Plant feeding mites can cause serious damage in turfgrass systems, and drought-stressed turfgrass is particularly prone to mite infestation. Mites are generally active in turfgrasses from spring into fall. They feed on plant sap and, in some cases, also inject toxins into plant tissues or manipulate plant growth, thereby producing…
Read More
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…
Read More
Chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis (Fig. 1) is a recently invasive thrips species in the United States. Currently, chilli thrips infest more than 150 crops worldwide including strawberries, cotton, tea, citrus, and peppers as well as many ornamental plants. The pest has become increasingly problematic in nurseries because of its wide…
Read More
The redheaded flea beetle (RHFB), Systena frontalis (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (Fig. 1) is a serious insect pest in ornamental nurseries. It is also referred to as cranberry flea beetle in cranberry and blueberry systems in the northern US. The adult RHFB causes serious feeding damage to the foliage of a variety…
Read More
Introduction The sugarcane beetle (Euetheola humilis, family: Scarabaeidae) (Fig. 1) has been an important pest for over 100 years in many crops, including sugarcane, corn, sweet potato, and rice. It is a native species and is commonly found in turfgrass. A low number of beetles in an area is not…
Read More
In the 1800s the multiflora rose was introduced into the United States from Japan, China, and Korea. Beginning in the 1930s, the USDA encouraged the use of multiflora roses because they were said to be ideal for erosion control and living fences, making them a popular choice for planting throughout…
Read More
Tea scale, Fiorinia theae (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) (Fig. 1), is a serious economic pest of several ornamental plants in nurseries and landscapes in Georgia, including camellias and hollies. Tea scale is an armored scale that causes chlorosis (yellowing) of the leaf tissue, and under severe infestations, plants may die. They undergo…
Read More
The crape myrtle bark scale, Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae (Fig. 1) (CMBS), is an emerging threat to crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp.) in Georgia. As the name indicates, this scale pest attacks the bark of crape myrtle, the only known scale insect that infests crapemyrtle bark. A native of Asia, CMBS was first confirmed in…
Read More
Azalea bark scale (ABS, Eriococcus azalea, Figure 1) poses a serious threat to azaleas, rhododendron, and Pieris (Andromedas) in Georgia. ABS is a soft scale insect; unlike armored scale insects, the nymph and female soft scales secrete a protective coating of waxy crust on their body that cannot be separated from…
Read More
The Joro spider, Trichonephila clavata, (Fig. 1) is a native of Japan and east Asia that was first documented in the US in 2014 in NE Georgia (Fig. 2). The initial infestation was centered around Braselton and Hochton, GA along I-85. By 2022 the spiders had spread about 75 miles…
Read More
