Two-spotted spider mite Common Insect Pests of Central Virginia Dan Nortman Extension Agent, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Horticulture York/ Poquoson Oak mite damage Aphids • Piercing mouthparts • Honeydew • Reduce vigor • Many different species and hosts • Tended by ants Aphids Aphids • Monitor for distorted foliage • Monitor for honeydew, sooty mold • Monitor for natural life stages note “tail pipes” enemies distortion of birch leaf 1 Scale insects Sedentary, Piercing mouthparts, hatchlings are the Scale Life Stages only mobile stage (“crawlers”) • Armored scales • Soft Scales – Small (1/8th – Larger (1/4 inch) inch) – Hemispherical – Shield – Crawlers – Crawlers –Dormant oil – Dormant oil Soft scale: Cottony maple scale Cottony maple scale Homoptera, Soft scale: Soft scale: Wax scale Oak lecanium scale scale with crawlers parasitic wasp adult scales infested boxwood infested branch 2 Homoptera: Armored scales Euonymus scale gloomy scale obscure scale parasitic wasp tea scale Oystershell Scale Lepidosaphes ulmi San Jose Quadraspidiotus perniciosus •1/10” •1/16” •Oyster-shaped chestnut brown •Circular, smoky black with gray ring •Fruit and shade trees •Fruit and shade trees •Ornamental shrubs •Ornamental shrubs •Over 130 host plants •Over 60 host plants •2 generations •3 generations •Treat May 1-20 and July 15-25 •Live born Spittlebug Brown Marmorated Stinkbug • Invasive exotic • Causing major damage on several types of plants – Especially vegetables – Heavy crape myrtle feeders – Tree Fruit • House invader • Lots of stuff to kill – Plant specific 3 Harlequin bug Hemiptera: Harlequin bug • Harlequin bugs are common on kale, mustard, and other crucifers (cole crops) including weeds. • Type of stink bug • yellow spots http://insects.tamu.edu/images/insects/color/harleq2.jpg Harlequin bug Hemiptera: Squash bug • Squash bug is common in spring and late summer • all cucurbits • Causes wilted leaves, low fruit production http://www.uidaho.edu/so- id/entomology/Home_&_Garden/squash%20 bug.jpg Hemiptera: Azalea lace bug Squash bug, Hemiptera life stages 4 Azalea Lace Bug Scarabaeidae • Monitor • Scarab beetles – Overwintering • Lamellate antennae population • Leaf feeders, some decomposers – Adult emergence • Common landscape • Selective spraying and garden pests: (sunny areas) – Japanese beetle • Follow-up – Rose chafer – Lawn grubs monitoring – June beetles Japanese beetle Japanese Beetle • Very wide host range • Foliar devastation- Rosaceae • Lawn trouble • Lawn insecticides- targeting grubs • Milky spore- works selectively • Exclusion- Hand pollination may be required • Shake into a soapy bucket Japanese Beetle Other Beetles 5 Locust Borer Twig Girdler • Common borer in • Chews a ring on a black locust twig to feed and lay an egg • Generally won’t kill the tree • Twig dies, larvae develops in dead part • Twig falls off of tree • Many hosts – Pecan, hickory, oak • Collect and burn fallen twigs Curculionidae Weevils • Two groups • Wide variety of hosts – Weevils • Some common pests – Bark beetles – Boll weevil • Weevils have snout, – Plum curculio bark beetles don’t • Common in stored grains • Weevils feed on plant • Botanical insecticides material • Not usually a problem • Bark beetles are for the home pests in wood gardener Bark Beetles Damage comparison • Small, brownish beetles • Some eat wood • Others eat fungus that they “farm” • Systemic insecticides are best Bark Beetle Buprestid 6 Mexican Bean Beetle Meloidae • Blister beetles • Can be devastating in • Spanish Fly large numbers • Leathery elytra • Attacks most legumes • “Fleshy” bodies • Planting early can • Occasional pests help Chrysomelidae Colorado Potato Beetle • Orange and black stripes • Leaf beetles on elytra • Most common garden • Very, very destructive pest • Prone to resistance – Colorado potato beetle • The bane and funding – Spotted and striped cucumber beetle source of many, many – Asparagus beetle entomologists Most common Defoliators are Eastern tent caterpillar caterpillars: Lepidoptera • Control when small • Healthy trees will refoliate again or next season Yellownecked larva caterpillar eggs Image from Barb Leach tent 7 Eastern tent caterpillar: pest of wild Gypsy moth cherry and some fruit trees • Trees will put out leaves again • Prune egg masses Nov.-Mar. • Remove small tents manually laying eggs • Apply insecticides to tents • Migrating last instar larvae cannot be controlled • Recreational caterpillar burning: DO NOT mature larva torch tents defoliated forest Gypsy moth - Gypsy Moth treatments • Remove accessible egg cases • Apply burlap bands to selected trees • Check mid May or June • Fourth instar or later • Pupae pheromone traps • Egg masses Indicates need to treat next year • Apply duct tape coated with adhesive • Avoid Preferred hosts • Treat – Bt – Dimilin trapping with burlap bands Eastern Tent Caterpillar vs. Gypsy Fall Webworm Moth • Highly Polyphagous • Loves Pecan • Damage unsightly, but usually negligible larva Gypsy Moth Eastern Tent Caterpillar 8 Bagworm Lepidoptera: Bagworms Lepidoptera: Orangestriped Imported cabbageworm: oakworm Lepidoptera http://www.hort.uconn.edu/ipm/veg/pics/icw2.jpg adults larvae Tomato Hornworm Tomato hornworm • Tomato hornworms are late summer defoliators • hand-pick, keep parasitized worms • Tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta • Tomato hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata 9 Sesiidae Dogwood Borer • Look for sloughing bark • Clearwing moths near graft or damaged • Soft bodied vs. beetles sites • A native pest that can be • Larve develop in a serious tree fruit pest cambium • Take advantage of graft – Overwinter under bark sites – Will often chew to the – Facilitates egg laying outside for emergence • Beetle counterparts, adults help Peach Tree Borers Peach Tree Borers • Maintain tree health •Synanthedon exitiosa • Peachtree borer Isomate mating • Peachtree Borer disruption •Synanthedon pictipes – Pheromone based • Lesser peachtree borer – Females release a plume •Cherries, peaches, plums, – Males track the plume apricots – MD causes males to follow false plumes, decreasing mating Sawflies • Hymenoptera pest • Pests of evergreens and other plants Good Bugs • Caterpillar like larvae • 6+ pairs of prolegs – Caterpillars have 2-4 10 Ladybird beetles Lacewings • Larvae are voracious • “Little gator” larvae • Adults also feed • Adults feed on nectar • Probably saved organic soybeans in MI Syrphid Fly Cecidomyiid larvae • Larvae are excellent • Small larvae, excellent predators predators • Adults are nectar feeders Parasitic Wasps Tachinids 11 Minute Pirate Bug • Great predators on Dan Nortman thrips and spider Virginia Cooperative Extension mites Extension, Agriculture and Natural • Can bite Resources, Horticulture 100 County Drive, Yorktown, VA 757-898-4940 [email protected] 12 .