it sow wherever it will. And yeah, you know the 707 00:39:29,679 --> 00:39:34,880 thing about the apac or the Umbill family plants, they 708 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:38,679 have a lot of tiny flowers, so they're really sized 709 00:39:39,239 --> 00:39:43,000 for all of these small beneficial insects that you know, 710 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:44,960 they get lost in a big flower. They can't get 711 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:47,159 the nectar out, so this is really perfect for them. 712 00:39:47,639 --> 00:39:50,400 If you have cilantro, and you know, we should talk 713 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:53,800 about cilantro because everybody thinks that their cilantro should look 714 00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:55,559 like what they get from the grocery store. Your cilantro 715 00:39:55,639 --> 00:39:57,920 will never grow that way. You will need to sew 716 00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:00,440 cilantro seed every two weeks for the de of the 717 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:04,559 summer if you want cilantro all season long. But if 718 00:40:04,599 --> 00:40:06,920 your cilantro does start to bolt or go to seed, 719 00:40:07,159 --> 00:40:10,920 let it those flowers. The insects love the flowers, and 720 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,639 then you can also get the seed. You can collect 721 00:40:13,639 --> 00:40:15,599 the seed from that, so you have your own supply 722 00:40:15,679 --> 00:40:18,119 of cilantro seed and you don't have to go refresh 723 00:40:18,119 --> 00:40:20,920 at the seed store every year with fresh cilantro seed 724 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:22,400 because you may get expensive. 725 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:27,639 Speaker 1: So, as we mentioned, anything in the Aster family, be 726 00:40:27,840 --> 00:40:35,159 balm penstemon, Potentilla heliopsis or fall sunflower of course, daisy 727 00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:41,440 like flowers Coreopsis, sweet alyssum, Galardia. Milkweed, yeah, of course 728 00:40:41,519 --> 00:40:43,480 has to be on the list absolutely, you. 729 00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:45,760 Speaker 2: Know, one of the classics. But in addition to its 730 00:40:46,760 --> 00:40:50,760 crucial role in the life of monarch butterflies, if you 731 00:40:50,800 --> 00:40:53,519 look at any milkweed in bloom on any day, you 732 00:40:53,559 --> 00:40:58,199 will see a whole host of different interesting insects feeding 733 00:40:58,199 --> 00:41:01,840 on those flowers. So it's not for the monarchs, and 734 00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:03,840 you don't have to worry. They're not taking anything away 735 00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:07,159 from the monarchs. They're they're welcome there too. And milkweed 736 00:41:07,239 --> 00:41:11,760 actually hosts a bunch of really interesting insects of its own, sharing. 737 00:41:11,519 --> 00:41:16,360 Speaker 1: In the bounty. Exactly. Redbeccia cone flowers. Of course, cone 738 00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:23,039 flowers very very important, tansy yarrow, and clover. We haven't 739 00:41:23,079 --> 00:41:26,760 mentioned clover yet either. Of course, we had the rabbit 740 00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:29,719 episode and that creates problems of its own right, but 741 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:36,599 clover also very very important. If you're interested in this topic. 742 00:41:36,760 --> 00:41:39,320 One thing you could do if you're keeping score at home, 743 00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:41,800 you want to go down a rabbit hole, so to speak, 744 00:41:42,280 --> 00:41:48,400 and do some reading. Extra floral nectaries. I got into 745 00:41:48,440 --> 00:41:52,239 that and started digging into that. So it's nectar producing 746 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:59,480 glands on stems or foliage. Sunflowers are big for extra 747 00:41:59,559 --> 00:42:06,800 floral nectaries. Anything like in the cherry family also will 748 00:42:06,880 --> 00:42:11,519 have extra floral nectaries. Kind of a fun thing, a 749 00:42:11,559 --> 00:42:15,199 fun rabbit hole to go down. And as I was reading, 750 00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:19,400 they also mentioned Stacy Elderberry is one. 751 00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:22,840 Speaker 2: Also that is interesting. You know, it's when we talk 752 00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:25,760 about sort of the daisy family as being you know, 753 00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:29,679 the flag chip for pollinator plants and again for pollinator 754 00:42:29,679 --> 00:42:32,880 by extension, these beneficial insects. A lot of people don't 755 00:42:32,920 --> 00:42:37,119 realize that a daisy is not one flowers. It's an 756 00:42:37,199 --> 00:42:40,559 inflorescence made of many, many, many tiny flowers, and that's 757 00:42:40,559 --> 00:42:43,440 the key. Lots and lots of tiny flowers. The other 758 00:42:43,480 --> 00:42:46,440 great thing. If you look closely at a daisy family 759 00:42:46,519 --> 00:42:50,840 member flower this season, they open over a really long period. 