Shimat V. Joseph
-
The Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis, ALB; Fig. 1) is an invasive insect pest native to China and North and South Korea that threatens many hardwood trees in forests and landscapes in the USA. The pest is also referred to as the roundheaded borer because the segment below the head is round-shaped. The larval stages of ALB…
Posted in: Ornamental pests -
The juniper scale, Carulaspic juniperi (Fig. 1), is a sporadic pest of juniper, cypress, and cedar trees in nurseries and landscapes in Georgia. Native to Europe, the juniper scale is now widespread in the eastern US. It is an armored scale where the wax cover is not a part of the insect body but rather…
-
The box tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis (Fig. 1) is an invasive pest of boxwood (Buxus spp.). It was introduced in New York in 2021 and is now reported in Michigan, Ohio, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and South Carolina—and a distribution center in Tennessee. It is not reported in Georgia. The native range of box tree moth…
-
Scale insects are very common pests of landscape trees and shrubs yet are often overlooked when scouting. They can, however, be responsible for chlorosis, branch dieback, or, ultimately, death of the plant. Wax scales fall into the soft scale group as they produce soft, cottony, powdery, or waxy covers that cannot be separated from the…
-
The dogwood borer, Synanthedon scitula (Harris), can be a destructive pest of many ornamental trees in nurseries and landscapes. Adults of dogwood borer are moths (Fig. 1). Because the wings of these moths are clear, they are referred to as clearwing moths. The name “dogwood borer” was derived because they readily attack flowering dogwood, Cornus florida L., common in…
-
In North America, the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus) (Fig. 1), is special as it is a classic example of a great migration. They travel on air currents and cross > 3000 miles in winter to reach the overwintering sites. Broadly, there are two populations of monarch butterflies based on their migration patterns, and they…
Posted in: Beneficials -
The billbug pest complex (Sphenophorus spp.) has increased in importance in turfgrass systems throughout the U.S. in recent years, causing significant losses to sod farms, golf courses, and the landscape care industry, maintaining residential, commercial, and public lawns. The hunting billbug, Sphenophorus venatus vestitus Chittenden, is the most destructive species in warm-season grasses. Adult female…
Posted in: Turfgrass insect pest -
Distribution Thrips parvispinus is an invasive thrips species recently reported in Georgia (Fig. 1). It is widespread in Florida. In 2020, it was first reported and identified in the continental US from Florida. Previously, it was reported from Hawaii. It is native to Asia (such as China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines) and…
Posted in: Ornamental pests -
The lantana lace bug, Teleonemia scrupulosa Stål(Tingidae: Hemiptera), is a serious pest of lantana (Lantana camara L.). Although lantana is regarded as an invasive weed in the U.S. and worldwide, many popular cultivars are sold and planted in residential and public ornamental landscapes and gardens. Previously, the lantana lace bug was introduced deliberately to several countries…
Posted in: Ornamental pests -
The fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury)(Lepidoptera: Erebidae) (Fig. 1) is a polyphagous caterpillar pest of ornamentals and trees in Georgia. It is known to feed on more than 600 species of plants including row crops, herbaceous plants, shrubs, fruit and ornamental trees in orchards, nurseries and landscapes. Fall webworm larvae construct a silk web nesting…
Posted in: Ornamental pests