Emerald Ash Borer- FREE webinar!!

2019 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar on Emerald Ash Borer

When: Friday, March 1 1:00 pm Central time

To Join: https://auburn.zoom.us/j/615766171. 

The Emerald Ash Borer  is responsible for millions of dead ash trees in North America causing homeowners, cities, and nurseries many millions of dollars and heartache. Come learn where this exotic pest came from, its life cycle, and management plans being implemented.   This webinar is presented by Lynne Womack, Georgia Forestry Commission. 

Note: on March 1,  the link to the live webinar opens about 15 minutes before the webinar. If you try to log in earlier, you will get an error message. 

For more webinars in this series, see 2019 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series:  https://articles.extension.org/pages/74786/2019-all-bugs-good-and-bad-webinar-series.  The webinars are brought to you by the following: eXtension Communities of Practice: Ant Pests, and Urban IPM; and by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Clemson Cooperative Extension and University of Georgia Extension.

Invasive ladybugs?!

There has been a rash of calls, emails, texts, and questions regarding lady beetles that have been seen in high numbers lately in Central Texas.  We all know that ladybugs are good bugs, right?  Well, not this time.  That should make you ponder "What makes a good bug or a bad bug?". My answer to that would be it depends not only upon the insect in question, but also where it is found and what it is doing.  If you find an termite in your house, is it a pest?  It depends.  Normally when you find a termite in your house, it is in relation to feeding on cellulose and leading to structural damage.  In that case, then yes, it would be a pest.  If you randomly happen upon a termite that fell on the floor from a piece of firewood you brought in, then it wouldn't be a pest in that case since it is there incidentally. Likewise, if you have a ladybug in your house and it just flew in from outside and just happens to be there, then it's not really a pest.  Flipping that will create the situation that I've been getting questions on recently.

There are some types of ladybird beetles (a.k.a. ladybugs) that will crawl into cracks and crevices around homes when it gets cold outside.  They, like you (or at least me, for sure, since I moved to Texas to get away from snow and long winters), want to seek out a warm spot to hang out on those chilly days.  When they discover a route that leads them all the way inside the structure, they can become active due to the temperatures we maintain inside to make ourselves comfortable.  This allows the ladybugs to remain active and flying around inside.

Unfortunately, these ladybugs can cause staining on fabric, are smelly when they die and sometimes will bite.

If you already have them inside, then I suggest that you get out your vacuum and suck them up.  If you have them congregating outside the structure, then I would refer you to my post on EXCLUSION to prevent them from moving indoors.

Emerald Ash Borer has been found in Texas

In late April 2016, four emerald ash beetle adults were located in a trap by the Texas A&M Forest Service in Harrison County (near the Louisiana & Arkansas borders).  Currently, there are no confirmed trees infested with emerald ask borer.

Emerald ash borer, often shortened to EAB, are invasive beetles that attack stressed and healthy ash trees.  These beetles are native to Asia and were discovered for the first time in the U.S. in Michigan back in 2002.  The beetle has now spread to 26 states and killed millions of ash trees.  The beetles are aggressive and can kill an infested ash tree within 2-3 years.

According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, there are 16 species of ash in the U.S. and 7 of those can be found in Texas.  

A statewide plan involves monitoring of beetle movement; educational programming; providing technical assistance in prevention, preparation and recovery; and working with regulatory agencies in regards to quarantines.  The Texas A&M Forest Service is also working to slow the movement of the beetle.

“Proper planning can reduce the impact of EAB in our communities,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator Paul Johnson. “Removal of poor quality ash, planting trees that aren’t susceptible to EAB, and protecting high value ash by treating them will help us weather this attack. Work with a forester or an ISA-certified arborist to help you assess your EAB risk and care for your trees.”

For everything you needed to know about emerald ash borers in Texas, see the Texas A&M Forest Service's site here (really, you should read this!!): https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/eab/

For general emerald ash borer information see this site: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/

Emerald Ash Borer- be on the watch

The Emerald ash borer is currently NOT found in Texas.  It has recently been reported in Nebraska and Colorado, so Texans should be looking for it.  If you suspect that you have these insects, collect samples of the insects and submit them to me or your local Extension Entomologist.

