Vince Burkle and Eric Bitner, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Indiana state law IC 14-24 requires that each nursery or greenhouse growing nursery stock be inspected once a year by a Department of Natural Resources nursery inspector. The inspection certifies the nursery stock at that location is free of any invasive pests or pathogens, thereby lifting restrictions on movement of these plants through
Pest Description Soft, pear-shaped insects with or without wings. Piercing, sucking mouthparts are used to suck juices out of tender shoots, stems, and leaves. Some may appear wooly due to waxy secretions covering their body. Tiny, 8 legged arthropods that resemble spiders. Piercing, sucking mouthparts suck juices from foliage. Damage Stunting and curling of leaves and shoots. Sticky excrement called honeydew attracts ants, and can cause black sooty mold to develop.

Top Ten Pests in Indiana and How to Control Them

interstate or intrastate trade. At the end of the growing season a list of the most common native plant pests are compiled among the various regions of the state. Listed below are the top ten nursery pests reported during the 2013 growing season. Description of the pest, type of damage that is caused, and management suggestions are also included.
Management Natural enemies usually keep them in check. Prune out infested branches, or use coarse stream of water to dislodge aphids. Synthetic pyrethroids (cyfluthrin, bifenthrin), imidicloprid, neem oil, horticultural oils, and insecticidal soaps are effective. Natural enemies and healthy plants will help curtail spider mite infestations. Coarse streams of water can dislodge mites. Horticultural oils and products containing bifenazate, spiromesefin, and acequinocyl are effective on all life stages with low toxicity to natural enemies. Adult leafhoppers are highly mobile and difficult to control. Immature stages are easier to manage. Insecticidal soaps, imidiclorpid, or synthetic pyrethroids (cyfluthrin, bifenthrin) can be effective. Timing Aphids are often found on the undersides of leaves. Check plants on the upwind edge of the garden twice weekly during rapid plant growth in mid-late spring. Leaf curling species are difficult to control once foliage is distorted. Check for spider mites by tapping branches over a white piece of paper. Look for tiny specks moving around on the paper. Warm season mites (i.e., maple mites) are most active during hot summer months. Cool season mites (i.e., spruce spider mite) are active in spring and fall. Leafhoppers typically are blown from southern states on storm winds in the spring and are active through fall. Look for small green, yellow, or brown insects that rapidly fly in and out of foliage when branches are disturbed. Bagworms typically hatch in early June in the south and mid-June in the north. They grow to 2 long by late August. Spray applications are most effective when applied before July 4th when caterpillars are small. Rescue treatments can be applied after July 4th.

1) Aphids

2) Mites

Foliage may appear bronze in color and or speckled. Plants with heavy infestations may have numerous webs on the foliage and stems. Foliage may also have a dusty appearance.

3) Leafhoppers

Green, yellow, brown, or mottled insects. Typically wedge shaped and often no larger than 1/4 long. Very active and often jump or move sideways when disturbed. Piercing, sucking mouthparts suck juices from stems and foliage. Mottled brown caterpillars construct a protective spindle-shaped bag around themselves. Bits of foliage or other plant debris are attached to the bag, making them difficult to see. Caterpillars pupate in September. Females do not leave the bag and lay eggs inside the bag. Bags are present on trees through winter.

Shoots may be stunted or curled. Foliage may turn brown starting at the tip and may be pale in color, distorted, or blotchy. Cast skins may be present on leaves.

4) Bagworm

Caterpillars feed voraciously on foliage of many different kinds of evergreen and deciduous plants. High populations can lead to defoliation in 6-8 weeks. Damage may not be noticed until late July or August when evergreens suddenly appear brown.

Remove and destroy bags containing eggs during the winter months and destroy. Biorational products containing Bacillus thuringiensis or spinosad are effective on smaller caterpillars and are target specific. Products containing orthene, cyfluthrin, or bifenthrin will kill larger caterpillars but will also kill beneficial insects.

About the Authors Vince Burkle is the Nursery Inspector and Compliance Officer for northeastern Indiana working from Fort Wayne. He has worked for the Division since 2006 and has 10 years prior experience in the nursery industry. He is a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Entomology. Eric Bitner is the Nursery Inspector and Compliance Officer for southeastern Indiana working out of Jeffersonville. He has worked for the Division since 2006 and has prior experience in the nursery industry in Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Taylor University with a Masters degree in Environmental Biology and is a Certified Arborist.
30 Indiana nursery & Landscape association www.inla1.org

Pest

Description Armored scales are small flat insects that are covered with a hard waxy protective shell. Soft scales are not covered by a hard waxy shell and may appear as bumps on twigs and branches. The crawler stage is the only actively mobile stage of both types of scale, and they can be blown by wind to adjacent plants. Adults are 1/8 long and have wings that appear lacy. Some species have two grayish-brown cross bands on the body while others are white or tan in color with brown or black markings.

