Why we don't just fertilize when plants look sick.

The first picture shows Rhododendrons that have been in the ground about five years. They look yellow and a good candidate for fertilization.
The second picture shows the roots from one of the plants in this group that died. You can still see the shape of the pot that the plant came in from the nursery. These plants have never sent roots out to the surrounding soil and fertilizer would be a waste of time and money. These roots should have been cut and spread out at planting. Some of these plants may still be saved by using a sharp shovel to cut the roots at a few places radially to the plant. In a year after this treatment fertilizer will probably then be a benefit.




Sometimes even trees that are not planted too deep or mulched to death develop root problems. It is always worth a check if other causes of decline can not be determined. One clue that a tree may have root problems is that other trees next to them look fine.

This tree is not doing well. The pictures that follow show that this tree has cross roots (roots that grow over other roots) these were cutting into the main roots of the tree. See the big gouges in these roots after I cut off the offending roots. Unfortunately this is not an exact science, some cross roots were left until the tree recovers and will be removed at a later date.





Not the best Photo but I think you can still see the large root that I left for another time.

This next tree is about ten feet from a driveway and at the bottom of a slope. For some reason, probably run off over the years one side of this tree was about nine inches too deep. This usually causes girdling roots (the roots you can see circling and gouging into the trunk). Unfortunately by the time I thought to take photos I had already cut off some of the worst offenders. I think you can see the gouges and some of these offending roots.


(With apologies to the memory of Sir Walter Scott)
Oh what a tangled web we weave
when first we practice burying trees.

The sister tree to this sick looking maple is dead. Look how deep it was. This tree had no chance of survival. What a waste of money and trees. The last picture in this series shows a tree planted correctly. Note you can see the butt swell and the top of the first major root.



The following trees are examples of typical landscape trees being volcano mulched to death.
I guarantee that most of the trees in this parking lot will be dead within ten years and probably much faster. So someone paid to have these trees killed.


If any one ever reads this blog they are probably thinking boy this guy is a nag about his roots and stuff. Probably true but it really irks me to see people wasting money and killing plants.

The root work on these trees was done by exposing the roots with a tool called an air spade which blasts air at high pressure to remove the soil. You can use a hose to take a look if you are curios about a tree you have. A hose will make a huge muddy mess if you want to do more then just take a surface look. Forget trying the rake and shovel unless you like grueling heavy work. The air spade also will not damage roots like a shovel and rake. If you are feeling adventurous here is how I built my air spade.

If you do find root problems, roots can be removed with a chisel. Try to make clean cuts and do as little damage to other roots as possible. As I mentioned before there is no scientific amount of roots that you can remove and be sure not to kill the tree. If in doubt and you want to try this yourself you can do one side of the tree one season then the other side the next season.
If you do it this way do the worst side first.

As for the time of year to do root work, I am told that it does not make a difference. Obviously you can't do it after the ground is frozen. I do not think it prudent to do this between the leaf drop and leaf out of the deciduous trees. It being my thought that why cut off roots that the tree has spent energy on to fill with food.

After serious root pruning keep the tree watered, but not waterlogged for a while. At this point a light application of root stimulator fertilizer can benefit the tree. Root stimulator fertilizer means no, or very low nitrogen, you do not want to encourage top growth that the roots can't keep up with. I prefer just compost, you can't go wrong with compost and it has anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities that can't hurt.

Now a short bit about weather. Both drought and too much rain can reduce the root mass of a plant. The worst situation is drought broken by a lot of rain the next year. The effects of drought can affect a tree for several years following as the roots take time to grow back.

Improper fertilization of trees sick from drought, too much water, diseases, insects, root and other problems can do more harm then good.

