Viburnum leaf beetle invading NYC?

Watch out Big Apple and northern New Jersey. It looks like the viburnum leaf beetles (VLBs) are headed your way, if they’re not already in your neighborhood. Here’s what you can expect when larvae hatch in spring:

John Jordan, Natural Resources Supervisor at Prospect Park Alliance has found evidence of the beetle there, and says that there was a confirmed report on North Brother Island (between Manhattan and Queens) last year. VLBs are suspected to be in some of the larger parks in the Bronx, northern Manhattan and northern Queens. Native plant enthusiast William Wyman has recorded damage in Delaware Township Hunterdon County, N.J., 70 miles west, and they’ve also been spotted in Putnam County, N.Y., 60 miles north.

viburnum leaf beetle at different stage of its lifecycleThe viburnum leaf beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull), is an invasive, non-native beetle that first appeared in New York along Lake Ontario in 1996, and has steadily spread across the state and down the Hudson Valley. It is a voracious eater that can defoliate viburnum shrubs entirely. Plants may die after two or three years of heavy infestation, particularly when larvae strip plants after hatching out in spring followed by heavy adult feeding later in summer.

For more information on identifying VLBs at all life stages, steps you can take to manage them and choosing resistant viburnums, visit the Cornell’s Viburnum Leaf Beetle website.

Metro area and New Jersey readers: If you spot VLBs in your area, please tell us where in the comments.

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136 thoughts on “Viburnum leaf beetle invading NYC?

  1. Total infestation on a single viburnum in Collinsville, CT. Just moved into the house and unsure of the variety. Other viburnums in the area (including nannyberry, arrowwood and maple-leaf) are for now unaffected. Hoping to control the infestation with limited and directed insecticide application – large number of native viburnums in the area and hoping to contain the outbreak.

  2. Viburnum Leaf Beetle larvae found on several arrowwood viburnums in the La Tourette section of the Staten Island Greenbelt, 05-23-10.

  3. Gilford, NH, 5/26/10 Two dentatums infested. ‘Blue Muffin’ almost totally defoliated. ‘Chicago Lustre’ also infested. Will check other species tomorrow.

  4. I notice that the map of NY State by county show no reporting of Viburnum Leaf Beetle in Putnam County. In our community in Putnam Valley, NY (which is in Putnam County), I have observed several entirely skeletonized Arrowwood Viburnums (dentatum), and the beetles are now beginning to attack Maple Leaf Viburnums, each specimen that I observed ahving only a few leaves skeletonized.

  5. Carol:

    Thanks for the report.

    The latest map we have online is from March 2009. VLBs have spread further since then.

  6. I have been working on a floristic survey of Van Cortlandt Park in the North Bronx for the last two years. This season we have had horrible skeletonization of Viburnum dentatum in certain sections of the park. The problem is not wide-spread but where it is found, it is exceptionally pronounced.

  7. We saw larvae eating the leaves of our cranberry viburnum (Viburnum trilobum) shrubs in May in Morris County, NJ. The leaves were skeletonized last October, so maybe the beatles were there then.

  8. I bought a house 3 weeks ago and was wondering what kind of plants were in the existing landscaping and what was eating the leaves. Now I know the answer to both questions. I only looked quickly but saw the little brown VLB. I live in Blairstown, NJ.

  9. VLBs on cranberry viburnums and arrow-wood viburnums along the route 7 corridor in northern Berkshire County of Mass. and southern Bennington County in Vermont. As for the former, in my yard, four arrow-wood were defoliated last year, and re-foliated by mid summer. I cut the entire plants down to the ground and removed all cuttings from the vicinity. The plants were not defoliated this spring, but I have now seen adult beetles on the plants. Even though it is late, I will inject Merit. As for the latter, a hedge-row of cranberry viburnums was completely defoliated in Bennington, I presume, VLB’s.

  10. Adult VLBs found/removed on a lone, young American Cranberry bush (Viburnum trilobum)in Avon,CT (Hartford County).
    Numerous leaves skeletonized.

  11. Not related to NYC area but Andes, NY, Delaware County. All virburnums affected except for Juddi. Harry Lauder Walking Stick affected also and had to remove. No amount of attention to affected plants made any difference. Lost all over period 2-3 years.

  12. Sorry to hear about your viburnums. But I don’t believe that viburnum leaf beetles infest Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’). That might have been something else.

  13. I’ve seen VLB in a few towns Bergen County in northern NJ over the past couple of years. I work for a tree care company and have found it on landscapes in Franklin Lakes, Old Tappan and Alpine.

  14. We seem to have them in our garden in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Last summer the leaves were exactly as the picture shows, and I found the bugs. I need to know what to do this spring, and wondered if diatomacious earth was a possibility. I am looking for a non-toxic, natural pesticide.

