This informal report by the Division of Entomology & Plant Pathology is a commentary on insects, diseases, and curiosities division staff encounter on a week-to-week basis. Comments and questions about this report are welcome and can be sent to your respective Inspector.

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Angela Rust (Nursery Inspector & Compliance Officer) - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I’ve included a photo of oleander scale on jostaberry. These are armored scales, see this link for a management guide on scale insects.

I also had a nursery with a small outbreak of white-marked tussock moth (Orgyia leucostigma) caterpillars feeding on some crabapple trees. Early instar caterpillars will skeletonize leaves and as they grow larger they will consume whole sections of them. This moth overwinters in the egg stage and eggs are laid in a mass near cocoons. Outbreaks don’t usually require treatment on deciduous trees. However, since damage occurs quickly, outbreaks on conifers can cause extensive damage and warrant control.

Jared Spokowsky (Nursery Inspetor & Compliance Officer) - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A couple of interesting things to note this week. I happened upon a pair of polyphemus moths mating which is always a treat to see. I also happened upon a fairly heavy patch of a type of midrib leaf gall on shingle oaks.

As I have been reporting, I’m seeing more of the ever-present herbicide damage including oaks, redbud, Kentucky coffee trees, and river birch (only river birch is pictured below to save space). I had several comments and questions about herbicide damage from last week so I would point everyone to this document by Ohio State University explaining the issue.

I also only just spotted my first monarch two weeks ago and last week I found my first monarch caterpillar on some of my swamp milkweed. This past winter was the second lowest overwintering count for monarchs in Mexico. I harp on habitat a lot and many folks I talk with have a hard time wrapping their head around pollinator habitat planting and management. It just so happens that there is a pollinator habitat management workshop coming up on Sept. 24 from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. in Danville. You can sign up for the workshop at this link.