UNL Extension in Adams County

08/24/2026

This is a tricky situation. Unfortunately there are no easy fixes.

Without knowing which herbicide is to blame, we can’t know for sure how long its residual effect will be on your garden. Some types of herbicide can last for years in the soil.

There are very few labs that test for the presence of herbicide in a soil or plant sample. Also, signs of herbicide contamination can mimic environmental stress or disease/pest issues. It's important to ask your county's Extension Horticulture professional for a full assessment of the situation.

If you suspect herbicide contamination or have it confirmed, you have options in how to deal with it:

> Remove all of the contaminated soil and replace it with a soil mix that you trust (the quickest fix);

> Encourage a faster breakdown of the residual herbicide by promoting soil microbial activity through frequent tilling, watering, and fertilizing (slow fix);

> Add activated charcoal or biochar to the soil to bind the herbicide (slow fix);

> If you notice that certain plant types are growing in your garden, the herbicide was selective for some plant types but not others, giving opportunity to plant a non-sensitive crop that can bioaccumulate the herbicide (slow fix).

Whichever option you choose, you need to do a bioassay pot test on your garden soil to check for continued contamination before planting again. You can do this at home.

Learn more from your county’s Extension horticulture professional; find yours at https://hles.unl.edu/

If in Adams County, call Rita Brhel at (402) 461-7209

08/21/2026

08/20/2026

5 Tips When Donating From Your Garden:

1) Let the food pantry know you're coming, when, and what you're bringing

2) Bring common - Donate produce that most people know how to prepare and cook with (such as cucumbers, melons, peppers, potatoes, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, etc.)

3) Bring only the best - Skip the produce with blemishes, soft spots, or are overly ripe

4) Bring as it was in the garden - Don't wash the produce or cut out blemishes

5) Bring fresh - No processing, not even peeling, slicing, or home-canning/freezing

These guidelines all have something in common -- ensuring that whatever home-grown vegetable or fruit that you're donating stays fresh for as long as possible to help feed as many people as possible

For gardening info, contact your county's University of Nebraska Extension horticulture professional; find yours at https://hles.unl.edu

In Adams County, call Rita Brhel at (402) 461-7209

For info on how to cook with or can/freeze your garden produce, check out online tips at https://food.unl.edu/seasonal-produce/

08/07/2026

By your description, it sounds like the insect you’re seeing is a cicada killer.

We start seeing them when cicadas start singing, and they'll gradually disappear after cicadas stop singing for the season.

These solitary wasps grow up to 1-3/4 inches long. The bodies of cicada killers are black with three broken bands of yellow on their hairless abdomen. They have large, rust-colored eyes, wings, and legs.

Cicada killers scare many people because of their size, but they are generally harmless. The males do not even have a stinger. The females do have a large, visible stinger but will not sting people unless she feels threatened.

The reason for the stinger is to paralyze a cicada, after which she carries it to her nest located in an underground burrow. She then lays an egg in the nest and begins anew with another burrow. The larval wasp hatches a few days later and feeds on the cicada. The larva pupates in the spring, and the adults emerge in late June to July.

While the female digs the burrow and hunts for cicadas, males patrol the nesting area, flying fast and erratically to scare away animals and people. Remember, though, that males cannot sting!

The main complaint, once people get past the size of these insects, is that they dig holes in yards and gardens. Cicada killer burrows are most likely found in well-drained, sandy soil in full sun with sparse vegetation. Common places include under porches, in sand boxes, and at the edges of sidewalks, driveways, retaining walls, and post holes. The holes measure half-inch in diameter with a U-shaped mound of sand at the entrance that can be easy to confuse with a rodent burrow. But the female cicada killer is prolific: It's not unusual to see 25-plus burrows in a small area.

If a cicada killer becomes a nuisance, a short-term way to deter their nesting behavior is to apply mulch to an ideal nesting site (bare ground with sparse vegetation) or keep the site excessively wet. In the long-term, consider changing the environment of these nesting habitats to be shaded.

In some situations, an insecticide may be warranted. Since cicada killers are beneficial insects, check with your county’s University of Nebraska Extension horticulture professional to consider options; find yours here: https://hles.unl.edu/

In Adams County, call Rita Brhel at (402) 461-7209

08/05/2026

If your tree's leaves are sticky, that sap may not be sap at all - but honeydew.

Honeydew is the sugary, liquid excrement of sap-feeding insects like aphids and scale. Their activity in a tree can produce enough honeydew to coat anything parked under the canopy.

Even though it's a headache to deal with honeydew, treatment may not be warranted. A mature, healthy oak tree's overall health is generally not affected by sap-feeding insects.

Still, it's important that you have your tree assessed. We want to be certain that this is indeed what is happening with your tree and to rule out any other issues that may complicate your tree's health. Contact your county's University of Nebraska Extension horticulture professional; find yours at https://hles.unl.edu/

In Adams County, call (402) 461-7209 and ask for Rita Brhel.

07/27/2026

There are a few possibilities. And not all are pests!

It may be a dogbane beetle, fiery searcher caterpillar hunter beetle, green June beetle, Japanese beetle, or another insect. Your beetle may be chomping on your plants or it may be pollinating or even eating a problem bug! If it is chomping on your plants, your beetle could be native and easy to manage, or it might take more strategy to control. It all depends on which insect is causing all the bother!

For an accurate identification and recommendation of how to deal with your green beetles, send a photo of the insect or drop off a sample with your Extension horticulture professional; find yours here: https://hles.unl.edu/

In Adams County, call Rita Brhel at (402) 461-7209

07/25/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1PLrHexn9M/