Indiana Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 08/14/2018 07:37 AM EDT
Weekly Review for August 14, 2018
Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Entomology & Plant Pathology Phone: (317) 232-4120 Our Website Inspector Territories
This informal report by the Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology is designed to update the Nursery and Greenhouse industry of insect and disease pests the Division has been encountering on a week to week basis and as a way to give a “heads up” of things to be on the lookout for.
Links can be found at the bottom of the page to manage your subscription to this list. Comments and questions about this report are welcome and can be sent to Eric Biddinger or to your respective
Inspector.
I am getting to the end of my nursery inspections. In Marshall and Elkhart counties, I have seen a lot of leafhopper damage on redbuds and maples developing over the last week or so. Other finds include oystershell scale on hawthorn, fall webworm on crabapples and redbuds, various leaf spots on hydrangea, and some scattered powdery mildew.
While the Japanese beetle is mostly gone, I have seen some alarming damage in certain locations. Interestingly, these usually correspond to locations where I find Japanese beetle traps. These traps contain lures that will attract beetles from a couple miles out turning your property into a breeding ground. If you insist on using these traps, a follow-up application of a grub control product in the area around the trap would probably be a good idea.
As I drive around the northwest part of the state I see Fall Webworm in full swing especially on Wild Black Cherry, Mulberry, Willow, etc. During my inspections I noted Septoria Leaf Spot on Hydrangea and Redtwig Dogwood. Flea Beetles were on Meadow Sage, Weigela, and Queen of the Prairie. At one Nursery Japanese Beetle Damage was heavy on Linden, Cherry, Elm and Plum.
I inspected nurseries in Whitley, Lagrange and Allen Counties this past week. In Allen County, spider mite damage was severe on oak. Red, pin, scarlet and swamp chestnut oak were affected. Cottonwood leaf beetle was found on hybrid poplar but was causing very little damage. In Lagrange County, oystershell scale was severe on one striped maple tree and was suffering extreme branch die back. I also found potato leaf hopper damage on mountain ash. The cast skins were present on the back sides of the leaves, however the leaf hoppers had moved on. White pine weevil was damaging the leaders on limber pine, Japanese white pine and Norway spruce in Whitley County. I also found tulip tree scale on tulip poplar. Other insects and diseases I found were aphids on walnut and birch; lace bug on bur, swamp and white oak; Zimmerman moth on Mugo pine; spidermites on serviceberry, fernleaf beech, red and ‘Autumn Blaze’ maple, honeylocust, Helenium and aster; tar spot on red and ‘Autumn Blaze’ maple; powdery mildew on lilac, bee balm and Magnolia; apple scab on crabapples and apples and Septoria leaf spot on pagoda dogwood. In all 3 counties Japanese beetle was causing damage to many different kinds of trees. For the most part the populations have declined, but there are still a few stragglers out there.
Not much to report for apiary news. Getting inspection and survey work done. I did go to two local club meetings last week and recruited two more beekeepers for the USDA honey bee health survey. I will try to get them done this week.
Beekeepers are getting honey supers off. Some are starting treatments. One beekeeper had a lot of bees bearding on the outside of the hive after he took the honey supers off. He ended up putting one of the freshly extracted supers back on. Give room for the bees to go into, instead of hanging outside the hive.
Beekeepers in local clubs are working the State Fair booth for the Beekeepers of Indiana association. If you are visiting the State Fair, swing by the Ag-Hort Building and check out the beekeepers. Try some honey ice cream. The State Fair is a big fundraiser for the association. It is also a way for beekeepers to sell some of their honey. On the day a local club staff the booth, members can bring in honey to sell. The Indiana Department of Health is starting to require beekeepers bottle their honey in a certified kitchen if they want to sell it. They also want everyone to get a business license. This will lead to fewer beekeepers selling their own honey at the State Fair. It would cost too much to get a license and rent a kitchen for most hobby beekeepers. One local club did rent a kitchen for all their members to bottle their honey. Myself, I am selling my honey to another beekeeper to bottle. Bulk rate of honey is running from $2.50 to $3.75 per pound. One beekeeper said he will not sell it less the $3.75 a pound. After bottling, the price for one pound jar is running from $6 to $8.
Some of the pests and diseases that I have found over the past week or so have been: Cedar Quince Rust on hawthorn, whiteflies on hibiscus and caladium, ‘shot hole’ leaf spot diseases on plum and weeping cherry, a fair amount of fall webworm in the landscapes, Phomopsis Tip Blight on ‘Otto Luyken’ English Laurel and several rot fungi diseases on Five-In-One Combo apple tree. I have included a photo of the Phomopsis Tip Blight (lab confirmed) on the English Laurel and photos of the Five-in-One Combo apple tree. Lab analysis confirmed the main rot fungi on the fruit as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides which causes Bitter Rot. Also on the fruit was Botryosphaeria dothidea which causes White Rot. On the apple leaves, Diplodia seriata which causes Black Rot was confirmed. In the field, I also noted a small amount of cedar apple rust on some of the trees. So once again, this goes to show us that we can have multiple pathogens or combinations of problems going on within just one tree or one variety.
