No. 5/June 22, 2022
Modified Growing Degree Days June 21
Insect development is temperature dependent. We can use degree days to help predict insect emergence and activity. Home, Yard, and Garden readers can use the links below with the degree day accumulations above to determine what insect pests could be active in their area.
Twolined Chestnut Borer
Twolined chestnut borer (Agrilus bilineatus) is a small, native, jewel beetle (Family: Buprestidae) that bores into American chestnut, black oak, bur oak, chestnut oak, live oak, pin oak, post oak, red oak, scarlet oak, white oak and, occasionally, beech trees.
Spongy Moth: A New Name for an Old Pest
The pest we formerly knew as gypsy moth is now called spongy moth (Lymantria dispar)!
New Guide Available on Handling Pesticide Drift Complaints
Pesticides play an important role in managing pests, but they must be used responsibly and according to label directions so that they don’t endanger people, pets, livestock, plants, and the environment. While there is much work done to educate pesticide users about safety and most applications are made according to label directions, cases of misuse still occur unfortunately. The most common type of pesticide misuse is pesticide drift and when it occurs, emotions can run high while seeking answers. Additionally, time is of the essence.
Dothistroma Needle Blight and Brown Spot of Pine
Dothistroma Needle Blight and Brown Spot are two fungal diseases of pine with nearly identical symptoms. They are caused by different pathogens and tend to appear on different host species. Austrian and ponderosa pines are the most common hosts for Dothistroma needle blight. Scots and red pines are resistant to this disease. Brown spot is mainly a problem on Scots pine, but other pines are also susceptible.
PAMS Approach to IPM
When you see an insect or weed, is your first impulse to reach for a pesticide and spray the problem away? Sure, it gives you immediate satisfaction to know that the pest has been sprayed and should die, and we hope that nothing comes back in its place. But what if there is something that we could have done to prevent this from even happening. Some basic principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) include the PAMS method. PAMS stands for Prevention, Avoidance, Monitoring, and Suppression.