Cedar-apple rust

Most people consider daffodils and chirping birds as signs of spring, but some plant diseases are also seasonal signs. Cedar apple rust is one of those diseases. The pathogen (a fungus) spends part of its life cycle on a juniper/cedar tree, and the other part of its life cycle on apples, crabapples, hawthorns, or quince. To simplify, we'll just call them "apple hosts."

Within the next few weeks or so the rust galls on junipers will start to become active. Orange "horns" will start to poke out from the brown, brain-like galls. There is a similar disease called cedar-quince rust that forms globs of orange goo on junipers.

Those jelly-like orange masses on the junipers produce spores that infect the apple hosts. Once infection occurs, lesions on apple leaves develop in 1 to 3 weeks. Eventually, fungal spores are produced in these lesions, and the spores are spread by wind and rain back to junipers starting in about July. Without both hosts the fungus can't complete its life cycle.

The disease looks dramatic on junipers, but it does not cause any harm. The rusts can cause problems in the apple host. If infection is severe, many leaves drop off early and the tree is weakened due to reduced photosynthesis. However, if your tree only gets a small amount of rust each year it probably won't be an issue for long-term tree health. For new plantings consider planting a rust-resistant variety and you won't have to worry about this disease. For any apple tree, proper pruning will allow air movement through the canopy, and this reduces the leaf wetness that promotes disease. Maintaining overall tree health will also help prevent the disease.

Homeowners with a bad history of this disease (severe defoliation) might consider preventative fungicide sprays on the apple hosts when leaves are out and the orange galls are active. For best control, applications should continue through May or as long as the orange galls are active.

Products with the active ingredients myclobutanil or propiconazole are examples of materials labeled for cedar apple rust management in flowering crabapples and non-fruiting apples. Some myclobutanil products are labeled for fruiting apples. However, in all cases, make sure you check the label carefully. For example, the myclobutanil product Immunox Plus is labeled for rust on flowering crabapples, but not for fruiting/eating apples, as it contains an insecticide along with the myclobutanil ingredient. In contrast, Immunox Multi-Purpose Fungicide is labeled for fruiting apples. If your local store does not carry products for fruit trees you might be able to order online .

Ants in the Home

Ant home invasions typically start after the weather warms. A few "scout" ants search for food and water. When they find what they are looking for, they lay down a chemical trail to show others the way. If the homeowner can trace the ants back to a nest, control is simple. Spraying the nest with a labeled insecticide will take care of the problem. Unfortunately, nests are often outside the home and can be extremely difficult to find. Also, ants are so small that finding and caulking all potential entry points is usually not practical. Treating the trails is another tactic that may give temporary relief but normally does not work over the long term; the ants simply find another way.

In the end, we are left with two strategies: sanitation and baits. Eliminating crumbs, grease, scraps or other food will discourage ant invasions. Ants consume the most easily accessible food.

That's why baits are effective. By using bait the ants like, we trick the insects into taking the insecticide back to the nest where it is fed to the queen and other members of the colony. Over time, the nest will be destroyed.

There are a number of commercially available homeowner formulations that contain both the bait and insecticide and come pre-packaged in a child-resistant station. If ant activity increases around the newly set bait station, don't worry. The insecticides are meant to be slow acting so the product can be transported back to the colony before the worker dies. Unfortunately, not all ants are attracted to the same baits. Also, the food preference of ants may change over time. If one bait product isn't attractive, try another. Select baits that are formulated for the specific ant you are trying to control be it the small black sweet-eating ant, or the larger black carpenter ant.