Integrated Pest Management March 2001 CHRISTMAS TREES - Aphids and scales are attacking some of our Virginia pines. Orthene, Tempo, Talstar, dursban, diazinon or malathion at label rates should control these pests. Thorough coverage is necessary. New terminal growth should be checked closely. Look for these pests on other ornamentals. Pine tip moths are a serious problem on our Christmas tree plantations. Control them with foliar applications of orthene, cygon, guthion, dimilin, dursban, Astro, Mavrik, Tempo or Asana. Read labels for precautions. EARTHWORM BEDS - Ants are invading earthworm beds. Control them by placing a chemical barrier around beds using 0.5 percent diazinon spray. Mix 5 tablespoons of 25% diazinon EC in one gallon water. Do not apply directly to worm beds. Mites and springtails are infesting some earthworm beds. This is a management problem. Populations of these pests are associated with over-watering, overfeeding, and feeding wet or fleshly garbage. Feeding schedules should be maintained so all feed is consumed in a few days. Watering schedules should be adjusted to prevent over-watering. To aid in control, expose open beds to sunlight for a few hours periodically. Place wet newspaper or burlap bags over bed surface and later remove them with pests. Removal is only temporary unless beds are properly managed. FABRIC PESTS - The larvae of clothes moths and carpet beetles feed on fur, lint, feathers, felt and wool. Homes can have small infestations of these pests feeding on lint or other animal fibers in overlooked areas. Usually, the pest remains unnoticed until a valuable article is attacked. Stored woolens are particularly vulnerable to infestations. Woolen articles should be cleaned before storage. The cleaning process will kill eggs and remove the odors that make the articles attractive to these pests. After cleaning, the article should be moth proofed or stored with repellents such as mothballs. FIELD CORN - Farmers planting field corn this year may want to know when they should apply a soil insecticide. Field history and cropping sequence must be considered when making a decision to treat with a soil insecticide. The aboveground growth in a field determines the types and number of insects present in the soil. This is why crop rotation is so important. A stable insect situation occurs when the same crop is continuously grown in the same field. Crop rotation changes both the type of available food as well as the aboveground signals insects use to determine where to place their eggs. Economic infestations of soil insects generally don't occur in this type of unstable situation. An example of this type rotation is a soybean-corn rotation. Soil insect problems are effectively reduced. Corn following soybeans generally doesn't need a soil insecticide. If seedcorn maggots pose a problem, they can be handled with an insecticide seed treatment. Wireworms and white grubs may be present in stable environments where fields have been in sod for several years. A soil insecticide as lorsban or counter should be used at planting corn in established sod. Corn fields which receive heavy applications of animal manure can develop populations of white grubs. White grubs can feed on corn roots and cause stunted or weakened plants. Products listed above will control this pest. Where field corn is continuously grown in a field, potential problems with corn rootworms exist. If information on corn rootworm is available to aid in making a control decision, a soil insecticide as counter or lorsban should be used at planting. When selecting the product to use, consider its effectiveness, safety and cost/acre. GARDENS - Land is being prepared for gardens with the oncoming of spring. If soil insects are potential problems, homeowners should consider applying diazinon granular or liquid in furrow or broadcast incorporated for their control. Soil insects may include white grubs, wireworms, corn rootworms, seedcorn maggots and cutworms. See labels for usages and precautions. Aphids (plant lice) populations are on the increase in our gardens. Aphids give birth to living young and populations build up rapidly. They suck plant juices from underneath leaves and young terminals causing leaves to curl and turn yellow. These insects can build up to very high numbers and secrete honeydew causing black sooty mold to develop. They will attack most any plant grown in a garden. Insecticides as malathion or diazinon should control them. Read label restrictions. HEAD LICE - Most people associate winter with the end of their insect problems. In the case of head lice, nothing could be farther from the truth. Head lice are especially common this time of year, especially on children. Schools bring large numbers of children together in close, personal contact. Hats and coats are often shared or hung together in the same closet, permitting transfer of lice from one child to another. Transfer of head lice can also occur by using infested combs and brushes, or resting one's head on upholstered furniture or pillows recently used by an infested person. The child or infected person(s) should be treated with a pediculicide shampoo formulated specifically to control ice. Several different products, most containing permethrin or pyrethrins, are available through pharmacists and physicians. Follow the directions on the package. If one family member is found to be infested, all others should be examined. More than half of lice-infested children have another infested family member at home. Elimination of a head lice outbreak in a school, nursing home, or similar shared facility requires prompt, coordinated action and administrative support to prevent the spread of lice to uninfected individuals. Unless all affected persons are treated, the condition will continue. HOUSEHOLD - Carpenter bees are always a problem and have begun to establish their galleries in rafters and various wood around houses, garages and barns. They may use old galleries from previous years or tunnel new ones. Sevin dust may be applied in the holes for control. Dursban or sevin sprays may also be used. After treatment, holes can be sealed with wood putty. Cluster flies, which include a variety of flies, are emerging from our attics and walls. They may be found buzzing around at windows in homes especially on sunny days. They pose a temporary nuisance and can be controlled with most any insect aerosol insecticide spray. LADYBEETLES - For many people, the Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, is