Larvae from the white pine weevil, Pissodes strobi, has caused damage which has become very apparent in recent weeks. Larvae had begun feeding late April on the terminal leaders and the damage is very evident on eastern white pine, Douglas fir, Norway spruce, Siberian spruce and Colorado blue spruce. Larvae will have pupated and adults emerged by…
Pest Pursuit Scientists appear to have pinpointed the epicenter of the emerald ash borer (EAB) population in the United States and from this origin they are able to track the spread and growth of this insidious insect community. The U.S. Forest Service and Michigan State University used samples from ashes killed by EAB to reveal…
Mid-Summer Scourge Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosphila suzukii) or SWD is an invasive vinegar fly which lays eggs in immature or ripe fruit. This can result in larvae being present in otherwise saleable fruit. These fruit flies are usually active mid to late summer and damage is most often found on raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. However,…
Progressive Peril While Lyme disease is predicted to be as perilous as ever this summer, with the CDC estimating 300,000 new cases to present, there is a new tick-borne illness endangering those of us who spend time outdoors. Borrelia miyamotoi is a bacteria carried by an estimated 10 percent of ticks, mostly in the Northwestern region of…
Anabrus simplex The Mormon cricket, Anabrus simplex, is a large insect, growing up to 8 cm in length and so-called due to the near destruction of Utah settlers’ crops in 1848. These insects are not true crickets but belong to the shieldbacked katydid family, Tettigoniidae. They live throughout the American northwest, beginning in southern Canada and ranging south…
Current Conditions The last couple of weeks in June were dry across the region, receiving only a fraction (0.05 inches) of the average expected rainfall for the month. Daytime high temperatures have been seasonal, night time lows are consistently below average. While the warm, dry weather is pleasant, lack of rainfall with increasing temperatures will cause…
National Pollinator Week, celebrated from June 16 through the 22 this year, was initiated by the Pollinator Partnership and unanimously approved by the Senate seven years ago. This marked an important step in addressing the desperate issue of pollinator population decline. This week has now grown to be an international celebration of the necessary role…
Current Conditions The past couple of weeks the weather has been a variable grab bag of weather extremes. While May ended dry and cool, much of the region experienced higher than normal seasonal temperatures and humidity over the past week. Daytime highs have ranged from the dry 50s along the coast to the 80s with 90%…
Current Conditions In the past couple of weeks the weather has fluctuated from mild, seasonal temperatures with about an inch of rain, to the more recent cold, wet snap. Seasonable day time highs, during the sunny period, and consistently cool night time lows along with the accumulated rainfall overall have been adequate for plant growth.…
Affliction Appearance The emerald ash borer beetle (Agrilus planipennis or EAB) is an exotic pest first discovered first in Detroit in 2002. It is thought that the borers arrived in the United States in solid wood packing on shipping containers from Asia. Since its initial discovery populations have been found in 20 additional states and in…
