Gardening
for Your Watershed – August
2004
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Topics in this issue:
- Conserving Water in Your Yard and Garden, Part II
- Pest of the Month: European Paperwasp
- Garden-Variety Weeds
- Worm Bin Mini-Classes
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Conserving Water in the Garden, Part II
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With the unusually dry weather this summer, rain barrels are attracting more and more interest. They’re an easy way to capture and store rainwater from your roof for use during the dry season. Some people have just a single barrel, while others have elaborate systems set up to catch enough water to supply their gardens all summer long.
Rain barrels are fairly easy to make, requiring a barrel (which can be gotten for free at commercial car washes, or purchased for very little at a place like Z Recyclers or Cenex), a drill, and some hardware. For specific instructions on how to build your own rain barrel, click here.
If you’re going to the Northwest Washington Fair this year, the WSU Master Composters/Recyclers will be teaching a mini-class on making rain barrels on Thursday, August 19, at 10 a.m. Their booth is under the grandstand.
If you’re interested in attending a future class on making rain barrels or installing a home drip-irrigation system, please contact Scarlet Tang or call 360/676-6876.
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Pest of the Month: European Paperwasp
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This summer, you may have noticed a lot more insects that look like yellowjackets
buzzing around your house. Chances are that you didn’t stick around
to take a close look, but if you did, you might have seen that they were
actually European paperwasps, which was first recorded in Washington
state in 1998.
With their black and yellow warning stripes, Polistes dominulus is often confused with the yellowjacket. The easiest way to distinguish them is their nesting habit. Unlike yellowjackets, who build either paper aerial nests or underground nests, paperwasps create nests that are only one cell deep, forming a single comb and resembling an upside-down umbrella.
Paperwasps are an early-season predator of insect pests, making them a valuable addition to your landscape. They are generally difficult to annoy and can even outcompete yellowjackets and other wasps.
However, they do tend to like to build their nests near or in houses, which can cause problems for your family. And if you find a nest in your mailbox, your postman would probably appreciate its removal. The best time to remove the small combs is in April and May, when only the queen is present and before the first brood hatches.
At this time of year, treat nests on a cool night, when wasps are relatively inactive, with an aerosol insecticide. If you choose to use an insecticide, follow the directions on the label exactly--it’s a legal requirement.
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Garden-Variety Weeds
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This spring, Whatcom County Water Resources and the Whatcom County Noxious
Weed Control Board teamed up on a fact sheet on
common garden weeds.
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Worm Bin Mini-Classes
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In addition to the rainbarrel mini-class, WSU Master Composters/Recyclers
will also be teaching mini-classes on making your own worm bin at the
fair. One class will be on Monday, August 16 at 4 p.m., and the other
will be on Thursday, August 19 at 3 p.m. Both classes will be at the
Master Composters/Recyclers booth under the grandstand.
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This newsletter
is produced by Whatcom County Extension. To subscribe or unsubscribe,
or to make comments and suggestions, please contact Scarlet
Tang or
360/676-6736.