Switching to integrated pest management

When you turn your landscape over to an integrated pest management (IPM) system there are some things that you need to know and expect.
First if you have been treating the old way of spraying your plants routinely with broad-spectrum insecticides, switching to the more environmentally sensitive integrated pest management can take time to show results. This is because of the reduction of predators that will have taken place. You can expect that in some circumstances you may get a temporary build up of pests until predator populations recover. Don’t let this panic you; you may need to do a few more targeted treatments in the beginning. Long term however, as pests and predators are managed, using integrated pest management will lead to fewer problems as the balance of nature returns.
Secondly your integrated pest management technician has to be your partner, and you may need to supply, and ask for information.
Case in point. I have a property that I have been working on for three years now, carefully choosing treatments and timing so as to control pests and maintain a good predator balance. This property has always maintained a healthy population of lacebug on a few Azaleas that are close to the woods, even with spring and fall oil treatments.
I was there yesterday and saw a note on the door from a mosquito control company.
Well the reason for the lacebug became obvious. The note had the chemical used to control mosquitoes and sure enough it was bifenthrin, which is a notorious killer of predators.
See how one thing that you do can cancel the efforts of your integrated pest management program. Many customers also treat pests themselves between visits. It is important to know what and how to treat so that your IPM program is not interrupted. It is fine to go out and treat, say for Japanese beetle, but you should learn to keep with the program. Don’t run out and treat the whole yard with anything that the sales person says kills Japanese beetle, but treat only the effected plants with the right chemical. Your IPM technician should be able to help you choose treatments, and it is also a good idea to let them know what you are using. Resistance to chemicals is one of the things we work hard to avoid, and if you are using the same pesticide over and over again then I show up and use the same thing we could both be contributing to this problem.
The use of chemicals is just one part of good pest management, other things include but are not limited to watering, pruning, fertilizing and mulching.
Ask questions and if your IPM technician is bothered by them then find someone who isn’t. A good IPM technician should be happy to talk with you; a well-informed customer is a good customer and not something to be afraid of.

Whats out there 7/23/09

Recently I have been getting a lot of Questions about the growths on Oak and Maple leaves. Bumps and swelling on these leaves are sometimes green and sometimes colored and may have fuzzy white growths associated. A small insect called Eriophyid Mites causes these growths. They do not do any real harm to your trees and can be ignored. Some people even enjoy the look.

Eriophyid mites also attack hemlocks pine and spruce, on these trees they do not form galls, and can be seen at the base of the needles, but only with a good hand lens. They can build up to damaging populations on these types of trees. If you see a white hue at the base of the needles you probably have Eriophyid mite. Even high populations of this mite will not usually kill a tree unless it is stressed by other factors, and can for the most part be ignored. If you have a low tolerance to insect damage you can treat these mites with a variety of pesticides. Oil treatments in the spring and fall will help to keep the populations of Eriophyid Mite below damaging populations.

Lacebug, Mites, and Mealybugs are still in low populations.
Still raining and diseases are getting rampant.
Black Knot on Prunus sp. is everywhere.
Fire blight is quite prevalent.
Tar Spot on Maples is now showing up.
We are seeing a lot of a disease on our perennials and annuals.
So what to do now!
Fungicides are generally preventative and not curative so applying once a disease is established will not generally control the disease. A few products will have some curative effects on certain diseases and treatment will stop them spreading to unaffected stock.The best thing to do now is to rouge out infested plants and cut off infected leaves.
Black spot on roses is one of the diseases that is really a problem with all the rain.
Black spot is spread through water splash from infected leaves to other leaves. It is very important to cut off infected leaves. Fungicides can prevent newly emerging leaves from being infected. Wilt Pruf sprayed on leaves before rain will protect new leaves from Black spot, powdery mildew and many of the rain spread diseases but is not registered as a fungicide so you cannot legally use it for this purpose. A new Bio Fungicide has shown promise on many Bacterial and Fungal diseases.
The key to controlling diseases is prevention.
Keep plants well spaced for good air movement.
Watch the weather patterns and if you treat, treat before weather predicted is favorable for a disease.
Keep records of what diseases you have in a year so you know what preventative treatments you might need the following year if weather conditions warrant.
Plant resistant species and varieties when your records show that a disease is a problem in your area.
Control some of the pests that spread diseases such as Leaf Hoppers that spreads Aster Yellows, very early in the year. Clean up your beds in the fall and dispose of litter.
Composting is fine to kill most disease spores if done properly but some diseases
can survive the heat of a compost pile and should not be composted, or only composted in a pile that will not get used for a few years until the disease spores become non-viable.
Some diseases that can survive composting are:
corn smut; clubroot of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and other crucifers; Verticillium wilt of potato, tomato, pepper, and eggplant.

Links for more information:
Bacterial diseases

Good disease pictures

A really nice turf pamphlet.

