BAM News

Spring Insects In Central Indiana Gardens

In central Indiana some of the more prevalent insects in the springtime to be concerned with are scale insects and leaf miners. Scale insects are a diffi cult to control group of pest due to their design, many have a hard, turtle like shell, making it hard to apply insecticides effectively. As with most insects, control is best during a particular point of their life cycle. Some of the more common plants in our area with scale problems are Euonymus, Magnolias and Tulip trees. Also Mugo and Austrian Pines often have trouble with scale. Control of scale is often good when the insect is in what's called the crawler stage, which can occur in either spring or later summer, which would also be the best time for control.

Leaf miner has become a more common problem in some species of Hawthorn in recent years. When the insect starts out early in the spring detection is often diffi cult. At the point it is usually detected, the damage is done, as well as the insect for the season. The ends of the leaves look as if the have been scorched, when what has really gone on is the insect has mined between the top and bottom layers of the leaf. The reason it is too late to treat, is life cycle related. Treatment is best done as a preventative for this insect, in springtime.

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