Topics in Nursery Production – March 3, 2015

Featured Speaker: Dr. Raul Cabrera
“The Future of Rutgers Nursery Crops Program”

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Location: Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cumberland County
Extension Education Center
291 Morton Ave., Millville, NJ
(856)451-2800

Register by Monday, February 27; See Flyer for details.

Join us in welcoming Dr. Raul Cabrera, our new Nursery Crops Extension Specialist based at RAREC.

Just a Bud or Another Bug?

Unfortunately, this one is another bug.

Pine Sawfly Larval Case

Pine Sawfly Larval Case
Photo by Jim Johnson

The pine sawfly is normally kept under control by natural predators so I rarely see them. This, however, was my second sighting in the last 4 months so I guess environmental conditions have not be optimal for predator survival.

Keep a lookout for these insects. The larvae are voracious eaters that completely devour the needles and can totally defoliate pine trees. The first site I visited had a block of about 25 trees more than 20 feet tall that were without needles.


If treatment is necessary, first generation control will need to occur from mid-May to mid-June. The second generation is active in the July to August time period. Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County put together a good review of pine sawflies. It can be found at:
http://ccesuffolk.org/assets/Horticulture-Leaflets/Pine-Sawflies.pdf