Watch for these common pests this Spring! An infestation could leave your lawn looking sparse and your plant-life looking frail. If one of these pests isn’t causing your plants to die, call a landscaper trusted in Lancaster, Wyomissing, and Allentown.
Eastern Tent Caterpillar
Their egg masses hatch mid-March through mid-April depending on temperature. The egg masses (pic attached) are easy to spot wrapped around small branches on last year’s wood. Most commonly found on crabapples, they can be pruned off prior to hatching.
Once hatched, they form a tent (pic attached) usually at a branch crotch and live inside it. If they have already spun the tent you can easily remove it using your hand or a broom handle.
This removal method is best accomplished early morning or early evening when the caterpillars are all in the nest. Depending on the height of the webs and the severity of the infestation you may need to use chemicals to eradicate the problem. The most bio-rational product that will target the caterpillars but won’t harm beneficial insects is called Bt-bacillus thuringiensis. It works by spraying it on the leaves then as the caterpillars ingest it they starve to death. Must be used early when caterpillars are ½” or less. One nest full of adult caterpillars can consume all the leaves of the tree they are living on so it is best not to let this insect run its course.
Aphids
Their eggs over-winter on the plants and hatch in early spring. The colonies multiply rapidly and feed on, in most cases, the plants new growth. They are pear-shaped and can be black, brown, purple, red, green or yellow. Their damage causes stunted growth, deformed and curling leaves, thinning growth and weak flowering. They produce a sticky substance called Honeydew which falls onto cars, decks and furniture. Sooty mold then grows on the honeydew and can cause more plant problems. The Honeydew attracts ants and yellow-jackets which feed on the excrement.
Although it is possible to control the aphid population by introducing Lady Bird beetles and their larvae in addition to other beneficial insects, chemical control will probably be necessary.
In order not to kill the beneficial insects, a soil drench of Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control can be used with fast action and almost total control.
Azalea lace bug
Their eggs over-winter on the undersides of the leaf in the veins. The nymphs hatch in April/May depending on the accumulated Growing Degree Days. Their piercing sucking mouth parts remove fluid and chlorophyll from the leaf causing a tan appearance to the upper surface. You can find nymphs, adults, skin casts, and tobacco juice-like excrement on the lower leaf surface. Higher infestations will occur in sunnier locations.
An early spring soil drench of Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control offers excellent control of their damage. Keep in mind when damage occurs it will last until the next year. The color on the leaves will not be restored.
European Pine sawfly – eggs are inserted in needles the previous fall. Hatch occurs in April/May of insects that are greenish-gray caterpillar like with shiny black heads. They immediately begin to feed in groups on the previous year’s needles. They can consume almost all the second year growth before they drop to the ground in late May. They pupate and remain in the leaf litter until the adults hatch in September and lay eggs in the new needles.
Bayer Advanced Garden Tree and Shrub Insect Control applied as a soil drench in early spring provides excellent year-long control.