760 00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:54,480 So even though to your eye the flower appears unchanged, 761 00:42:54,519 --> 00:42:57,559 it's just you know, that standard sort of ring of 762 00:42:57,719 --> 00:43:00,599 yellow or white or whatever petals and in the center 763 00:43:01,239 --> 00:43:02,800 it looks the same every day to you. But from 764 00:43:02,800 --> 00:43:06,639 an insect perspective, every single day there are different interior 765 00:43:06,679 --> 00:43:10,119 florets opening, revealing fresh nectar. And that's why there's such 766 00:43:10,159 --> 00:43:12,039 a hub of activity. They tend to bloom a really 767 00:43:12,079 --> 00:43:15,360 long time, so they really are one of those plants 768 00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:18,239 that you can't, you know, can't really go wrong with. 769 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:22,000 Speaker 1: That's a great way to phrase it, hub of activity. 770 00:43:22,079 --> 00:43:25,559 You're right. I had mentioned ants in the first segment 771 00:43:25,599 --> 00:43:29,320 only because I'm fascinated by ants, and of course ants 772 00:43:29,360 --> 00:43:35,519 are perfect for really bad puns. They are import ant you. 773 00:43:35,800 --> 00:43:38,920 I don't want to anttagonize you with my puns. I'll 774 00:43:38,960 --> 00:43:44,159 stop now. But people really go crazy over ants and 775 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:49,840 unload a lot of chemical sprays on. 776 00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:52,679 Speaker 2: Ants, and you know, sometimes ants can be a problem. 777 00:43:52,880 --> 00:43:53,920 Speaker 1: They can in your house. 778 00:43:54,360 --> 00:43:56,639 Speaker 2: But you know, really I think ants, you're right, they 779 00:43:56,679 --> 00:43:59,960 should get more respect beneficial because if you have carpenter 780 00:44:00,119 --> 00:44:03,199 ants in your house, the ants aren't the problem. The 781 00:44:03,239 --> 00:44:06,119 wet wood that is bringing the carpenter ants in. And 782 00:44:06,159 --> 00:44:08,840 they're doing you a favor before you have like major, 783 00:44:09,079 --> 00:44:12,719 you know, house damage by saying like, hey, we're here 784 00:44:12,719 --> 00:44:14,440 because you got some wet wood. We'll take care of 785 00:44:14,440 --> 00:44:16,519 that for you. But you might not like what happens next. 786 00:44:17,039 --> 00:44:20,039 So it's really it's they're doing you a favor and 787 00:44:20,119 --> 00:44:23,280 they should be thanked. I mean, I'm just saying. It's 788 00:44:23,360 --> 00:44:25,199 it's like when I say, what people freak out about 789 00:44:25,199 --> 00:44:27,760 the spiders in their house, exactly, don't freak out about 790 00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:29,679 the spiders in the house. Freak out about the reason 791 00:44:29,719 --> 00:44:32,440 the spiders are there, because there is something that is 792 00:44:32,480 --> 00:44:36,679 insufficient supply that they are, you know, making a good existence. 793 00:44:36,679 --> 00:44:38,840 Speaker 1: People always freak out and look at me as though 794 00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:41,719 I'm weird. I always pick up the spider and take 795 00:44:41,760 --> 00:44:47,000 it outside. I don't smash it. No, But anyhow, earwigs 796 00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:52,639 can be beneficial in the garden, natural pest controllers, active decomposers. 797 00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:56,920 When I was in Costa Rica, I love the leaf 798 00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:01,440 cutter and watching them go up and oh boy, and 799 00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:04,000 you know, That's the thing about ants for me that 800 00:45:04,079 --> 00:45:08,599 fascinates me as an insect is they are such hard 801 00:45:09,119 --> 00:45:14,760 workers there. They work so hard. It makes me wonder 802 00:45:15,440 --> 00:45:19,679 why ants always have the time to show up at picnics. 803 00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:22,599 How can they have time to show up at picnics 804 00:45:22,639 --> 00:45:23,639 when they're working so on? 805 00:45:23,800 --> 00:45:26,039 Speaker 2: That's true, but you know it is a good food supply. 806 00:45:26,079 --> 00:45:27,559 They can't resist that anyhow. 807 00:45:27,599 --> 00:45:31,719 Speaker 1: And of course for our friends down south, fire ants 808 00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:35,199 are no joke out scary. 809 00:45:35,360 --> 00:45:38,360 Speaker 2: Definitely. If you have fire ants in your home or 810 00:45:38,360 --> 00:45:40,559 in your yard, you need to manage the fire answers. 811 00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:44,440 Your mileage may vary with ants. It's very difficult to generalize. 812 00:45:44,519 --> 00:45:48,559 There are so so many ants. But as with anything else, IPM, 813 00:45:48,760 --> 00:45:51,679 learn which ants you have, why they're there, what their 814 00:45:51,679 --> 00:45:54,800 life cycle is, and use that information to manage them 815 00:45:54,840 --> 00:45:59,840 intelligently instead of just you know, spying empty. 816 00:46:00,119 --> 00:46:03,880 Speaker 1: I can of Rick exactly beingle Well. This was fun, Stacy, 817 00:46:03,960 --> 00:46:06,679 thank you, thank you, Rick, Thank you Adrianna. Thanks for 818 00:46:06,719 --> 00:46:09,360 watching us on YouTube, listening to the podcast in the 819 00:46:09,480 --> 00:46:12,960 radio version of the show. Have yourself a great week.