Image from www.emeraldashborer.info

Emerald ash borers are small (less than the diameter of a penny), elongated, metallic green beetles. Antennal segments 1-3 are cylindrical while segments 4-11 are serrate (triangular or saw-like). These beetles ONLY attack ash trees and can kill a tree within 3-5 years.

Emerald ash borers were accidentally introduced into the United States in the 1990's, but wasn't discovered to be the source of ash tree death until 2002.  They can be easily moved in ash logs and firewood.  There are more tips on how to identify here.

You can find signs and symptoms of infestation here.  

Information on Emerald Ash Borer can be found here.  Texas information on Emerald ash borer (including reporting information) can be found here.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs

Brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) were confirmed in Corpus Christi, TX in late 2011.  These insects are a new pest to Texas and a relatively new pest to the United States.  They are a true bug with piercing-sucking mouthparts and they have a large list of plants that they may feed upon including numerous ornamentals, vegetables and fruits.  These stink bugs are shield-shaped, about 5/8 inch and mottled brown in color.  The last two antennal segments have alternating light and dark bands.  The edges of the abdomen, which are exposed from above, also have alternating light and dark bands.

BMSB usually cause small necrotic areas by feeding on plant tissue, but they may also cause stippling, seed loss or transmit diseases.  Damage to fruit can be scarring, pitting, catfacing and sometimes changing the texture to be more mealy or grainy.  Not only do these bugs attack many high value crops, but they can also be a nuisance pest and move into homes when temperatures drop.

We have been doing work with the media lately to encourage people across Texas to report suspected infestation of BMSB.  If you suspect that you have seen brown marmorated stink bugs in the Austin area, please collect a sample and send it to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension for confirmation.  Recent media includes a story on AgriLife Today and a spot on KXAN.  For images of the stink bug, see this publication.

As for management strategies for BMSB, many pesticides that we currently have available don't work very well for managing populations of this particular insect.  In backyard situations, stink bugs can be hand-picked from plants (wear leather gloves) and dunked into a bucket of hot, soapy water.  It may also be possible to vacuum stink bug populations from plants or other surfaces. 

To keep stink bugs out of the home follow these ideas:

• Install weather stripping around loose fitting doors and windows (if you can see daylight around a door during the day then the weather stripping should be replaced).
• Block weep holes in homes with a brick or stone facade with steel wool or copper mesh (use copper on light colors since steel wool will rust if it gets wet).
• Use caulk or expanding foam to fill in cracks and crevices on the outside of the home and around pipe and wire penetrations.
• Keep window screens in good repair.
• Use stainless steel mesh wire to block access points in the attic (vents, etc.). 

Invasive Landscape Pests Seminar

April 16, 2009 1-3 p.m.

Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas

17360 Coit Road Dallas, TX 75252

It started in the 1950s with fire ants and the invasion continues today. Newly imported and exotic insect pests threaten to disrupt Texas horticulture, upset natural ecosystems and cause added expense and heartache for home owners.

Master Volunteers and landscape maintenance professionals have an important role to play as critical “first detectors” of these new pests. This two hour seminar will address new or potential exotic pests likely to be found in our region. We will learn about the new chilli thrips, pink hibiscus mealybug, azalea bark scale, emerald ash borer, Formosan termite and Caribbean crazy
ants. Hands-on sessions will focus on identification and management. You will also learn steps to take if you suspect you have found a new pest. Be the first in your community to be ready for these new invaders.

Training will be held in the Pavilion building at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas on April 16th from 1:00-3:00. The meeting is free and open to all Master
Volunteers, garden club members, rosarians, landscape professionals or any citizens with a green thumb. Trainers will include Extension entomologists Allen Knutson, Scott Ludwig, Mike Merchant, and Kim Schofield.

If you would like to attend, please let us know by April 15th.
To register, or for more information, contact the Dallas AgriLife Center at 972-231-5362 or email m-merchant@tamu.edu