Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / June 16, 1994, edition 1 / Page 17
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A M Tl _ mc 1 1 icbe Bugs Boring Your Trees To Death? Many inaects feed on living or dead wood and aie referred to at ???? In the process ?f feeding> borers weaken die plant, spread dis J?"?: <* ufe, <rf your i nere are five main types of hw? in landscape and (hut trees: ?a**?* beetles, bar* beetle*. flatheaded bor ers and caterpillar borers. *mbntla iMh, Ambrosia beetles tunnel into the "?pwood and heartwood of various weakened or reccmiy relied Midwood trees. Even vigorous trees may be attacked if there are wounds on the trunk or dead patches of bark. When ambrosia beetles a tree, they bore straight into the sap wood and heartwood (sometimes 10 o 12 inches deep). Eggs are laid in die tunnel and the young larvae hatch and chew out small egg "cra dles that radiate from the adult tun nel like teeth on a comb. The larvae do not eat wood but feed on fungi which grow on the surface of the wood in the tunnels and egg cradles. The adult beetles have special pouches in which they carry some of the fungi as they colonize new trees, ?"orrunateiy the fungi carried by the beetles does not cause serious harm to the plant. Healthy trees will nor mally recover from ambrosia beetles but trees under heavy stress may fail to recover. Anything done to improve the vigor of infested plants will help with making them jess susceptible to amorosia beeiies. sou samples from un?f ,he declining plants will help guide the proper soil amendments (fertilizer and limestone). Mulching plants with 4 to A inches of nine or bark mulch will help to conserve water and keep the roots cooler. Because ambrosia beeiies are bor ing insects, they are impossible to kdl once in the tree. However, in fested trees can be treated with lin dane. Dursban or Pageant to prevent additional insect infestation. The black twig borer Xylosandrus compactus, is one of the few ambrosia beetles which at tacks healthy plants! This beetle is very small, dark and more or less oval in top view. It was first reported m Southport in 1991. The largest specimens are just over one-six teenth inches long. Female beetles attack twigs or branches and bore in to the pith (or if the twig is large, oore into ine wood about half to one-and-one-half inches). Black twig borers are capable of laying fertile egga without mating. Males occur rarely and do not leave the brood chamber as males fly. After the females bore into a twig, they form a small chamber in which the mostly female eggs are laid. The tiny grubs feed on the fun gi which grow on the wafts of the brood chamber. The grubs pupate and then (if males happen to have developed) the new beetles mate before leaving the twig to infest new twigs. If the twig is small, only one female will attack it If the twig is more robust, up to 20 females will attack it In the summer it takes about a month from egg to adult beetles. In the winter, development is much slower. The adults overwinter inside the damaged twigs. One of the fungi fed on by the beetles is Fusarium soimnL Infested twigs usually die back to a point below the brood dumber. Although the whole plant is not Villfd. th? diebssk sf can have considerable impact on the ipptarwut of infested trees and shruos. Over 224 plant species in 62 families are susceptible to the black twig borer. If beetles m noticed attacking an ornamental plant, the plant should be sprayed with lindane or Dursban or Pageant to prevent further attacks. If the infestation is discovered in the spring, it may take several applica tions spaced out at 6-week intervals to completely protect the plants. Bark Beetles The black turpentine beetle typi cally attacks trees about 18 inches from the soil, but as the infestation progresses, the beetles go further up and down the tree. According to Dr. C R- Jordan, an entomologist in Georgia, black turpentine beetles at tack as far as 20 feet up the trunk. Pitch tubes of the black turpentine beetle are fculy uugc and are usual ly brownish whereas the pitch tubes of engraver beetles and the southern pine beetle are small and white Lindane, Dursban and Pageant are labeled for bark beetle control. Once the beetles infest a tree. soravinR the bark will not kill those already in side, but it will prevent further infes tation by additional beetles and may "save" the tree. Roundheaded Borers Round headed borers (longhomed beetle larvae) tend to infest trees and shrubs which arc under have died. The unusually dry sum mers we have had for the past few years have put a tremendous stress on woody ornamentals. The family of roundheaded borers is huge (20,000 species) so it is not surpris ing to see roundheaded borers in festing plants that are under stress. The twig girdler, Oncideres cin gulata, is a longhomed beetle that hickory, pecan, elm, oak, honey locust, hackbeny, poplar, basswood, dogwood, sourwood, and various fruit trees later in the sum mer. This beetle lays its eggs in a twig and then chews off the twig from the main tree. The girdled portion of the branch soon dies and usually falls to the ground. Dozens of branches may be girdled and fell to the ground from heavily infested large trees. Such trees become ragged and unattrac tive. Collecting and burning of in fested twigs and branches during the fall or winter is an effective method of control. Flatheaded Borers Flatheaded appletree borers and other flatheaded borers are attracted to weakened trees, especially those with thin bark such as young apples, dogwoods, maples and others. Drought or defoliation or some other stress may cause tree* to become susceptible to flatheaded borers. TYees newly set out in the land scape may be particularly suscepti ble to flatheaded borers. Such trees should be protected by insecticides (Dursban, lindane or Pageant) dur ing their first year or two in the landscape or the trunk should be wrapped in some sort of tree wrap to prevent the adults from ovipositing on the stressed trees. Dogwood borer is a secondary Academic Options Summer School English J, II, III, IV US History/Social Studies Elective* July 1- July 29 $375 (910)842-6068 J. William* For Registration Information *NC Certified Instructor* 'Supervised Through Governor's Office of Non-Public School* CHQjCENTER IT*. MM*, IIM14T pest of dogwood which follows bark injuiy due to dhn> or physical damage on the trunk. String trim iuus Of lawn nwwcn oiicn cause initial damage on the lower trunk. Toe auuit dogwood borer is a small black moth with white and yellow markings and is active in May. June and July. These moths lay their eggs on the bark or dogwoods with cankered or injured trunks, on injured pecan ana on the twig galls of oaks. Sometimes most of the woody galls on oaks are secondarily infested with dogwood borer cater pillars. This tendency to oviposit on galls and wounds of various trees has led some entomologists to be lieve that only cankered or wounded dogwoods are susceptible to the dogwood borer. However, there are plenty of nurs erymen and landscapers who feel that the dogwood borer is a primary pest capable of attacking perfectly healthy bark. In early summer, tiny caterpillars hatch from the eggs and bore into the bark. Each iarva con sumes about 2 to 3 square inches of cambium as it tunnels around under the bsrk which Causes ugiy aCafs on the bark. The tunneling may kill large branches or small plants by girdling the cambium under the bark. Dogwoods can be protected from further infestation by dogwood bor er* by spraying them with Dursban or limtanr in late spring or early summer. Only wounded and cankered areas on the bark need to be treated. There is not it much use m soraytng Ss heaBhy portion of the trunk. Semi yomr gmnunimg quesaoma or comments to the PUuH Doctor, P.O. Box iw, Bolivia riC 26422. Scoffs Earn Yard Honors Ned and Mary Scott of 79 Calabash Drive received the June Yard of the Month award from Carolina Shores Garden Cittb. Their sculptured Istvn features azslsss and potted gersni&xs, while stfl groomed shrubs and flowers edge the front walk. FOOD LION Food Lion is hcuring a... gy: USDA Inspected Beef Porterhouse & T-Bone . nA/i 3^, / Jumbo Size CantalouDes Anjou Pears Regularly 2/99* 1 Roll Paper Towels Mardi Gras Rumlartv 65* **** ON ANY 2
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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June 16, 1994, edition 1
17
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