a plaque because the beetles may enter homes by the thousands as they seek hibernation sites. A new USDA web site can help. The site includes fact sheets and directions for building an indoor trap to capture beetles that enter the home. You will also find commercial sources for the traps. Companies that build traps should visit the USDA site to register their company as a vendor. www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2000/001030.beetlefacts.htm ORNAMENTALS - Black twig borer (shot-hole borer) Xylosandrus has been reported in several young plantings of pecan trees. We have also found them in cedar, pine, sweetgum, oak and fruit trees and vines. They will attack trees under stress or healthy trees. They are difficult to control after infestations occur. They (small beetles) bore small pinholes in the lower part of the trunk and carry a fungus with them that may cause death to the trees. Applications of label rates of lindane, lorsban, thiodan or sevin in the months of March, April and May will help control them. Spray intervals should be approximately 25 to 30 days. Read labels carefully. Sometimes it may be more desirable to replace the tree rather than try to control this insect. Bagworms overwinter as eggs inside last season's bags. Eggs are hatching, and small larvae will feed on evergreens, maple, rose, willow and many other shrubs. An insecticide as Bacillus thuringiensis, diazinon, orthene or sevin should be made when small larvae have produced bags that are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, or at first signs of damage to shrubs. Read label precautions carefully. Gall insects are attacking many of our ornamentals. Best control would be to spray trees in May, June and July at 30-day intervals with an approved insecticide as malathion, diazinon or orthene. Once insects are inside galls there is little that can be done for their control. Some stem galls and the dogwood club gall midge can cause injury and stunting; however, most galls are of little or no economic importance. Pruning galls while they are green will help destroy developing insects. Scales are a serious problem to our ornamentals. Control of these pests should begin in April and continue through October. Begin applications in the spring with a summer-weight oil spray. Time this spray so there will not be any danger of temperatures falling below 40o F or rising above 80o F. The next step would be to use foliar sprays of cygon, diazinon, malathion, orthene, or sevin directed at the crawlers as needed. The last step would be a fall application of summer-weight oil. Once scales are under control, one or two preventive foliar sprays should be applied. Sprays should be directed to cover the underside of the leaves. Read labels carefully. PESTICIDES - People who are overexposed to pesticides often need immediate medical assistance, but be sure to protect yourself as well. An emergency room patient had intentionally swallowed two insecticides. The patient presented vomiting along with profuse oral and bronchial secretions (you may not understand the medical terms precisely, but you now what was going on). Three nurses also required treatment for pesticide poisoning; two were hospitalized. One nurse came into contact with the secretions. The other two only shared breathing space with the patient. Eventually, the patient and the nurses recovered, but this incident underscores the importance of appropriate protective clothing for rescue workers and emergency personnel. (Agromedicine Program Update, 1-15-01) PETS - Ticks will probably be out in high numbers this spring. Dogs pick ticks up while running in fields or wooded areas close to residential areas. Once fully emerged, female ticks drop from our pets and may lay 4,000 to 6,500 eggs on the ground. On hatching, "seed" ticks crawl upward on an object and attach themselves to a host (dog, human, etc.). Treat dogs 4 weeks or older with a formulation of sevin or malathion. See individual labels for usages. Some dips may be purchased at local co-ops for control of ticks infesting dogs. Follow label directions carefully. PINE TREES - Southern pine beetles will become active in our ornamental pine trees after cold temperatures disappear. This is a small, dark reddish-brown to black beetle that bores a hole directly into the inner tree bark. It eats out S-shaped tunnels. Small pitch tubes of resin can be found about midway up the tree trunk. To prevent insect breeding, immediately cut and remove heavily infested trees and trees which have been killed by beetles. Also, fertilize and water infested trees to increase vigor and pitch flow that may force the beetles out. Apply an insecticide as dursban or lindane to the point of runoff as needed. Avoid bruising trees. SNAKE OILS - Don't fall for the pitch of the pesticide shysters that seem to come calling every year. The pesticide peddlers usually call commercial pesticide users, but homeowners may also be targeted. The scams are always similar. They have a 'miracle' product that is not available at your dealer, or they offer pesticides at prices so low 'they must be crazy'. The actual products usually fall in two categories. Either the product is something commonly available under another name or the concentration is so low that the price is no bargain. These callers may not be doing anything illegal, but 'misrepresentation of the product' is certainly part of their game. However, the purpose of the entire scam may be to obtain your credit card number. NEVER give anyone your credit card number if they call you. ONLY buy pesticides from a reputable dealer. WATERMELONS - Spotted and striped cucumber beetles can cause serious problems to our seedling watermelon crop this year. Adult beetles overwinter at the base of plants not entirely killed down by frost. They become active in very early spring when day temperatures reach 70o F. Adult female beetles deposit their eggs in the ground around the bases of young plants. Young larvae, on hatching, bore into the roots and the underground parts of the stem. After the larvae pupate into the adult stage and as soon as melon seedlings push through the soil, beetles attack them, eating off the stems and cotyledons. If the plants survive, beetles may later strip the leaves off completely. These pests may be controlled with foliar applications of sevin, asana, Guthion, thiodan or lannate. Follow label usages and precautions carefully. J. Pat Harris Extension Entomologist