Re: CULT: ? identifying borers

Linda,

That is how they start out. They grow as they eat, and they just keep eating
all the way down the fan and into the rhizome. Once they hit the rhizoome it
is hog-off time. They get a couple of inches long and about as big around as
a pencil. The head turns a shiny deep chestnut, and the body turns a
mid-tan-pink.
I have seen them hollow out an entire rhizome, and contrary to popular
wisdom,
on many occasions have seen two in a rhizome. If you find damaged fans while
they
are still at the 3/8" stage, if you start at the base and run your fingers
up the fan
with a moderate squeeze, you will usually be rewarded with a nice little
'pop', and
that borer goes to heaven.  It is not too late at this stage to treat with
cygon 2E.
Once they reach the rhizome, forget it.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Linda Mann" <lmann@volfirst.net>
To: "iris- talk" <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 11:29 AM
Subject: [iris] CULT: ? identifying borers


> After rumaging in the photo archives and looking at pictures and
> comments about iris borers, I'm not sure that what was attacking that
> one clump of iris here were iris borers.
>
> They are definitely borers, and they were eating an iris, but they are
> small - biggest ones are about 3/8 inch (1 cm) long, translucent
> greenish white, with black heads.  They seem to be the same borer type
> that occasionally are in bloomstalks and pods here, but sure were doing
> the kind of damage to that clump that I've seen described as iris borer
> damage.  Munching sides of new leaves forming inside the fan.
>
> Does this sound like the 'iris borer' that folks farther north have so
> much trouble with?
> --
> Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
> East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.korrnet.org/etis>
> American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
> talk archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-talk/>
> photos archives: <http://www.hort.net/lists/iris-photos/>
> online R&I <http://www.irisregister.com>
>
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