Damage Both types of scale feed by sucking plant juices from twigs and branches. Single limbs may suddenly die, and upon closer inspection scale insects may be found. Soft scales exude honeydew, which attracts ants and wasps and may also be black with sooty mold. Usually in late April and throughout the growing season, feeding damage can be observed on the leaf surfaces in the form of a stippling pattern. Look on the lower surface of leaves for black fecal spots. Adult beetles skeletonize the foliage of many different plants. The feeding of grubs occurs on the roots of turf and results in drought stress symptoms. The larvae damage the plants by excavating tunnels just below the bark surface often killing limbs or whole trees depending on the population.

Management Horticultural oil can kill recently settled scale crawlers. Dormant oils can be used on scales that do not overwinter in the egg stage. Products containing orthene, bifenthrin, or cyfluthrin are effective when used to target the crawler stage. Dinotefuran and imidicloprid can be applied as a systemic in spring. Timing is critical. Acephate has been found to be a cost-effective treatment for the azalea lace bug. Soaps and oils can also be helpful for lower-level populations if good coverage is achieved.

Timing There are many different species of armored and soft scales. Many scale crawlers are active from May through July but it is important to know which species of scale you are dealing with, because timing is important.

5) Scale

soft

armored

6) Lacebug

Treatment for azalea lace bug can be done at 120+ Growing Degree Days. For lacebugs in the genera Corythuca (sycamore, oak, or hawthorn lacebugs) treatment can be done around 1266-1544 Growing Degree Days. For best control of adults treat around 1029-2154 Growing Degree Days. To treat the grubs sample the soil in August and treat if you find 8-10 grubs per sq. ft. Timing depends on the species being treated (bronze birch borer, emerald ash borer, or two lined chestnut borer). Apply sprays to the trees when the adult beetles are active and laying eggs. Because emergence and egg laying can occur over a long period of time, monthly or more frequent insecticide applications may be needed over the course of a summer. Eggs are laid from mid-July to mid-August and larvae hatch within a week. They overwinter as larvae and begin feeding in early spring. Treat in subsequent spring if damage is seen in previous growing season.

7) Japanese Beetle

The adult beetle is 1/2 long and metallic green and bronze. Along the sides of the body are a row of white hairs that resemble spots. Adult borers are often metallic, with flattened bodies that are oval shaped. The larvae are a creamy color with a flattened portion just behind their head that looks cobra-like.

There are several products available for control of the adults on plants (imidicloprid, carbaryl, acephate, bifenthrin). There are also several insecticides registered. Prevention is the best management as stressed trees are most likely to be damaged. Trunk sprays of bifenthrin, permethrin, or pyrethroids, or systemic drenches of imidicloprid are effective.

8) Flat Headed Borer

9) Zimmerman Moth

Mature larvae are about 3/4 long and vary in color from off-white to pink or greenish with black dots. The adult is small (1-1.5) and rarely seen as they are active at night.

New terminal and lateral shoots become yellow in spring, eventually turning brown and forming a shepherds crook. Evidence includes accumulations of reddish sawdust like frass and pitch masses on the main trunk. Feed within buds and furled leaves or other enclosed parts. Distorted or discolored plant tissue or black flecks of feces around stippled leaf surfaces are identifiers.

Bark sprays of permethrin for the larvae are effective in spring (121-246 Growing Degree Days). Another spray is necessary in mid-August (912-1917 Growing Degree Days).

10) Thrips

Tiny slender insects (less than 1/20 long) with fringed wings. Immature thrips lack wings.

Healthy plants can withstand damage. If control is necessary, use an IPM program of cultural practices and conservation of natural enemies using low toxic pesticides such as narrow range oils.

There are many different species of thrips, but Western Flower thrips are one of the most destructive. Use sticky traps to detect populations.

Photo credit: All photos except #10 taken by Vince Burkle. Thrip photo from www.bugwood.com
Indiana Nursery & Landscape News March/April 2014 31