 |
Ornamentals and Turf |
There is no connection with the recent release of the movie Spiderman with the current activity of the giant resin bee (Megachile sculturalis). This introduced bee lives in old carpenter bee holes, or any narrow cavity or tube 5/16 inch wide or wider. It slightly resembles a bumble bee, but is much slimmer. These bees generally, do not sting, and do not damage the buildings they inhabit. They do pollinate trees and shrubs, such as goldenrain tree, privet, kudzu and others. Carpenter bee females are quietly visiting flowers at this time, as are also the giant resin bees. No control measures would seem necessary. For more information, consult Ornamental and Turf Insect Note No. 110.
The orangestriped oakworm is sometimes very abundant on oaks in summer. They occasionally feed on other hardwoods as well. The moth is brown in color with a white spot and a dark stripe on each forewing. The moths emerge in June and July and deposit their eggs in clusters of several hundred on the underside of oak leaves. The eggs hatch in about a week. The tiny, green caterpillars eventually grow into attractive black caterpillars with yellow or orange stripes running lengthwise along their bodies. These caterpillars have a prominent pair of spines or slender horns sticking up behind the head. Young caterpillars feed in groups whereas older caterpillars tend to be solitary, although there may be thousands of caterpillars on a single tree. Small trees are sometimes defoliated completely by mid summer.
As the caterpillars mature, they are often seen crawling along sidewalks, driveways and yards. These caterpillars may wander for a considerable distance while searching for a place to pupate. You can step on these without fear, as long as you have on shoes. They dig into the soil three or four inches and pupate there. There is usually one generation per year, and the caterpillars overwinter as pupae in the soil. Control is complicated by the size of many of the infested trees. Most people do not have sprayers that can reach very high into shade trees, and by the time the caterpillars descend and crawl about on the soil they are extremely resistant to pesticides. Fortunately, late summer defoliations are much less damaging to the health of trees than early spring defoliations. In most cases it is probably better to rely on birds, diseases and parasites to lower the population next year.
If these are a perennial problem, one could consider boosting the paper wasp population with nest boxes in the spring (see http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Other/note121/note121.html).
Boxwood leafminer adults may be long gone, but the larvae they left behind are now busy. They are now feeding inside of boxwood leaves, causing blisters to form. They overwinter as larvae and adult flies will emerge in early spring shortly after the boxwoods have put out their new growth. There is only one generation per year. Adults are controlled in the spring, but larvae can be controlled now. A recent study in Maryland indicated that Merit applied at this time of year is effective for control of the larvae. Avid and Orthene insecticides were not effective for summer control.
Employment and program opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.
Last modified on July 12, 2004 by Stephen J. Toth, Jr.
