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 Many of the commonly grown fall crops require about 50 days
before harvest, and this group includes beets, kohlrabi, green
beans, Swiss chard, turnips, and transplants of broccoli,
cabbage, and cauliflower. A few shorter time required crops are
leaf lettuce and spinach at 40 days, and radishes at 25 days. An
average date for our first killing frost in the fall is October
10. Back off of this date by the days required for maturity of
your crop, add a week to get them germinated, and we are at the
latest date for many of the crops to get a crop this season. As
you can probably figure, average weather means only the shortest
maturity crops.
You should remove all the residues from former crops and weeds
before planting. It is also a good idea to add some fertilizer,
such as 12-12-12, at the rate of one to two pounds per 100
square feet. Then till to incorporate the fertilizer and
remaining debris, as well as loosen up the soil. Late summer
plantings often require some additional water, and sometimes a
little shade to offset some of the hot soil temperatures we can
encounter.
If you aren’t into fall gardening, you might consider options to
extend what you have growing now. Covering plants for the first
expected frosts can add weeks to the season. The use of row
covers, hotbeds, and coldframes is even more of a sure thing.
Cicada Killer Wasps
With lower numbers than some years, and a later appearance than
normal, the cicada killer wasps have returned! They are actually
considered beneficial insects because they control cicadas. This
wasp gets its common name due to the fact that it hunts and
supplies its nest chambers with a cicada or other large insect
such as a katydid, which becomes a food source for the young
cicada killer. Cicada killers are a nuisance pest, especially
when nesting in large numbers in a play area or near the house.
People get concerned because the cicada killers resemble giant
yellowjackets (or the often reported but not confirmed Asian
Killer Hornet).
Cicada killers are about 2 inches long and black to red, with
yellow banded markings on the abdomen. The head and transparent
wings are reddish brown. They are not dangerous, but they are
intimidating.
Cicada killers are solitary wasps, with the female digging a
6- to 10-inch burrow (1/2 inch in diameter) in the ground. A
pile of soil typically surrounds the entrance.
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The female locates and stings a large insect such as a cicada or
katydid and then brings it back to the burrow. She places the
insect into a chamber and lays an egg on it; sometimes she puts
two in a burrow but lays an egg on only one. She then covers the
burrow, digs another, and repeats the process. The egg hatches
into a grublike, legless larva that consumes the paralyzed
insect. Full-grown larvae overwinter in the burrow, pupate in
the spring, and emerge as an adult during the summer, usually in
July and August.
Male cicada killers establish aerial territories and patrol for
intruders. A male cicada killer drives off other males that
enter his territory and attempt to mate with females. Anyone
else walking into the territory is typically confronted by a
very large wasp, which hovers in front of the face and zips to
the side and back. However, after determining that the
"intruder" is not a rival, the wasp ignores the individual.
Cicada killers are unlikely to sting a person. Wasp and bee
stingers are modified egg-laying devices (ovipositors), so males
are not able to sting. Females may sting if crushed, either by
being stepped on with bare feet or grabbed with bare hands.
Cicada killers are more common in areas with bare soil, so
mulching, planting ground covers, or putting down sod can reduce
problems. Applying permethrin or Sevin (some suggest the Sevin
dust gives better control) to the burrowed area should kill
females in high traffic areas.. Once females are gone, males
leave. In home yards, sandboxes can be covered with a tarp when
not in use, as this deters the wasps (and also keep cats out).
Sand below swings, jungle gyms, or other playground equipment is
a popular site for the cicada killer. Raking the sand may
discourage the wasps, or you could use mulch instead of the
sand.
[By JOHN FULTON, COUNTY EXTENSION
DIRECTOR SERVING LOGAN, MENARD, AND SANGAMON COUNTIES]
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