Calendar for Common Kentucky Shade Tree and Woody Ornamental Pests

University of Kentucky Entomology

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CALENDAR FOR COMMON KENTUCKY SHADE TREE AND WOODY ORNAMENTAL PESTS

by Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist
University of Kentucky Department of Entomology

This calendar shows many of the common insects and mites that feed on shade trees and woody ornamentals in Kentucky. It should be helpful in anticipating pest activity or in identifying potential pests when trying to diagnose problems during the season. The pests are listed alphabetically by month, in most cases with information on where to look for them (usually on the foliage). For pests such as scales and borers, there is information on when the vulnerable stage is active rather than when the more visible adults are present. The “When to look” column indicates when the feeding stages should be present. Pests with multiple generations appear more than once on the calendar. This publication has been prepared to serve as an aid in evaluating landscape plantings for pests, it is not intended to be a spray schedule.

The geographical and seasonal weather variations across Kentucky will result in pests appearing sooner or later in a particular year. Both plant and insect development are temperature-dependent so seasonal appearance of particular pests should follow a predictable sequence that correlates with the flowering of particular landscape plants. More accurate predictions can be made by using ENT-66, “Timing control actions for landscape insect pests using flowering plants as indicators”. The information in ENT-66 will help you to know when to check plants for pests and to schedule control measures more effectively. ENT or Entfact publications for specific pests are listed below the pest name so that you can get more detailed information. If none are listed, you can look in other references.

March

Pest	Where to look / treat	When to look
Maple gall mites	Maple twigs and buds (preventive)	late March through early April
Snowball aphid	Viburnum	mid-March through mid-April
Spruce spider mite	Needles and twigs of conifers	mid-March through April
White pine aphid	White pine needles - terminal foliage	late March to mid-April
April
Aphids	New growth and lower leaf surface	mid-April to early May
Cankerworms	Foliage of beech, elm, maple, oaks, and others	April through May
Eastern tent caterpillar	Branch crotches of cherry, crabapples, apple and related	early April to mid-May
Euonymus scale	Twigs and stems of Euonymus, Pyracantha, Pachysandra	several generations late April through August
European pine sawfly	Mugho, Scotch, other pines	April through mid-June
Holly leaf miner	Upper and lower holly leaf surfaces	late April through early May
Honeylocust plant bug	Foliage of honeylocust and black locust	mid-April through May
Lilac borer	Lilac trunk and branches, especially by wounds	First flight late April
Locust leaf miner	Locust foliage	June
Pine needle scale	Needles of pines, especially Mugho and Scotch, spruce and other conifers	Crawlers in late April to early May
San Jose Scale	Twigs and bark	Crawlers late April, several generations
Woolly alder aphid	Silver maple	April
Yellow poplar weevil	Poplar, sassafras, and magnolia	April and May
May
Azalea lace bug	Azaleas, especially evergreen varieties and mountain laurel	May and July
Bagworm	Foliage of host, especially arbovitae, juniper	mid-May through mid-June
Birch leaf miner	Birch	early May and mid-June
Boxwood leaf miner	Boxwood foliage	mid-May through mid-June
Boxwood psyllid	Underside of boxwood leaves	mid-May to mid-June
Bronze birch borer	Bark, especially upper branches of birch	late May to early June
Dogwood borer	Dogwood trunks and branches	May to mid-June
Elm leaf beetle	Elm	mid-May through early July
European red mite	Foliage of host	May through June
Fall webworm	Tents at end of branches in various trees	late May through June
Juniper scale	Juniper and arbovitae twigs and branches	Egg hatch in May
Linden looper	Oaks, maples, elm, hickory, ash	May through June
Oystershell scale	Twigs and branches of willow, lilac, apple, others	Crawlers in early May
Pine bark adelgid	Twigs and branches of white and Scotch pines	early to mid-May but several generations
Pine webworm	Va pine, short and longleaf pines	May
Poplar tentmaker	Poplar and willow	May through October
Taxus mealybug	Trunk and branches of Taxus, apple, cedar, linden, maple	Active in late May, 2 to 3 generations/year
Walnut caterpillar	Black walnut, pecan, hickory	May
White pine aphid	White pine terminal needles	mid-May
Yellow poplar weevil	Poplar, sassafrass, and magnolia	mid-May
June
Birch leaf miner	Birch foliage	mid-June
Dogwood sawfly	Dogwood	June through July
Introduced pine sawfly	White, red, Scotch, Austrian and other pines	June
Leafhoppers	Foliage of many trees, especially redbud	June
Locust leaf miner	Locust	June
Mimosa webworm	Mimosa	mid -June
Nantucket pine tip moth	Pine leaders	early June
Oak skeletonizer	Oaks	June
Redheaded pine sawfly	Pine needles	mid-June through Sept, 2 to 3 generations/year
Rose slugs	Rose leaves	mid-June
Spruce needle miner	Spruce	June through hard frost
July
Azalea lace bug	Azaleas, especially evergreen and mountain laurel	July
European hornet	Twigs of lilac, birch, rhododendron	July through early Sept
Fall webworm	Tents at end of branches in various trees	mid- to late July
Japanese beetle	Foliage of host	July through August
Orangestriped oakworm	Red and white oaks	July through September
Pine needle scale	Needles of pines, especially Mugho and Scots, spruce and other conifers	mid- to late July
Rose slugs	Rose leaves	mid-July through mid-August
Spiny oakworm	Red and white oaks	July through September
Two spotted spider mite	Underside of leaves, many plants	mid-July through mid-August
Woolly alder aphid	Alder	June through September
August
Locust leaf miner	Locust	August
Mimosa webworm	Mimosa	August
Oak skeletonizer	Oaks	August
Pine webworm	Va pine, short and longleaf pines	August
Tuliptree scale	Tuliptree twigs and branches	Crawlers in late August
September
Cottony maple scale	Twigs of maple honeylocust others	Crawlers in early September
Magnolia scale	Magnolia twigs and branches	Crawlers in early September
Spruce spider mite	Needles and twigs of conifers	September

Issued: 1/03
Revised: 1/03

CAUTION! Pesticide recommendations in this publication are registered for use in Kentucky, USA ONLY! The use of some products may not be legal in your state or country. Please check with your local county agent or regulatory official before using any pesticide mentioned in this publication.

Of course, ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS FOR SAFE USE OF ANY PESTICIDE!

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This page is maintained by Pat Dillon, Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky. Please send questions or suggestions to: pdillon@uky.edu

CALENDAR FOR COMMON KENTUCKY SHADE TREE AND WOODY ORNAMENTAL PESTS

by Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist University of Kentucky Department of Entomology

by Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist
University of Kentucky Department of Entomology