The erratic weather is creating some problems with insects, and the populations are high. It looks like a long year.
1. Crane flies – These long-legged flies create a big problem with many who are unfamiliar with them. Many misidentify them as giant mosquitoes because they resemble them – only much larger. They are primarily a nuisance when they get into homes. They are attracted to lights and will settle on lamp shades. Their flying around is a problem, but when you’re sitting watching television or talking and you hear a tap tap tapping and cannot figure where it is coming from, check the lamp shade. These long-legged insects “bounce” once they’re settled and will create an eerie tapping noise that scares many people until the bugs get noticed. Changing outside lighting to yellow lights can help reduce the numbers around doorways and the number available to enter open doors. The use of pyrethroids sprayed around doorways will help reduce them as well. The larvae live in the soil and feed in thatch at night. The tough skin of the larva gives them the name leather jacket. Figure 1.
2. Asian lady beetles – These active predators were a problem in the fall when they began to accumulate on the walls of houses and on trees. Now they are a problem as they try to get out of their overwintering structures and find their way into homes. They are a nuisance now and a big problem if people try to pick them up or mash them to get rid of them. When mashed or squeezed, they defecate on the wall or furniture and cause a stain that’s difficult to remove. Infestations should always be collected with a vacuum cleaner to avoid stains. They are excellent predators and work to reduce aphid and other soft-bodied insect populations. Those who collected them and stored them in the refrigerator over winter should be releasing them now for aphids on daylilies, roses and other plants. Vegetable gardeners should hold them until aphids are observed in the garden. Figure 2.
3. Aphids – Daylilies, roses and many weeds are already showing high populations of aphids. These piercing, sucking insects are damaging to the plants in three ways: first, they extract nutrients from the plants; second, they excrete honeydew that is extracted from the plants and grows black sooty mold; and third, some are capable of transmitting diseases. Early management of this pest can save a lot of problems later. Good management now allows the plants to grow and bloom properly, removes the potential for sooty mold (which reduces plant growth and development) and helps to protect the plant from some potential viruses or disease. Both contact and systemic insecticides are available for use. Check your plants closely and act appropriately. Figure 3.
4. Thrips – These small insects are both pests and beneficial. You may see their damage on the flowers and foliage in gardens or on the foliage of many vegetable plants. Like aphids, they are very capable of transmitting viruses and other diseases. They are the primary culprit in the transmission of tomato spotted wilt. With all this, we have a new thrip problem on the horizon – the chili thrip. This pest appears to be traveling around the states on the Knock Out roses. Damage appears as a bronzing of the foliage followed by foliage drop. Should this begin to occur to your Knock Out roses, collect a sample of the new growth when signs first appear. Place the sample immediately in a plastic bag and send to your county agent for shipment to me for identification. This thrip is not only a pest of the roses and other ornamentals but will get on row crops like cotton as well. Figure 4.
5. Florida wax scale – This scale has had a very variable life cycle in Louisiana the last two years. Normally producing three and occasionally four generation a year, it had five last year. With the weather conditions we’ve had over the last few weeks – bingo, we have the initial generation for this year out right now. The most observed places are on Indian hawthorns and ilex vomitoria. The foliage and stems appear to have been misted with a can of white paint –thousands of tiny white spots cover the plants. Hopefully, the cool snap will remove most of this early population, and we will not have too much trouble throughout the year. Now would be a good time to use ultra fine oils to spray the populations, and repeat it in about 10 days. This smothering oil and the cool-to-cold weather should effectively manage the populations to low levels. Figure 5.
6. Lace bugs – Another pest activated with the warm weather is the lace bug. Azaleas will be the first to feel and show the signs of infestations. Those plants close to buildings that receive the warmth of reflected sun will have the earliest infestations. Begin checking when the weather is warm by shaking the foliage against a sheet of paper and checking for either the nymphs or adults. Do not treat before you find the active population. Other plants to check include lantana, sycamore, alder, ash, hackberry and willow. Several of these trees are beginning to bud, and once the foliage is present, the lace bugs will be there. Systemic insecticides are the best control and can be applied as a spray or as a drench or granule. Figure 6.
7. Whiteflies – We have several species of these little pests, and two new ones were found last year (the black fly and the wooly white fly). Whiteflies will attack ornamentals, vegetables and citrus. It is important to watch for these pests and not spray the empty pupal skins from last year. The nymphs can appear as small, oval, light-green-to-yellow structures on the underside of the leaf, or they may have long strands or mats of waxy filaments covering them and high honeydew excretions. Like aphids, their honeydew produces heavy, sooty mold buildup that can affect plant growth and production. Early detection and management are best because they are more difficult to control once populations build. Ultra fine oils may be used with insecticides to manage these populations more effectively. Complete coverage of the foliage is needed. Figure 7.
Til March
Dale
| | Figure 1. Crane fly larvae and adult. |
| | Figure 2. Asian lady beetles -- a beneficial that can be a nuisance. |
| | Figure 3. Cast skins of aphids infesting daylillies. |
| | Figure 4. Chili thrips -- a potential new invasive pest. |
| | Figure 5. Florida wax scale could have 4 generations this year. |
| | | Figure 6. Lace bugs are a pest of several plants. |
| | Figure 6. Whiteflies are not always white, and we have 3 new ones in addition to all the others. |
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