Tag Archives: White pine weevil

March 7, 2020

Christmas tree IPM Update 3.6.20

Happy spring!  It just started snowing again here but that’s still okay.

 

I’ve decided to expand (and also contract – good trick, huh?) the program I did last summer with some growers to send out information on scouting and treating for insect pests based on growing degree days.

 

You won’t get information specifically for the weather station you choose, but I will give information for 3 sites – Southold (the warmest), Geneva (somewhere in the middle) and Champlain (the coldest).  If you want to promote your site as the warmest or coldest, let me know.

 

GDD for March 6 – and the 5 day forecast for March 11

Southold              3                              3

Geneva                0                              0

Champlain           0                              0

 

I’m a little late as the earliest insects are out starting about 7 GDD. You need to be ready to scout and to treat if necessary.  (Sorry, Long Island!). We use 50F as the base temperature and calculate GDD starting March 1.

 

Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to go to the NEWA (Network for Environment and Weather Applications) site and find your best weather station.  http://newa.cornell.edu/index.php?page=station-pages (Click on New York under Station Pages if NY doesn’t open automatically).  When you click on the station name, you will get information on the site  – elevation might be important and you can compare the Daily Summary temperatures to what you have had at your farm.  Questions?  Send me a note.

 

So what should you be scouting for if GDD has started to accumulate in your area?

 

Spruce spider mite eggs (7-121) –  Scout for eggs on trees previously infested and the surrounding trees (fir, Doug fir, pine, spruce). Egg hatch is before bud break and often starts on the south side of the tree.  A dormant oil spray (not on blue spruce) should occur prior to egg hatch.

 

Elongate hemlock scale (7-120) – Check under scale covers for living scales on trees previously infested (fir, Doug fir, pine, spruce).  Remove heavily infested trees before bud break (and carefully – don’t spread scale to uninfested trees when moving them). You can use a dormant oil treatment for EHS.

 

White pine weevil (7-58) – Scout for adults on spruce, pine, Doug fir, occasionally fir – especially in areas where you have had it previously.  You can use Tedders traps with a lure.  An indication is soil temperatures above 50F on the sunny side of the tree. You can also look for droplets of sap on the leaders indicating feeding sites.  Treat top 1/3 of the tree when adults are first found.

 

Pales (7-121) and Eastern pine weevil (7-100) – Destroy stumps before adults emerge.  Remove cull piles and dying trees. Adults will also be attracted to Tedders traps. For Pales weevil, pull duff away from last year’s stumps to look for adults.  Pines, occasionally Doug fir and spruce.

 

Eriophyid mites (7-22) – Scout for eggs on branches with gray or rusty color.  Use dormant oil before bud break.

 

That should keep you off the streets!  Your records of where insects were last year are invaluable in making scouting easier this year!

March 22, 2016

Christmas Tree IPM Update 3.22.16

Just a little snow fell at my house yesterday but it still feels springy!

And that leads us directly into the first question I received this spring:  When should I treat for white pine weevil?  Now (although maybe a slightly warmer day than today) urging by the Cornus maas blooming outside my office window and the silver maple I saw blooming in Geneva last week.  7-58 growing degree days.  You are trying to control the adults before they lay eggs and you know how a young white pine weevil’s fancy turns to love in the early spring.  Target the top third of the plant where they hang out.

Brian’s blog post on wpw:
For more pictures:
Do you get Sarah Pickel’s PA Christmas tree IPM report?  A good way to see what is heading our way.  Contact her at: c-sapickel@pa.gov
Sarah Pickel | IPM Education Specialist
PA Department of Agriculture | Bureau of Plant Industry
2301 North Cameron Street | Harrisburg, PA 17110
P: 717-772-5227

What is she seeing besides white pine weevil?
Pales weevil – larger than White pine weevil and with different habits.  While mostly a pine problem, the adults will feed on the bark of other conifers resulting in flagged or dead branches.  Eggs and larvae are only found in newly cut (less than a year) pine stumps so chipping or removing pine stumps is a good management practice.

Eriophyid mites – just starting.  These mites are tiny so it takes close scouting.  They can be carrot shaped or more elongated.  The eggs may be in clusters on the bottom of the needles.  Just a bit larger than the stomata spots.  There is a threshold for this pest – 80% of twigs with mites and at least 8 mites on a single needle on one shoot.  Get your hand lenses out!
Are you out in the trees yet?  I bet you are on the warm days.  Seems appealing when I am in my office.  I did walk my  conifer plantation the other day, though!  Lost one but the other 8 are happy.  🙂

Have a great week!

March 22, 2016

Christmas Tree IPM Update 3.9.16

Coming out of hibernation?  No, coming out of education season so I am actually in my office all week.  Winter aconite and snowdrops at my house and crocuses at Cornell!

Woo Hoo!  The new 2016 Cornell Pest Management Guide for Commercial Production and Maintenance of Trees and Shrubs (we don’t mind if you call it the Cornell guidelines for trees and shrubs) is out! Hard copies are available from the Cornell Bookstore in the next couple of days.   Have a photo that you think is cover-worthy?  Send it along and if it is chosen for next year, we’ll credit you (and I’ll send you a free copy of the 2017 guidelines!)

A (very small) shout-out for deer!  What?  Well, they don’t spread Lyme disease, although they do spread ticks.  Ticks can pick up the disease organism from mice, chipmunks, voles, etc. though, and they are out NOW.

Warm spring, early white pine weevil?  I expect so.  7-58 GDD (don’t know what that means?  Shoot me an email!) And one place to get your GDD is NEWA.

A couple of growers have told me that they are trying Tedders’ traps to monitor for white pine weevil.  I hope they keep me posted and I’ll keep you posted. Information on how to build your own – or buy them (there may be other sources, this one seems to pop up)

Enjoy the weather and have a great week!