Shimat V. Joseph
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The spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula (White) (Fig. 1), is a non-native planthopper that can feed on a wide range of trees in the USA. SLF is native to China, India, and Vietnam and was first detected in Pennsylvania in September 2014. Since its initial detection, SLF has been confirmed in 17 additional states: New…
Posted in: Ornamental pests -
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 -
Owning or caring for a tall fescue lawn? Bentgrass green in the golf course? Then it’s time to scout for Brown patch (caused by Rhizoctonia solani) and Pythium blight (caused by Pythium spp). These diseases are often the most serious diseases on cool season grasses, especially on tall fescue, bentgrass and ryegrass in Georgia. Brown…
Posted in: Turfgrass disease -
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The aesthetic and commercial value of turfgrass can be jeopardized by feeding or the mere presence of insect pests (Potter and Braman 1991). If we take a vertical section of turfgrass, it can be broadly subdivided into three zones – above ground, thatch, and below ground (Williamson et al. 2015). Many pest insects occupy and…
Posted in: Beneficials -
Bumble bees (Fig. 1) are prone to catch your attention by their sonicating buzz or conspicuous and colorful appearance. They are robust, fuzzy-looking insects with varying bands of coloration and a hairy abdomen- a characteristic that differentiates them from the look-alike carpenter bees. Carpenter bees have bald abdomens. Similar to honey bees, bumblebees are in…
Posted in: Beneficials -
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