  15. Hello,

    The Master Gardeners of Ontario have requested that we report sightings and infestations of the Viburnum Leaf Beetle to the Cornell University website. I hope this is the place to do it

    I just want to report that my mother-in-law, who lives in Guelph, Ontario, has a Snowball tree (Viburnum opulus ‘roseum’) which has been infested with the Viburnum Leaf beetle for the past three years and because of the pesticide ban in Ontario the only treatments she has been able to obtain is through a registered horticultural centre and these have been totally ineffective.

    She is completely unsure what to do next, as the tree is a very large specimen (at least 20 ft) and has been there since she bought the house in 2001. It would be a complete shame to see it die, but this seems to be its fate, because if it is decimated again this year, how can it be expected to survive?

    In passing, I live in Sutton, Quebec which is about 110km SSE of Montreal, and have a small snowball tree (about 8 ft high) in my own garden. (Technically Canadian Zone 4b at an elevation of about 800ft). Fortunately, my tree seems to be in good health, and I certainly would not welcome the sight of this bug appearing in my garden as I have many other Viburnum as well.

    Any ideas about how to deal with this marauder, would be most welcome.

    Regards
    David Oldacre
    Member of Oakville Chapter of Master Gardeners of Ontario (MGOI)

  16. Infested in Ridgway, PA (eastern edge of Allegheny National Forest, about 50 miles south of NY-PA line). The larvae are, at this moment, consuming my arrowwood viburnum. I realize (now) that they were there last year, but I was not paying attention, shame on me.

  17. VLB has decimated my v.trilobum and v.dentatum. I am in Vernon, CT (Tolland County). We’ve never had an infestation before this – we’ve been picking them off daily and still have at least 60% loss of leaves

  18. Just noticed them on our viburnums in southern Saratoga county in Clifton Park, NY. Leaves are being eaten and larvae on the underside of leal look exactly like what is pictured here. Just moved into house this spring so no idea what they looked like last year, but some of the viburnum shrubs look like they have been less than healthy.

  19. We’re in Delaware County, NY and unfortunately our Blue Muffin and Lace Cap Vibernums are being devoured.
    Our favorite nursery will not sell vibernums because of the invasion threat.

  20. First year we have noticed VLB at Briar Bush Nature Center, Abington, PA 19001 (abuts Philadelphia, PA).

    Infestation appears small so far on our 12 acres, have seen only on V. dentatum so far.

  21. Hello, I am working in a public garden this summer and noticed that VLB is attacking the viburnums. Is there anyway that the beetle can be removed or any technique to save the Viburnums?

  22. First year I have noticed the same type of wild shrub infested and totally defoliated by what I believe to be this beetle. Then, I bought a Viburnum shrub to place in a visible spot where one of these wild shrubs were. Next day, viburnum was infested totally. I sprayed with a “systemic” insecticide. Next day all beetles gone. We have been at this 1 1/3 acre lot in Commack, Long Island for 19 years and have never observed this or any pest like this before.

  23. Ferndale,Wa. – I have VLB – this is the second year.
    The first year I did not know what was happening to the plant.
    Now thanks to WSU Master Gardeners I know what is causing the damage.
    Since I have only one Higbush Cranberry and not many leaves left I hand pick the VLB and then squish or drown them in soapy water.
    I hope I can save my Highbush Cranberry

  24. I live at the Eastern limit of the Champlain Valley. 3 Viburnum bushes showing extensive damage. I have photographs opf damage and also a beetle I found on one plant.

  25. I have found that planting gray dogwood and nannyberry viburnum effectively recolonizes extensive areas of dead arrowood viburnum. So far the nannyberry are only mildly attacked (good berry yield yet). This combination may fill the ecological niche left by natural stands of arrowood particularly for migrating birds. The dogwood competes well against invasive buckthorn.

  26. Are any groups or individuals monitoring VLB on Long Island? We were pretty hard hit here in the Farmingdale area this past season. Marked increase from last year.

  27. We live in Toronto, Canada and our highbush cranberry “snowball” tree over the past two years has been completely infested leaving over 60% of the leaves skeletonized each year.

    Given the ban on pesticides in Ontario, all other repellents have proven ineffective. I’ve tried spraying the leaves with insecticidal soap with no help. Also have cooked rhubarb leaves, added soap and sprayed the leaves, with no effect.

    Last year I spent a good portion of the fall pruning infested twigs to rid the tree of eggs which didn’t seem to help all too much this year given the level of infestation.

    I fear we may have no choice but to cut this tree down next year and replace it with something less prone to infestation. A shame, given this tree is likely 15-20 years old and beautiful.

    We just don’t know what else to do.

