Nursery Update 5/20/24 – Red-headed flea beetle and flathead borer ADULT emergence, Boxwood blight, bagworms, more

Please note: The Rutgers Nursery and Green Industry Working Group is working to deliver regular pest and disease updates throughout the season. These will be in addition to important alerts, critical topics, and pesticide credit opportunities. This tool is made for you, the commercial agriculture business, so please let us know if there are particular topics you would like to see included in the regular update.

Email:  twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu Phone: 856-451-2800 Ext. 1.

 

Projected GDD50 accumulation as of 5/20/2024 (for June – July)
CODE Location 20-May 1-Jun 15-Jun 1-Jul 15-Jul
NJ50 Upper Deerfield (South) 437 658 957 1363 1766
NJ73 Vineland (South) 454 670 961 1360 1755
KMIV Millville Airport (South) 445 655 942 1338 1730
NJ05 Greenwich (South) 453 681 984 1395 1798
NJ10 Howell (Central) 344 545 809 1180 1554
N59 High Point (North) 275 463 683 997 1316
USPEST.ORG – Model: simple average/growing degree-day, Min: 50F – Max: 95F, NMME forecast
Forecast:  7-month NMME based seasonal climate forecast (USPEST.ORG) – Subject to change regularly = Check Often

Please download and print the Rutgers Nursery and Landscape Pest Scouting Guide  or  Conifer and Christmas Tree Pest Scouting Guide and refer to this post “Obtaining your local growing degree-days (GDD)” for additional information.  (See pest scouting guides for complete list of references) 

Please SHARE what you SEE!! If you see a pest, disease, otherwise interesting or troublesome issue please report it to the Working Group by following the QR Code on the front of the Pest Scouting Guides or by filling out this reporting form.

Keep reading for more ALERTS – Red-headed flea beetle and Borer ADULT EMERGENCE, Boxwood Blight, bagworms

Red-headed flea beetle – Adult emergence

Red-headed flea beetle – Predictions as of 5/20/24  SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH
TARGET RANGE Upper Deerfield (NJ50) Howell (NJ10) High Point (NJ59)
Growth Stage Gen. -LOW- -HIGH- LOW (DATE) HIGH (DATE) LOW (DATE) HIGH (DATE) LOW (DATE) HIGH (DATE)
Egg hatch – larvae 1 242 600 5/2 5/29 5/7 6/4 5/18 6/10
Adults 1 517 1028 5/24 6/18 5/30 6/24 6/4 7/2
Egg hatch – larvae 2 1570 1860 7/8 7/18 7/15 7/26 7/25 8/7
(USPEST.org data compiled by Tim Waller – Cumberland RCE – Agent)

 Boxwood Blight Risk this week:

Buprestid beetle / Flathead / Metallic Borer Specific models:  (as of 5/20/24)

If borer insects are a common problem for your operation there are specific degree-day models made for Bronze birch borer and Emerald ash borer. You can set up these emailed alerts through the USPEST – PUSH Alerts for a multitude of pests and diseases. Contact twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu for assistance.

BagwormsShould be on your radar 

Days old bagworm size

Days-old bagworm = critical management target – T. Waller – RCE

Bagworms should begin hatching NOW through – 4 weeks in NJ, beginning in the southern regions. Now is an optimal time to get this pest on your radar and prepare materials or approaches to attack first/second instar caterpillars. The control window for this pest is typically between 600-900 GDD50  when they begin to hatch and become airborne, i.e. the “ballooning” phase. It is important to check for egg-hatch prior to applications for greatest chemical efficacy, and to continue scouting as they often hatch and develop at asynchronous rates.

It is critical to target these insects EARLY!

Bagworm management – mechanical: If eggs have not hatched: hand-remove sacs/bags. Typically female/egg filled sacs are higher in the canopy so keep that in mind while scouting. This removes the problem from the field or landscape.

Treatment options for Lepidoptera (caterpillars) to have at the ready – containing: B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis), spinosad , bifenthrin ), cyfluthrin, carbaryl, chlorantraniliprole, cyclaniliprole, cyclaniliprole + flonicamid, Lambda-cyhalothrin, cyantraniliprole, Indoxacarb.  NOTE – Lethal pesticide doses are important, as sub-lethal doses can trigger early pupation, making the pest all but invincible to chemical or biological treatments. Follow label exactly.

IT IS CRITICAL TO ROTATE MATERIALS (Rotate between IRAC groups) 

DISCLAIMER: The label is the law, always refer to it for allowable host crops, use-restrictions, application rates, reapplication intervals, re-entry intervals (REI), and mix compatibility information. Production and pesticide information on this site are for private/commercial pesticide applicators and landscape professionals only, and are NOT for home gardener use. Provided materials represent examples and do not cover all possible control scenarios. Please contact your local agent or chemical sales representative for more information or to discuss additional pest management options.

BAGWORMS (600-900 GDD) (Bagworm hatch prediction as of 5/20/24)
Crop type Common Name Scientific Name GDD Min (50F) GDD Max (95F) Reference Developmental / Target Stage
Conifer mostly, many minor hosts Bagworm Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis 600 900 RU Larvae (early instars) – ONLY CONTROL WINDOW
Region Location Station Date (600 GDD) Date (900 GDD) *Treatment window  *Bagworm Hatch – Predictions only, SCOUTING is critical! Treat as soon as larvae detected. 
South Upper Deerfield NJ50 29-May 12-June 13 days
Central Howell / Freehold NJ10 4-June 19-June 15 days
North High Point NJ59 11-June 26-June 15 days 

Other important insect pests: Scale crawler activity post forthcoming 

Please download and print the Rutgers Nursery and Landscape Pest Scouting Guide  or  Conifer and Christmas Tree Pest Scouting Guide and refer to this post “Obtaining your local growing degree-days (GDD)” for additional information.  (See pest scouting guides for complete list of references)