Insect disease vectors

Pest control vs. Integrated Pest Management.

The old thinking of pest control; see a pest kill the pest is and has to change to the new thinking of integrated pest management.

So what is integrated pest management? Simply put it is using all available methods to keep pests below damaging levels. Methods include such things as choosing plants resistant to some of their natural enemies and suited for the environment. Cultural control, such as cleaning needles from under pines in the fall. Predator introduction and maintenance. (keeping some plants in the garden in flower for the whole season is a great way to keep predators around as many of our best predators have juvenile stages that feed on nectar.) Monitoring and determining the damaging threshold of a pest. The correct use of fertilizer and water (yes these can both affect pest populations), and the use of pesticides.

Why would you want to manage pests and not just kill them?
Good question.
Well the first thing is that the old pest control strategy was wrought with problems.
Just killing the pest does not always work in the long run. Pests become resistant to chemicals and you can wipe out the predators with just kill it strategies. Then you end up with super bugs and no predators. Even the great DDT that many farmers and mosquito control people whined about when it was removed from the market was, at that point becoming fairly useless in controlling mosquitoes. Already there was a great deal of resistance in mosquito and other insect populations and this was destined to get worse.
Killing one pest outright can lead to the multiplication of another pest that was present but not a problem. For example lets take the case of the Hemlock Eriophyid Mite and the Two Spotted Mite. So you want to kill the Eriophyid and you choose Sevin as it really does a great job killing this mite. Sevin however does not affect Two Spotted Mite mites in the least, but is horrible on this mites predators. Now you have no Eriophid Mites but a population explosion of Two Spotted Mite. So you just traded one problem for another and spent money for the privilege.
Not to mention that Eriophyid Mites will rarely build to populations that severely damage a plant. Note that I am not badmouthing Sevin, used properly for the right pest at the right time this product can be the suitable choice.

Does this mean that in integrated pest management we do not ever try to kill every pest?
The answer to that is no, sometimes it is the right way to go, but we choose our battles and the results we want from them more carefully.
You want an example do you? OK invasive species are one reason where it might be good to use a wipe out strategy, as these pests usually have few or no natural enemies. If there were a product that would kill every Asian Longhorn Beetle but decimate natural predators in the area it would be the obvious choice to use the chemical even with the loss of predators. Asian longhorn beetle will destroy all favorable trees in its path, like a B science fiction movie. So even though native pests would, for a time, get worse due to the predator loss these natural predators would recover and nature would resume it’s balance.

Levels of acceptable damage are different and depend apon the pest, crop, use, personal preference and other factors. One dandelion on a golf green is one two many, but would not even be noticed on a highway median. One Asian Longhorned Beetle is one to many, but ten European corn borer in a patch of Zinnia may be acceptable.
The correct application of Integrated Management may leave a residual population of pests in an area. The good technician will evaluate the pest, the population, the available natural predators and the potential for the pest to reach damaging levels for the situation before deciding if and how to treat the problem.

So if in integrated pest management we don't try to kill all the pests, why not just go totally organic and let nature take care of everything? Under some circumstances we can and do, but we have changed our environments and in turn how nature can deal with problems. Even in a balanced system there are ebbs and flows in pest populations, and some times great losses. We often expect and need more than nature can give. If you look at an untreated apple tree, there will be apples on it but most people would not eat them even though they are quite edible; worms, apple scab and all.

Though there is still a lot of research to be done in the integrated pest management field, this approach has proven itself to be better then conventional pest control in many instances. The proof to this is that many farmers have adopted the strategy and have found that they have increased crop yields and reduced expenses.

Old Field Report (what problems I am seeing in NH, MA and ME)

06/27/09

Winter Moth was huge this year in Massachusetts around Topsfield. I have not seen this pest in NH yet but that does not mean it is not here yet.
Eriophyid mites have been growing in populations on Hemlock and Spruce. These mites do not need the hot dry weather of other mites.
Red Thread seems to be on almost every lawn I see in NH
Black knot on Prunus is heavy.
Note that some diseases such as Red Thread and Black knot can spread with infected tools. Diseases often run through developments as landscapers travel from lawn to lawn and tree to tree without sterilizing equipment.
Apple Scab, Fire blight and Cedar Apple rust are also common this year due to the weather.
Lily leaf beetle were everywhere this year. If you lost your flowers and leaves think about doing something in the spring, its too late to bother this year for the most part. These things are pretty easy to kill with low toxicity products, but hatch for a long period so have to be treated almost weekly. You can soil treat when the lilies first show through the soil and this will control them for a full year.

