CULT: Iris borer

From: "Nancy Coffey" <ncoffey@netrover.com>

Hi folks,

I'm surprised that I haven't seen anything lately about iris borer, but
I just discovered it in my garden and have been digging up EVERYTHING.
We are having a heat wave and it's like a sauna out there, but so many
of my clumps are affected that I have to do it now. I had planned to
divide a lot this fall but have been forced to do it at a bad time, for
the iris and for me.

I'm cutting out the borer or discarding the rhizomes and burning them.
I'm also watching for pupae but haven't seen any yet. Once I get all of
this done, I will clean up the dead leaves as they appear and burn
them, but is there anything else I should be doing? I understand that
there is no use applying Cygon until spring. I try to stay away from
chemicals but this infestation is so widespread that I think I will
treat them all in the spring.

It seems to be a better year for mosquitoes and deer flies, but much
worse for earwigs, rose chafers, and borers. I picked hundreds, maybe
thousands, of rose chafers off my peonies and drowned them in soapy
water. It's never been that bad before.

I've never seen an iris borer before but now I know what you have been
talking about. My skin is still crawling!

Nancy Coffey
Bowmanville, Ontario zone 5a


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