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Evergreen Pyrethrum Concentrate can be safely applied directly onto aphids such as green peach and winged root aphids without risk of adverse reaction, provided they come into direct contact with it during application.
Bagworms
Bagworms (Tyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) are one of the most widespread evergreen pests. These caterpillars feed off evergreen trees such as arborvitae, cedar, juniper, and spruce; however, they will also attack deciduous trees and shrubs as their feeding damage causes thinning, plant bronzing or can smother other plants, creating unsightly bags that reduce tree aesthetic.
As larval stage caterpillars, bagworm caterpillars construct their cases from bits of leaves and needles from plants they infest, similar to small pine cones. Their dark brown points resemble small pine cones but contain bits of leaf material instead. As they develop further into adults, their patience will expand, while additional materials may be added onto their exterior surfaces as the caterpillar grows larger.
Once a caterpillar reaches adulthood, it sheds its skin to emerge as a moth with wings. Females then deposit 500 to 1,000 eggs within the bag constructed by its larva. When spring arrives, hatching occurs, and caterpillars continue feeding on host plant leaves until leaving their bag to mate and die.
Adult caterpillars can only fly short distances as adults, so their spread from tree to tree won’t be quick or easy. But by releasing fine threads of silk into the air and riding wind currents before landing on greenery nearby.
Monitoring hosts and checking for signs of infestation are the best ways to deal with bagworms, as early detection allows you to treat plants before caterpillars make their way out of their bags. If an infestation is detected, nontoxic bacteria such as Bacillus thuringiensis spray should be applied in late spring/early summer in order to eradicate larvae and eradicate the infestation.
Pine Needle Scale
The pine needle scale (Chionaspis pinifoliae) is an armored pest that feeds on sap from evergreen trees, damaging evergreens by inserting its mouthparts between needles to extract juice. Heavy infestations may result in hand and twig drop, malformed appearance, and weakening that leaves plants more susceptible to diseases and pests such as Cytospora canker, typically seen in nursery plantings but also found in natural forests.
The insect overwinters as deep reddish-colored eggs covered by a characteristic waxy cover secreted from female scales before hatching as first-instar nymphs (crawlers) that search needles for suitable feeding sites with dark pinkish-red to rusty-red coloration that can be easily identified with 10x hand lens magnification. When these crawlers find one, they quickly settle in and begin feeding on needles.
As they feed, crawlers pierce needles and inject a fluid that causes their green color to change to yellow-brown over time, ultimately leading to their demise from trees or, in extreme cases, even entire shoots.
Horticultural oil spray applied at the crawler stage can effectively control this pest. Apply your treatment in March-April before plant bud break (March-April). Always read and follow all label directions when applying any product – for best results, use 4% oil solution, but other options may also work according to label instructions; repeat applications may be necessary if population levels are heavy as this pest becomes challenging to control once crawlers develop into adults and develop protective wax coverings of their own.
Boring Beetles
Wood boring beetles can cause severe damage to evergreen trees by eating away at their wood fibers until they reach nutrient-rich layers within. Severe infestations require replacing entire pieces of lumber. Most wood boring beetles undergo complete metamorphosis from egg to larva, pupa, pupa to adult; an adult female lays her eggs either within crevices or directly onto surfaces of wood or milled lumber before leaving her eggs to hatch out as larva. When ready, these tunneling larvae bore into wood fibers before chewing out an exit hole that gives way to adult beetle lifecycle stages – this process could last months to 20 years, depending on species and species diversity.
Woodboring beetles play an integral part in forest ecosystems by decomposing, culling weak trees, and encouraging new growth. But when they invade residential buildings and structures, severe damage occurs. There are several spot treatments for these beetles available, but these only penetrate the surface layer – such as wood moisture control, surface covers, mechanical removal, or borate treatments, to name just some of them.
If you suspect a wood beetle infestation, it is wise to contact a pest control service immediately. Preventive measures like using seasoned firewood stored outside and inspecting lumber before using will help deter beetles from infiltrating homes, and using borate treatments that kill beetles at all stages will prevent reinfestations of logs and structural timbers.
Shothole borer or Ip’s beetle infestation is one of the most frequently found pests on landscape pines, growing to 1 inch long and feeding on both pines and softwoods. If you discover holes with jagged edges appearing suddenly and in an irregular pattern, it could be that this beetle has invaded your pine.
Whiteflies
Whiteflies are sap-sucking insects that may become abundant in vegetable and ornamental plantings during warm weather. Large populations can cause plants to wilt, appear dry or yellow, and excrete sticky honeydew, which attracts ants that interfere with natural enemies that work to control them; black sooty mold sometimes grows on honeydew left behind (See Pest Notes: Sooty Mold).
Adult males and females deposit 6-20 eggs on the undersides of leaves each, appearing as small football-shaped deposits with clear-to-beige coloration. Within about one week, these eggs hatch into nymphs, which feed for roughly one month before becoming adults that fly off to search for suitable host plants to lay more eggs – and so the cycle repeats itself.
Whiteflies can be effectively managed using several products available today. Organic neem oil mixed at 1 ounce per gallon and applied evenly over all leaf surfaces, including those where nymphs and egg masses may reside, can be effective at killing both eggs and larvae, while horticultural oils that smother insects may also work, but only spray when temperatures fall below 90 degrees in order to prevent defoliating the plant.
Evergreen Pyrethrum Concentrate, a fast-acting botanical insecticide, can also be very effective at controlling both nymphs and adults. It contains both synthetic synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO) and botanical active ingredient pyrethrins; PBO attaches itself to enzymes in insects to increase lethality while decreasing toxicities; spray following label instructions on areas not intended for food or human contact.
Early spring is an optimal time for adding aluminum reflective material such as mulch around tomato, pepper, sweet potato, and cabbage plantings, in order to help cool the soil and deter whiteflies from emerging. When setting out index cards coated in petroleum jelly to monitor whitefly infestation in vegetable and ornamental gardens – they attract insects that stick to them, leaving visible marks that make them easy to spot!
Leafminers
Leafminers can be an extremely troublesome pest on many crops and ornamentals. Female leafminers lay eggs under leaves where hatching larvae then tunnel into them for up to three weeks feeding in this manner, leaving behind a mottled appearance on leaves or even, in extreme cases, girdling entire leaves with mines – typically two or three generations per season.
An easy way to identify leafminer damage is to look for wandering trails of lighter-colored areas on leaves that resemble stippling; however, due to leafminer larvae’s flat nature, their injury may appear more as large scars on the leaf surface.
To effectively prevent and control leafminers, it’s best to remove infested foliage as soon as you detect it. This helps stop their larvae from moving into the veins of leaves and decreases how fast they deplete mesophyll, the light-absorbing substance essential for photosynthesis.
Many people find that using general insecticides like permethrin (brand name Permethrin) or pyrethrins (etox) to control an infestation will help. However, both products have high risks of phytotoxicity, so use them with caution.
Natural leafminer control methods include spraying plants with neem oil (Safer brand). Neem oil works by suffocating larvae; however, timing must be perfect as otherwise it won’t reach them to kill them off.
Decoy patches may also help control leafminers by drawing adult flies away from vegetable and flower gardens, drawing their attention away from attractive plants like lamb’s quarter, pigweed, henbane, and nightshade. You may also consider covering seedlings with floating row covers available from local farm and garden centers to deter adult flies from laying their eggs; consult with a professional at these centers about which cover would best protect the type of plantings in your garden.
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