Departments of Plant Pathology and Entomology
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
North Carolina State University


Photograph of Flower Beds at NCSU Arboretum ORNAMENTALS
AND
TURF



North Carolina Pest News
Volume 12, Number 20, September 5, 1997
Stephen J. Toth, Jr. and Thomas A. Melton, editors

Caution!
The information and recommendations in this newsletter are applicable to North Carolina and may not apply in other areas.


Photo Gallery of Insects and Mites on Ornamental Plants


From: James R. Baker and Stephen B. Bambara, Extension Entomologists


Get Started on Peachtree Borer Control

It is getting late in the season to apply Dursban or Thiodan for peachtree borer control on flowering almonds, flowering peaches and Carolina cherrylaurels! Landscapers, nurserymen and amateur horticulturists should be warned not to procrastinate, but apply a protective pesticide barrier to the bark at the base of the trees (there is no need to spray the upper branches or leaves). The moths closely resemble paper wasps, but of course the peachtree borer moths do not sting. The moths emerge throughout the growing season, but the great majority of them are in flight between August 15 and September 15. Consequently, most of the borers can be preventively controlled by spraying with Dursban around September 1. The moths lay eggs at the base of peaches, plums and ornamental cherries. From these eggs hatch tiny, white caterpillars that bore into the bark and form a tunnel in the cambium at the base of the tree. If several borers infest a tree, the cambium may be completely girdled beneath the bark and the tree will die. One caterpillar in a small tree will kill it. The borers pupate inside the infested tree during late spring or summer and then emerge as moths a few weeks later.


Mites on Privet

Privet mites are in the family of false spider mites. They are tiny, flat, orange to red mites with some spots and strongly textured on top. False spider mite eggs are red and cylindrical. Privet mites were first described from goldenrod and besides privet they feed on azalea and other flowering shrubs, palms, ivy, ash, mums, colus and fuchsia. Plants infested with false spider mites often slowly decline in appearance. Privets turn yellow and azaleas turn brown and the leaves drop. With their microscopic, needle-like mouthparts, false spider mites puncture the host plant and suck out the juices. This causes a pale spot which may later turn brown. Infested shrubs then slowly turn yellow or reddish-brown. This damage resembles that of spider mites, but the onset of symptoms is much slower. Dursban, Joust and some other pesticides are labeled for mites. These products should give adequate control. Ornamentals and Turf Insect Information Note 47 explains the biology of false spider mites and provides recommendations for chemical control.


Twolined Spittlebugs

Twolined spittlebugs are small (1/4 inch), dark insects that resemble overgrown leafhoppers. They have two orange lines across the wings. As these small insects fly, the dark red abdomen shows conspicuously. In late summer and early fall, the adult twolined spittlebugs fly to hollies (and other plants) to feed. They cause hollies to become splotchy and yellow and cause the leaves to drop prematurely. Female twolined spittlebugs lay their eggs in turfgrasses. The eggs are inserted into the plant stem or between the stem and leaf sheath. When the nymphs hatch from their eggs, they begin to feed. Spittlebugs suck sap from the plants with their needle-like mouthparts. As the nymphs feed, they excrete the spittle which protects them from predaceous mites and insects. Because spittlebugs feed on turfgrasses near the soil, their numbers may be high without being noticeable. Only after the adults emerge is the seriousness of an infestation realized. Use Decathlon, Dursban or Orthene for twolined spittlebugs management on hollies in mid to late summer. Ornamentals and Turf Insect Information Note 97 explains some of the biology of twolined spittlebugs and provides recommendations for chemical control.


From: Rick L. Brandenburg, Extension Entomologist


Insect Pests of Turf

Fall armyworms are present in turf throughout the state. This alert should be of particular interest to those persons who are seeding areas to cool season grasses and those who will be overseeding warm season grasses. Fall armyworms prefer these areas and can completely destroy a newly-seeded stand. Keep a close watch on these situations for the next two months. Green June beetle damage is finally appearing in many locations. These pests have been present, but the dry weather slowed their development and surface activity.


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Web page last updated on September 8, 1997 by Stephen J. Toth, Jr..

This Web version is a cooperative effort between the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and the Center for Integrated Pest Management