The usual suspects on the landscape at this time of year regular mites, lacebug, Mealybug are still low in populations due to the cold wet weather.

I am seeing increasingly more scale insects but this is usually on and around customers properties that have been treated with broad spectrum insecticides. Many of these broad spectrum chemicals will kill scale in its vulnerable stage, but that is only about 2-3 weeks long. The rest of the time people are using these to kill scale it is doing nothing but killing all the predators. I can always tell that one product in particular has been used the year before I see a property because of the amount and variety of scale insects.

I am sure we will be seeing a lot more diseases because of the weather. Most of which it will be too late to do anything about for this year.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid control

The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is a sucking insect that is like an aphid. It is introduced and therefore has no natural enemies and left untreated will kill Hemlocks. You can find Hemlock Woolly Adelgid by looking for small cottony masses at the crotch of the needles. The good news is that Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is easily controlled in the landscape and treatment can be applied any time of year. Late winter or very early spring treatments are most effective in New Hampshire and New England. The bad news is that Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is almost impossible to control in a forest situation.

The most common control treatments for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid are Horticultural Oil and Merit (Imidacloprid). Here I discuss the benefits and problems of each.

Horticultural Oil is an ultra refined Oil that is almost non toxic to other organisms and is not hard on insect predators.

Benefits
Horticultural Oil will give you quick results.
Is relatively cheap.
Is available at most stores that sell gardening supplies.
Can be easily applied with hand or backpack sprayer if the plant is not too large.

Problems
As oil works by smothering, any insect not covered with oil will not be killed.
Oil has no residual and must be re-applied if new insects reach the plant.
Can burn if it is used when the weather is hot and sunny, or if sprayed before new growth has hardened.
Can be hard to apply on tall trees, or plants that are not accessible to application equipment.

Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid, which is a class of neuro-active insecticides modeled after nicotine and acts on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Imidacloprid is notable for its relatively low toxicity to most animals other than insects due to its specificity for this type of receptor.

Benefits
Imidacloprid Is a systemic (a chemical that is taken up by the plant) and will travel within the plants vascular system to all parts of the plant where it will kill all the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.
Will stay in the plant and kill the pest for two years. (some tests have shown that this can be a lot longer.)
Is usually injected into the soil, or sometimes directly into the tree trunk, reducing the chance of drift to non target areas.
Can be applied by digging small holes around the plant and placing the product in the hole, thus allowing plants to be treated that can not be reached by an oil spray.
Has a low mammalian toxicity, compared to some other common pesticides.
Breaks down quickly when exposed to sunlight

Problems
Imidacloprid is expensive.
Takes time to travel from the roots to the branches, thus Hemlock Woolly Adelgid can feed for several weeks and in a heavy infestation may have time to kill the plant before the chemical can control them.
Under certain conditions has been known to travel through the soil to water sources. ( Before applying, read the label and pay attention to situations where this may happen. )
Will kill benaficial insects including predators of Mites, another common problem on Hemlocks, though these pests rarely will kill Hemlocks.
Breaks down quickly when exposed to sunlight

Conclusion
Wherever possible Oil is my first choice for control of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid because of its ease of use, quick kill and low toxicity to other organisams. I try to reserve the use of Imidacloprid for use where the plant is is hard to treat with oil. One other reason that I tend to restrict my use of imidacloprid is because it is so effective on many hard to kill insects. Indeed for some insects, such as those have become resistant to other chemicals it is about the only product that will affect control. Overuse and or incorrect use of Imidacloprid could lead to resistance, or use restrictions, and this would remove a valuable weapon for the careful applicator. Imidacloprid is also the ingredient in most white grub control products for lawns and is used a lot by home owners.



