Are you growing melons, pumpkins, squash, or cucumbers? If the answer is yes, Michigan State University needs your help with its volunteer Squash Bee Citizen Science Project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Organic Program. And no, you don’t have to be an organic gardener to help. “We would like to collect a large amount of data from a large geographic area,” explains Zsofia Szendrei, associate professor of entomology at Michigan State University,

Almost everything I have planted is growing successfully - a testament to research and luck. However, the weeds are beginning to get the best of me. I weeded this past weekend for several hours and noticed that where I watered every other day, I could easily pull them out. Where I missed with the sprinkler, it’s as if the weeds are stuck in concrete. I spend hours weeding at one end of the garden and they get out of control at the opposite end. Starting with the Three Sisters

Bee Flight Paths There are a few different methods and some things to watch out for when putting something in front of the hive. In general, bees prefer a nice long flight path too and from their hive, without obstruction. (See Diagram E) This allows them to freely come and go from the hive and minimizes collision and effort. If you live in a neighborhood or have your hives near your home or barn and would prefer to raise the bee flight path up above your head, you can put a

“Oh, what a pretty bug” was my initial thought when I found a squash vine borer (Melittia satyriniformis) resting on a catnip leaf earlier this week. It’s a moth-family insect I wasn’t familiar with and after reading about it, I felt rather sick. This is what finished off my melon plants last year. The borer deposits tiny, copper-colored eggs on the tops and undersides of squash, gourd, or melon leaves; or on the stems, the larvae crawl over to the vine base, chew into the vi