Pest Activity -- May 31, 2002

Pest Activity > Pest Activity Archives > May 31, 2002

Welcome to the Woody Ornamental Pest Scouting Report for Western Pennsylvania for May 31, 2002, 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 May 29, the following growing degree days with a base temperature of 50 degrees have accumulated:

Uniontown	567	Franklin	447
New Stanton	511	Meadville	365
Pittsburgh	531	Erie	337
Wexford	440	Fairview	250
Prospect	409	Harbor Creek	266
Mercer	402

The periodical cicada or 17 year locust continue to emerge from the ground in parts of western Pennsylvania and they have begun their "singing". Approximately 10 days after emergence, the females mate and begin egg laying. Physical exclusion of the insect from the terminals of young trees is the only way to prevent the female adults from slitting the twigs to deposit eggs and killing the twigs.

Bagworms have just started to hatch with an early siting in Pittsburgh on eastern white pine.

Euonymus scale crawlers are active in many areas this week. Thorough coverage is essential for adequate control especially with Euonymus fortunei or Wintercreeper Euonymus which can have very dense foliage.

Other insects that remain active are:

Elm leaf beetle larvae.

Elongated hemlock scale crawlers.

Pine needle scale crawlers have started to settle in many parts of western PA.

Fourlined plant bug nymphs

Locust leafminer adults

Spruce spider mites

Baldcypress rust mites

Honeylocust plant bug adults

Honeylocust spider mite adults

Birch leafminers larvae

Southern red mite adults

Hemlock rust mites

The next scouting report will be on Friday, May 31st.