Xavier
IPM OF New Hampshire

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
What is that white stuff on my Hemlocks? It could be Woolly Adelgid. This is a fairly easy pest to control on the landscape, though almost impossible to control in the forest. Horticultural Oil easily kills this pest if you can get 100% coverage. Merit (imidicloprid) injected into the soil will also control Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. Imidicloprid can take several weeks to reach the tops of trees depending on hight. Imidicloprid will also kill the predators of mites so should generally be used only if the Woolly Adelgid on your hemlocks can not be controlled by Oil due to tree size or accessibility.

Xavier
IPM OF New Hampshire
www.ipmofnh.com
Posted by IPM Man at 12:44 PM

Fertilizing Sick Trees

Fertilizing Stressed Trees
For the most part trees, especially older trees, do not need to be fertilized. There are some cases where fertilization can help a tree but these are uncommon. Indeed the careless fertilization of a sick tree can do more harm then good. For instance a Hemlock that is sick because it is infested with Woolly Adelgid is likely to die more quickly if it is fertilized, as the Woolly Adelgid reproduces faster when the tree is fertilized.

Some questions you kneed to ask before fertilizing a stressed tree are:

Is it diseased?

Are pests causing the problem?

Is the tree root bound or does it have girdling roots?

Was this tree planted too deep?

Is there too much mulch and is it touching the tree trunk?

Is the tree suffering from soil compaction?

Is the soil PH right for this tree?

Is this the right tree for its environment?

Has something changed, like sudden exposure to more sun?

Is the tree suffering from drought, or too much water?

Have the roots of the tree been disturbed by construction?

Once you rule out other causes of stress, take a soil sample and have it analyzed.
Only a soil test can tell you if and what your soil is lacking for good tree growth.
Here is more on why we don't just fertilize a sick tree.

Ten fun and easy ways to kill your trees and shrubs.

Sick of all those trees and shrubs cluttering up the yard? Enjoy buying and exterminating expensive plants? Read on my friends and find out how to kill all that pesky vegetation.

1: Plant too deep
Sure fire way to kill a plant. Some plants survive years before succumbing to this method. Eventually they will either grow girdling roots that wrap around the tree and choke it to death, or the deep roots will die due to lack of air. For added fun you can fertilize these trees every year and watch them green up in a hopeless attempt to survive.

2: Mulch deep and up to the trunk
Much the same as #1. You can do this yourself or have your landscaper do it for you. Ah ha you say, but mulch is good is it not? Correct my friend it is, when kept away from the trunk and not more than 3-4” deep, so be sure to get it deep and touching the trunk and the tree will suffer and die just like in method #1.

3: Bury the roots
If you are the unhappy homeowner who inherited properly planted and mulched trees and don’t want to spend the money on mulch. Then just pile up soil around the roots, or if you are lazy you can just let all the grass clippings and stuff collect around the trunk.
(There are some nice pictures and instructions on how to accomplish 1-3 at this site link)

4: Water frequently
After a newly planted tree is established, keep watering it daily so you can rot out the roots. If you like to throw away money you can hire someone to wrap far too many irrigation lines around a plant and set the system to water all the time. Be careful because there are competent people who will install and set irrigation correctly, so make sure you hire someone incompetent and don’t ask any questions.

5: Fertilize randomly
Again you say, but fertilizer is good no? Well yes for the most part but trees seldom if ever need fertilizer, and no plant other than annuals should be fertilized for one full growing season after planting. So if your trees and shrubs look sick go ahead and throw fertilizer at them and if you are lucky they will have been suffering from a condition such as an insect or disease that gets worse if you do. This is a method that can quickly kill a plant so if you are interested in watching your plants die slowly try methods #1-3.

6: Disturb the roots
There are many methods of root disturbance. Laying a driveway, digging a trench, or grading all work well. This death can be slow or fast so if you’re into a little mystery be sure to give this a try. With careful preparation and methods, many construction projects can be done around plants without killing them, so be sure to just wing it. Remember that the majority of a trees feeding roots are shallow and extend to or past the edge of the leaves, so even some light grading in these areas can be all it takes to wipe out a tree.

7: Girdle
This is a very popular and easy method. All you need to do for a newly planted tree that has been staked is nothing. Just sit back and watch as the strapping chokes the life out of your plant when trunk grows. Many landscapers will come and take down the stakes after the tree can support itself so be vigilant and keep an old shoe or something by the window to throw at them to scare them off. You can also tie a dog chain or something around the trunk and wait.