    Dan

  28. VLB on several populations of Viburnum dentatum at Duke Farms in Hillsborough, NJ for the last 2 years. Also in May of this year, I found 2 very large Viburnum trilobum completed defoliated by VLB in West Milford NJ

  29. Thank you so much for your help. I’m in SE Vermont and my Viburnum Trilobum have been terribly decimated for 2 years. Last Fall I cut off and burned the tender twigs where I could see the eggs. This Spring I sprayed miscible oil on the remaining twigs and trunks. I sprinkled Diatomaceous Earth each week on the new leaves. The leaves are large and uneaten on the shrubs that had survived 2 years of defoliation.

    I’m optimistic that next year I will again have healthy, blooming Viburnum.

  30. Your article helped me identify the pest on my highbush cranberry in Aurora Ontario, Canada. I’ve been fighting the problem for over 2 years.

  31. Bare-root seedlings i purchased from NJ Forest Service this spring that included arrowwood viburnums planted in my yard in Essex County, NJ, now have VLB. I noticed them in Ohio the last few months and now at home here in NJ.

  32. We live in Northwest NJ–within Sussex County–and noticed an infestation on our viburnums a couple of weeks ago. Our plants suffered some defoliation last year, but this year seems to be much worse, as the entire plants are overridden with VLB.

  33. They have arrived and are feasting away on our farm in Hebron, NY (Washington County). Beginning the combat with diatomaceous earth on ground application near trunk to catch larvae as they crawl down branches and insecticidal soap heavily sprayed on leaves to control early outbreak.

  34. There are very few V. dentatums that Ive seen this year on Long Island that have not been hit hard. I just collected 43 adults off of one large plant in Queens County.

    Eric C Morgan PhD.
    Department of Biology
    Farmingdale State College

  35. FYI – My viburnum in Michigan has been heavily hit! I saw the larvae in the spring and didn’t know what it was, the adult beetle now confirms that it is VLB.

  36. Seeing evidence of VLB in Central Park. Right now there are multiple shrubs with VLB egg cavities present.

  37. We have had VLB in the Thain Family Forest at The New York Botanical Garden since July 2008 and have been actively managing it by pruning egg sites in winter since 2009. We divide the forest in half and prune half of the forest in alternating years. Based on our monitoring this has provided us with good control, no mortality, and good seed production and viburnum regeneration. V. dentatum is the second most dominant shrub in the forest, we have seen limited damage on V. acerifolium and V. prunifolium only in areas where V. dentatum patches are near the other two species. We also have an invasion of V. dilatatum that VLB does not touch.

  38. Hello … I have about 6 viburnum dentatum along the edge of my property. All the ones that get the most sun are infested with this caterpillar. If you want pictures, let me know. I have been squishing them by hand because my yard is a habitat and I don’t want to use a pesticide… hopefully lots of lady bugs will come along soon. Where’s a hungry sparrow when you need one!!

  39. Just notice my maple leaf viburnum hedge about totally destroyed. At first I thought I had pruned it too severely, then noticed the larvae and the skeletal remains of leaves.

    I sprayed them off with the hose. Will that work?

    I live on the south side of a 2000 ft mountain in a hundreds of acres of woodland. How did that beetle find me?

  40. Forgot. i live 45 miles SE of State College, Pa. in Juniata County on the south side of Shade Mt.

  41. Battling VLB in Oyster Bay, NY. I am trying double sided tape and hand squishing. Not too sure who is winning.

  42. Are you interested in data from CT at all too? I am in North Eastern Connecticut (Chaplin) and have a 9 year old arrowwood (nursery stock) that has suffered from this pest for the past 3 years. I only just identified it. I also have a large tract in South Windsor, CT (just northeast of Hartford) full of wild arrowwood that I can easily monitor.

  43. I noticed many adults on my Viburnum opulus last summer but didn’t think much of it. Well, today, May 29, 2014 I noticed all 5 bushes are completely skeletonized and infested with the caterpillars. I live in metro Detroit suburb, Bloomfield Hills (semi-wooded).

  44. I live in Ann Arbor Michigan and noticed yesterday5/31/2014 that my Arrowood Viburnam is moderately infested with the larvae of the invasive Viburnum Leaf Beetle! They match to the small caterpillar-like VLB pictures on Cornell’s website!hopefully i can save my shrub !

  45. Our highbush cranberry has been attacked…the leaves are skeletenized…hopefully it will make it to next year…any suggestions?

  46. I live in Richland Township south of Johnstown, Pa. I have a heavy infestation on 3 Viburnum this year. They have almost completed in exfoliating at this point.

  47. I live in Gansevoort NY. I have row of arrowwood viburnum which was badly hit the larvae in spring The leaves are skeletonized. After applying the pest killer, I manage to clear all the larvae. Right now the viburnum is starting to grow with new leaves again.

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