Dona M. Crawford For the Times Herald-Record
Q: Will the yellow jacket wasps in the nest near my back door live through the winter? -Frank, Kingston
A: Most wasps and hornets die during the winter. Yellow jackets, which are wasps, die out with the cold weather, with the exception of the queen. The queen will seek a sheltered spot, either indoors or out, and will restart the colony in the spring. If you don’t want them back by your door next year, see if you can find the queen this winter and destroy her, or keep an eye out in the spring and spray the nest at dusk while it is small and just beginning.
Q: What are the large dead spots in my lawn that have been appearing and getting bigger since Labor Day? -David, Kerhonkson
A: Grass dies out for many reasons. It could be environmental, like the wrong seed for the sun exposure in that area or poor drainage. It could be damage from grubs feeding on the roots. To check for grubs, carefully lift a one-foot section of turf and check if there are more than 10 white grubs in the area. If so, you’ll need to use some type of grub control. It could also be a fungal disease. During this past really wet summer there was no part of the landscape that escaped fungus problems. Turf problems are exacerbated by stress. A soil pH test is recommended to see if you have good growing conditions for grass. Much of the soil in our area is a little too acidic for grass to thrive without amendments.
Q: When is it too cold to compost? - Alex, Shokan
A: The microbes responsible for breaking down compost prefer weather in therange of 70 to 90 degrees F. However, if you are actively composting, the center of the pile is probably much warmer than the outside. If you want to try to continue composting throughout the winter, you will need to supply soil or brown material to cover the table scraps. Some gardeners actually bag their autumn leaves for such a purpose and a way to keep the pile moist, but not wet. Both moisture extremes prohibit microbial activity.
The ideal compost bin size for effective composting is 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet.
It might be a better idea to use an alternative method once temperatures start staying below 70 degrees F. You could try composting indoors in a container or with worms.
Dona M. Crawford is the community horticulture educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County.