8: Compact the soil
An occasional car parked for a day or two or driven over a trees roots should not bother it at all. To properly compact the soil frequently park or drive equipment on the root areas. Even constant foot traffic can accomplish good soil compaction.

9: Other planting methods
Plants that come in pots are easy to kill, just plant them and the chances of survival are slim. If you break up the roots by cutting down the sides and the bottom, plant them at the right depth, don’t fertilize or pile mulch on top of them most plants quickly become established and get harder to kill. Balled and burlapped plants are much the same. Though they have not grown in pots, the machinery that digs them squashes the roots together and piles soil up around the trunk. So again just plant them and most of the time they will die without any further help. Be careful not to spread out the roots or remove any extra soil from around the trunk. Keep them in the wire basket or burlap and your chances of a good killing are greatly increased. If you screw up and they look like they will live cover them with a big pile of mulch and fertilize them.

10: Weed whack right up to the trunk
Sure, simple and easy especially for smaller plants. Weed whackers quickly girdle trees by cutting through the bark.

Remember most plants left to their own devices will grow and thrive. So unless you do something, before you know it your landscape will be over run with thriving trees and shrubs.




Xavier
IPM OF New Hampshire
www.ipmofnh.com

Whats News

Asian Long Horn Beetle is on the move. Now in Worcester this pest is devastating the city trees. Every one needs to be vigilant in looking for and reporting this pest. If Asian Long Horn Beetle escapes in to the Maple syrup production areas we can say good bye to this treat. The Asian Long Horn Beetle is the most serious pest to hit our shores ever. Familiarize yourself with this pest and report sightings immediately.

Some other insects have been brought in to the authorities that people have mistaken for Asian Long Horn Beetle. (The Pine Sawyer is one of these)

Don't worry if you are wrong, not everyone is expected to be an entomologist, or have seen this pest as I have. Better a thousand wrong identifications then to let this pest multiply for years, as it did in Brooklyn NY and Worcester, before any one brought it in.



Xavier
IPM OF New Hampshire
www.ipmofnh.com

Asian Longhorned Beetle and other Invasive species that threaten NH and New England.

Asian Longhorned Beetle.
When Asian Longhorned Beetle was first discovered in Brooklyn NY. I was one of the people sent to study this pest. Even for someone who is familiar with the damage done by Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and other invasive species, I was horrified by what I saw. I have been told that in its last outbreak in China the Asian Longhorned Beetle has been responsible for destroying the equivalent amount of trees as all the forested land on the east coast from Nova Scotia Canada to Florida, and it is native to China. No one knows why Asian Longhorned Beetle suddenly became such a problem in its native home. One theory is that a predator or predators were lost or greatly reduced due to a change in habitat. Others surmise that it is due to the planting of favorable species in an effort to produce wood from fast growing trees like Poplar. In my opinion the Asian Longhorned Beetle is the most destructive threat to our environment and economy that has ever hit the USA, and nothing we spend to stop this pest now is too much.

Hosts of this pest recognized by APHIS. (Animal Plant Health Inspection Service)
In the United States the beetle prefers maple species (Acer spp.), including boxelder, Norway, red, silver, and sugar maples.
Other preferred hosts are birches, Ohio buckeye, elms, horsechestnut, and willows.
Occasional to rare hosts include ashes, European mountain ash, London planetree, mimosa, and poplars.
And from personal observation Rose of Sharon is also a host .

What can we do?

Let us start with how invasive species move and escape quarantines.
The number one long distance movement from one area to another is that we give them a ride. Invading species travel on furniture, cars, boats, plants, firewood and anything else we move. For shorter distances animals, birds, wind, and the natural movement of a pest can be added to our helping hand.
Education is the number one defense. It amazes me that after twenty years or so of watching the spread of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid that there are still the amount of people who have never heard of this pest. We need to do a lot better job of spreading the word about Asian Longhorned Beetle then we did for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.
This is not a political blog so I shall refrain from getting into that subject, after you forgive me this little rant. Back in the eighties we were penny wise and pound-foolish. I was working for the State of CT then as an inspector and dealt frequently with the federal inspectors responsible for keeping us safe from invading pests. I watched as the number of people who were assigned to inspecting incoming cargo dropped drastically. These people were not making that much, compared to the millions and maybe billions that these pests will cost now they are loose. Of course there is no guarantee that these inspectors would have caught Asian Longhorned Beetle, Sudden Oak Death, Emerald Ash Borer, and a host of others, before they escaped the ports to destroy our forests, city trees and landscapes, but they might have. I knew a lot of these inspectors and know that they worked hard protect us from invading species. I would rather pay an inspector’s salary then someone to cut down all the trees in a city like Worcester Ma, or Brooklyn NY.
One does not always save by not spending so lets not be penny wise and pound-foolish. Let your representatives know that you do not consider spending money preventing new invaders or controlling the ones that are here now, pork barrel spending. If the Asian Longhorn Beetle escapes into the Maple Syrup and timber growing areas of New England the money we could have spent on eradication will seem so trivial.

