BDN speaks with Dill about early season pests

The Bangor Daily News spoke with Jim Dill, pest management specialist with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, for an article about pests that plague gardens during the early season. “Probably the number one thing I’ve been getting calls on [recently] is aphids,” Dill said. “They seem to be pretty prevalent on everything from ornamentals to garden plants.” Large populations can stunt the growth of a plant and cause parts of the plant to die, or cause mold to grow on leaves, according to Dill. He recommends hosing off plants to remove aphids. Dill also discussed flea beetles, imported cabbageworms, cutworms, slugs, cucumber beetles, and ways to manage each pest in the garden. “You should go out there every day and look at things,” Dill said. “It seems like sometimes with them they do the damage overnight. Observation is the key.” WGME (Channel 13) carried the BDN report.