Rutgers University | New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station | Pesticide User Responsibility

March 29, 2021

Nursery Pest Scouting Guide: 60-150 Growing Degree-days & Boxwood Blight Information

Pest Scouting:

Please print or download the two resources of this post (click on them): 

The information provided in the downloads gives scouting ranges (in growing degree days, base 50F) for specific insect pests harming nursery crop production and maintenance. Additionally, forecasting predictions (GDD50 accumulation) for calendar dates of multiple regions of New Jersey (S,N,C) are provided.

To determine your local growing degree-days, please review this post “Obtaining your local growing degree-day information”

Scouting Ranges:

  • This document supports scouting, it does not replace it. Keeping good notes on pest development will help dial in scouting and treatment efforts at your local level.
  • It is important to note that these GDD50 are not exact, rather provide a range of GDD and subsequent calendar dates that can be used to scout for, and treat for, insect pests.
  • The pests listed here will be listed again in future scouting range announcements as they undergo further developmental life stages or are vulnerable to management options.
  • If you need more information, OR you are regularly seeing specific pest development stages at growing degree-days different than those listed here, please contact Tim Waller at twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu

GREAT RESOURCE from Steve Rettke: “Landscape Pest Notes: Some Early Spring Insects/Mites”

 

Projected GDD50 accumulation as of 3/29/2021
Region Location April 1st May 1st June 1st July 1st August 1st
Southern Upper Deerfield (NJ50) 75 185 591 1269 2111
Central Howell / Freehold (NJ10) 61 142 490 1111 1906
Northern High Point (NJ59) 24 30 242 695 1301
Forecast: NOAA NCEP Coupled Forecast System model version 2 (CFSv2) forecast system (3.5 months) (USPEST.ORG)

 

Pest Scouting – Growing Degree-day Ranges  (60-150 GDD50) 
CROP TYPE Common Name Scientific Name GDD Min (50F) GDD Max (95F) Reference Developmental / Target Stage
Many Southern red mite Oligonychus ilicis 69 157 RU Spring hatch
Conifer Eastern pine shoot borer Eucosma gloriola 75 200 4 1st adults active
Malus, Prunus, many Eastern tent caterpillar Malacosoma americanum 90 190 2 Larvae treatment before tents apparent
Many Gypsy moth Lymantria dispar 90 448 RU Larvae treatment (early instars)
Conifer Cooley spruce gall adelgid Adelges cooleyi 90 180 4 1st adults active – Douglas fir
Conifer Balsam twig aphid Mindarus abietinus 100 150 4 Stem mothers present (control target)
Conifer Pine engraver (Ips bark beetle) Ips spp. 100 150 4 1st adults active
Conifer European pine sawfly Neodiprion sertifer 100 195 4 1st larvae active
Pieris Andromeda lace bug Stephanitis takeyai 115 279 RU Nymphs (1st generation)
Azalea Azalea lace bug Stephanitis pyrioides 118 372 RU Nymphs (1st generation)
Conifer Larch casebearer Coleophora laricella 120 150 4 Egg hatch
Conifer Nantucket pine tip moth Rhyacionia frustrana 121 448 RU 1st generation egg hatch
Birch Birch leafminer Fenusa pusilla 123 290 RU Adults – egg laying
Many Gypsy moth Lymantria dispar 145 200 4 Egg hatch, 1st larvae
Holly Holly leaf miner Phytomyza ilicis 147 265 RU Adults – egg laying
Many Cankerworms, inch-worms, loopers (many) 148 290 2 Larvae treatment
Lilac, ash, privet, many Lilac / Ash Borer Podosesia syringae 148 299 2 Adult flight
Yews, Rhododendrons, many Black Vine Weevil Otiorhynchus sulcatus 148 400 2 Pupation / Adult emergence
Dogwood, many Dogwood Borer Synanthedon scitula 148 700 2 Adult activity
Conifer Spruce spider mite Oligonychus ununguis 150 175 4 1st egg hatch
Conifer Spruce needleminer Endothenia albolineana 150 200 4 1st larvae active
Conifer Balsam gall midge Paradiplosis tumifex 150 300 4 Adults laying eggs
References RU Rutgers Cooperative Extension – IPM Notes
2 http://ccetompkins.org/resources/using-growing-degree-days-for-insect-management
3 https://extension.psu.edu/ipm-basics-for-christmas-trees#section-2
4 https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/agriculture/christmas_trees/gdd_of_conifer_insects
5 https://www.agriculture.nh.gov/publications-forms/documents/landscape-pests.pdf
6 https://extension.umd.edu/ipm/pest-predictive-calendar-landscapenursery
7 https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/agriculture/christmas_trees/gdd_of_landscape_insects

 

Boxwood Blight risk-model information, considerations, and links:

Boxwood Blight Risk Assessment as of 3/29/2021
Region Location CODE 29-Mar 30-Mar 31-Mar 1-Apr 2-Apr
Southern Upper Deerfield NJ50 Very Low  Very Low  Very Low  Very Low  Very Low 
Central Howell / Freehold NJ10 Very Low  Very Low  Very Low  Very Low  Very Low 
Northern High Point NJ59 Very Low  Very Low  Very Low  Very Low  Very Low 
Please check your local boxwood blight risk at (https://uspest.org/risk/boxwood_app)

 

Considerations:

Become a Boxwood Blight Advocate to receive quarterly updates (through the Horticultural Research Institution)

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Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Turf