Other Invasive Species.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is still on the move. Look for white cottony masses, like the head of Q-tip only smaller, at the base of the needles. Unlike the Asian Longhorned Beetle Hemlock Woolly Adelgid only attacks one tree species. Hope for controlling this pest with introduced predators is still a possibility. Eventually Hemlock Woolly Adelgid will be everywhere, but slowing the spread will possibly allow scientists time to find new predators or ways to make the ones already introduced more effective in time to save some of our Hemlock forests.

Emerald Ash Borer.
Emerald Ash borer only attacks ash trees and not yet found in NH. Emerald Ash borer has been found in NY state. Though not as horrific as Asian Longhorn Beetle Emerald Ash Borer is still a serious pest.

Lily Leaf Beetle.
Lily Leaf Beetle attacks Asian and native true Lilies, not Day Lilies. The Lily leaf beetle can be controlled in the landscape with pesticides, and there is encouraging research on introducing predators.

Sudden Oak Death.
A variety of the disease Phytophthora, this disease is has not been found yet in NE. This disease can travel in any species of Rhododendron. Nurseries and wholesalers are aware of this problem and there is a quarantine, so the most likely introduction will be some unknowing home owner bringing small cuttings or plants to plant here from their home in CA.

Winter Moth.
This pest went under the radar for years. The winter moth is much like our native Loopers or inchworms and the damage looks the same. You will first become familiar with Winter Moth when you see moths flying around lights from November to early January, none of our native species fly in the winter. Winter moth has cycles of outbreaks and has the potential to cause a lot of damage in bad years. Winter Moth will not usually kill a tree in one defoliation unless it is otherwise stressed. 2009 has been a particularly bad year around Topsfield MA. I have not seen Winter Moth in NH yet, but I am sure it is here.

European Chafer.
This is another insect that has white grub larvae bound and determined to eat your lawn. The spread of this pest unfortunately seems inevitable. The European Chafer does have some native predators that help a bit. As with Japanese beetle it takes a certain number of grubs per square foot to have noticeable damaging effects on your turf. It is a waste of money and pesticides to treat your lawn if pest populations are not at damaging levels. Also the more a pesticide is used, the more likely that a pest will develop resistance or the chemical will become a problem to the environment and be banned or restricted. So please check and make sure you have a problem in need of pesticides before you treat.


Elongate Hemlock Scale and Circular Hemlock Scale.
These two scale are already in NE and NH. Both of these pests can Kill Hemlocks and have been a real problem in CT. Less noticeable then Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. If you see a general stippling and yellowing of needles, you should check underneath for this pest. There are predators that attack these scales, so be very careful of your choice of pesticides to control other landscape pests. I have seen huge outbreaks of scale where broad spectrum insecticides have been used. Do not move hemlocks without checking the proper authorities to make sure you are not in an area that has either of these pests. Unlike a lot of other scale species Merit (imidicloprid) does not kill this scale.

Sirex Woodwasp.
Has been found in Pennsylvania and Vermont

There are other species that have either established themselves beyond hope of control, failed at present to establish as a problem or have been or thought to have been eradicated. Some of these are the Brown tail moth, Japanese Cedar Longhorned beetle, Gypsy moth, Red pine scale, Red Wax Scale (Will not survive outside a greenhouse or possibly a home in our area), and many others.

The most important part of control of invasive species is many informed people. Even with something as bright, big and obvious as the Asian Longhorned beetle, every new infestation has been discovered by people who are not in the business of looking for them.