Pest Activity -- April 4, 2003

Pest Activity > Pest Activity Archives > April 4, 2003

Welcome to the Woody Ornamental Pest Scouting Report for Western Pennsylvania for April 4, 2003, brought to you by Penn State Cooperative Extension.This message will be updated weekly with growing degree day counts and insect activity through the end of June. If you would like an email copy of this report, send your request to mcm2@psu.edu.

As of April 2, the following growing degree days with a base temperature of 50 degrees have accumulated:

Uniontown	149	Franklin
New Stanton	92	Meadville	57
Pittsburgh	98	Erie	41
Wexford	72	Mercer	75
Prospect	29	Harbor Creek	38

New or Recent Activity:

Eastern Tent Caterpillar hatched out this past week in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties. The tents are approaching 1-2 inches in length and the larvae are in early instars. Mechanical removal of the tents and eggmass can be done at this time. The insecticide B.T. is effective against the eastern tent caterpillar when the larvae are under one inch long and sprays are directed toward the foliage surrounding the tents since the material must be injested. If using a contact insecticide, be sure to apply when the caterpillars are feeding outside of the tents. While not practical in all situations, the tents and caterpillars can be removed by hand at this time. The best time to do this is early morning and evening, when the caterpillars are in the tents.

Hemlock Rust Mites are very active in Southwestern Pennsylvania at this time.

Overwintering Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgids on Douglas-fir in Westmoreland County are starting to develop the white waxy strands that make pesticide controls less effective. Please check the Penn State Woody Ornamental Insect, Mite, and Disease Management Guide for registered control materials. If you decide to use imidacloprid (Marathon or Merit) to control the adelgids, be sure to monitor during late spring and early summer and then again in the fall for outbreaks of spruce spider mites.

Evidence of feeding on the terminals of Eastern White Pines was spotted in Westmoreland County this past week. Nurseries or landscapes with a previous history of White Pine Weevil problems should be scouting Eastern White Pine, Norway Spruce, Oriental Spruce, and Colorado Blue Spruce at this time looking for evidence of recent feeding. Control materials should be directed to the top of the tree if feeding injury is present.

The Crystal Ball

European Pine Sawfly eggs are swelling and larvae should be emerging in the next 7-10 days.

Overwintering Southern Red Mite eggs should also be hatching in the near furure.

Inkberry Leafminer adults should also be arriving on the scene in the next couple of weeks if the seasonably warm temperatures continue.

The next scouting report will be on Friday, April 11.