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The pesky pollinator

As temperatures climb and we approach the midpoint of summer, gardens throughout the Mahoning Valley are buzzing with activity. However, there is one type of species buzzing around, the Xylocopa Virginica, more commonly referred to as the carpenter bee, which homeowners have mixed feelings about. Arriving in April to early May, carpenter bees are welcome visitors in our gardens for their pollinating purposes, but can become unwelcomed guests when the females begin to bore holes into wooden structures to build their nests. Carpenter bees resemble and are often mistaken for bumblebees. ...

Storm-battered oaks face second threat

In the wake of recent severe storms in Canfield, Boardman and elsewhere, homeowners are busy clearing debris and assessing broken branches. However, university researchers warn that for oak trees, the most significant danger may not have been the wind itself, but a silent, fungal killer waiting for an invitation. Oak wilt, caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum, is a devastating disease that clogs a tree’s vascular system. Once infected, the tree’s water-conducting vessels — the xylem — become blocked by fungal mycelium and the tree's own defensive structures called tyloses. ...

Calendar

Here are upcoming gardening events through the Ohio State University Extension Office. For more information and a complete list, contact: • OSU Mahoning County Extension Office, 490 S. Broad St., Canfield. 330-533-5538. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. • OSU Trumbull County Extension Office, 520 W. Main St. Suite 1, Cortland. 330-638-6783. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Plant and Pest Clinic You can submit your questions by calling the Mahoning County office at 330-533-5538 or emailing us at ...

DEAR ANNIE: Americans in Italy aren’t looking to cause stir

DEAR ANNIE: My wife and I are Americans living in a small village in Italy, in an area popular with tourists. Recently, I contacted my sister and her husband from the states and expressed our interest in having them visit us and stay at our house, since we haven’t seen them for many years. We’re all retired, they easily have the means to make the trip, and our house has plenty of room. Her reply caught me unprepared. She said that they were expected by their church to do a mission outside the U.S. and, based on my invitation, they were requesting Italy as an assignment. I am a ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Figure out which diet works best

DEAR HELOISE: I’m trying to lose some weight before my son’s wedding in December. There’s so much controversy about what to stop eating and which diet plan is best. At 61, with bad knees, I am not going to the gym, not running in a marathon and wouldn’t last on a diet that would starve a gerbil. Any hints for a chubby woman in her 60s? — Patty W., in River Falls, Wisconsin Patty, please make it your first priority to see a doctor and get a clean bill of health, as well as suggestions for a diet that you can stick to without spending a small fortune. Most diets that use ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Biologicals for pain have major side effects

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but my rheumatologist hasn’t been helpful in finding a medication that I’m not allergic to for alleviating joint pain. I’m only 68. I saw the term “biological” medication for RA in one of your recent columns. What is this, and do you have any advice? — B.R. ANSWER: RA is an autoimmune disease that may affect other organs besides the joints, including the heart and lungs. While initial treatment for RA may include powerful conventional medicines against the immune and inflammatory system, a “biological” ...