PB1623-Decision Making Handbook for Insect & Mite Pests of Ornamental Plants
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds UT Extension Publications 5-1999 PB1623-Decision Making Handbook for Insect & Mite Pests of Ornamental Plants The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_agexdise Part of the Entomology Commons, and the Plant Sciences Commons Recommended Citation "PB1623-Decision Making Handbook for Insect & Mite Pests of Ornamental Plants," The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service, PB1623-1.5M-5/99 E12-2015-00-196-99, https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_agexdise/18 The publications in this collection represent the historical publishing record of the UT Agricultural Experiment Station and do not necessarily reflect current scientific knowledge or ecommendations.r Current information about UT Ag Research can be found at the UT Ag Research website. This Home, Lawn & Garden Insects & Pests is brought to you for free and open access by the UT Extension Publications at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Agricultural Extension Service The University of Tennessee PB 1623 1 Frank A. Hale, Associate Professor Entomology and Plant Pathology Introduction ________________________________________________________________________ 3 Making Decisions about Pest Control ____________________________________________________ 3 Insect and Mite Management Alternatives _________________________________________________ 4 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) a Definition ____________________________________________ 5 The Control Options __________________________________________________________________ 5 Cultural Controls _________________________________________________________________ 6 Chemical Controls ________________________________________________________________ 6 Biological Controls _______________________________________________________________ 9 Factors Critical to Pesticide Performance ________________________________________________ 10 Understand Insecticides/Miticides before Using Them _______________________________________11 How to Protect Yourself When Using Pesticides ___________________________________________ 13 Honey Bee Protection________________________________________________________________ 14 Precautions for Avoiding Plant Injury ___________________________________________________ 14 Insecticide/Miticide Application Equipment ______________________________________________ 14 Alternative Products _________________________________________________________________ 15 Oils ___________________________________________________________________________ 15 Soaps — Fatty Acid Salts _________________________________________________________ 16 Botanical Insecticides ____________________________________________________________ 17 Microbial Insecticides ____________________________________________________________ 17 Entomophathogenic Nematodes ____________________________________________________ 18 Detection and Monitoring of Insects and Mites ____________________________________________ 19 Preventive Pesticide Applications ___________________________________________________ 19 Alternative Tools and Strategies for Timing of Controls __________________________________ 19 Degree Days: Their Calculation and Use in Management of Turf and Tree/Shrub Pest _____________ 21 Reason for Using Degree-Days _____________________________________________________ 21 Temperature Thresholds___________________________________________________________ 21 Methods of DD Calculation ________________________________________________________ 21 Table 1. DD50 Units for Days with Varying Maximum and Minimum Temperatures ___________ 21 Conversion of Degree-Day Units____________________________________________________ 22 Determining Degree-Day Targets for Pests ____________________________________________ 22 Degree-Day Targets for Ornamental Plant Pests ________________________________________ 23 Table 2. Common Names, Scientific Names of Insects and Degree Days (DD 50) Affecting Ornamental Plants ____________________________________________________ 23 Degree-Day Accumulation Chart____________________________________________________ 25 2 Credit: This publication was adapted from “Insect and Mite Control on Woody Ornamentals and Herbaceous Perennials,” Bulletin 504, an Ohio State University Extension publication authored by D.J. Shetlar, Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. commonly cause damage before their presence is Attractive, vital landscape plants contribute signifi- detected. This chronic lack of vigilance often results in cantly to real estate values. On the other hand, poorly plant damage and causes unnecessary use of large maintained landscapes may become a liability, especially amounts of pesticides. Scheduled plant inspections and if trees or their parts fall and cause property or bodily use of spot-spraying to control small but building injury. This realization, coupled with increased leisure infestations of pest species are superior ways to minimize time to enjoy our yards and more discretionary income for damage from arthropods. landscaping and landscape maintenance, has contributed to This publication has been prepared to inform users dramatic increases in the demand for nursery products and about the insect and mite pests that commonly attack competent service personnel. At the same time, concerns landscape plants, when these pests are most vulnerable to for environmental quality and safe use of pesticides control measures and currently available control options. require that plant health care activities, including pest The following narrative is included to help plant produc- control, provide quality plants without creating adverse ers and landscape management practitioners understand side effects. This is the challenge for anyone dealing with the basic principles involved in making responsible and plant propagation, production or maintenance. effective pest control decisions. The nursery industry produces a diverse array of plant materials for landscape use. In many cases, these plants are native to North America and are not seriously damaged by insects or mites on native sites. However, when these same plants are grown under nursery condi- tions or in a landscape, native arthropods sometimes Arthropod presence on a valuable plant does not become pests. Although we do not know precisely why necessarily mean that an effort should be made to this occurs, it is undoubtedly related to site factors that eliminate it. If the plants are in nursery production and if create instability in plant-insect relationships. Either the the organism is an acknowledged pest species, then it effectiveness of natural enemies, including other should be controlled as soon as it becomes vulnerable to arthropods and microorganisms, that normally minimize an efficient control tactic. However, the arthropod might reproductive success is reduced, or the plants become be a beneficial species or a pest species at a low enough stressed so they are more attractive or susceptible to density on a landscape plant that control is not necessary. opportunistic colonizers. Perhaps both regulating Several factors are considered sequentially to determine mechanisms commonly break down when plants are the need for indirect or direct action. grown on non-native sites, especially under stressful conditions like those found in the urban forest. Of course, many pests that damage landscape plants The first step when an arthropod is detected is to were introduced in the absence of natural enemies that determine its identity. Many insects found on landscape normally limit their exploitation. Japanese beetle, black vine plants are transients or beneficials, part of the natural weevil and gypsy moth are examples of exotic insects that community that helps keep pest species at low levels. It is have become extremely common and damaging in North extremely important to conserve beneficial arthropods like America. Although major efforts have been made to lady beetles, green lacewings and parasitic wasps by using introduce parasites and predators of some introduced pests, pesticides only when they are needed. Extension agents, they must usually be controlled with pesticidal sprays when specialists and landscape maintenance personnel can help their density threatens plant vitality. In any case, potentially identify common arthropods, both pests and non-pests. damaging arthropods are common on landscape plants. Once an insect or mite has been identified as a pest Since most of us take plants for granted or at least species, its biology and seasonal life history can be fail to inspect them periodically, insects and mites obtained to determine how and where it feeds, damage 3 symptoms, number of generations it completes each year, of pressure to force the spray to the top of the trees. This the kind of plants it infests, stage(s) and time(s) when it undoubtedly must be done by a commercial operator. is vulnerable to control tactics and current control From what has been said so far, you probably options. All of this information is then used to determine realize that a person confronted with a pest problem may the best strategy for dealing with the pest.