Summer 2020

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)

EAB is a metallic green insect that has killed tens of millions of ash trees in the U.S. and Canada — including ash trees in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Experts estimate that, without intervention, all ash trees could be destroyed by EAB within a decade. EAB is well established in our service area at this time so, if you have not yet, please discuss a management plan with your arborist — whether it for is treatment or tree removal. Signs of EAB include the presence of the small, metallic green insect or tiny D-shaped holes, S-shaped galleries and splitting bark (see image). Also look for Woodpecker damage since they seek our EAB and attack them.

Call us for a consultation if you have ash trees on your property to discuss your treatment options. Hint for identifying ash trees: Leaflets are arranged in rows on opposite sides of the central stem (rachis) of the leaf (see image). There are typically 5 to 11 leaflets on an ash tree

Please visit our dedicated EAB portal www.almstead.com/eab.

 

 

Spotted Lanternfly (SLF)

SLF is an invasive insect that has been confirmed in multiple counties in New York and New Jersey. It causes harm by sucking sap from plant stems and leaves. This can reduce photosynthesis, weaken the plant and eventually contribute to the plant’s death. SLF targets ailanthus trees, in particular, and attacks a wide variety of crops including grapes, hops, apples and forest products. Nymphs are black with white spots and turn red before transitioning into adults. Adults begin to appear in July and are approximately 1 inch long and ½ inch wide at rest, with eye-catching wings. They are easiest to spot at dusk or at night as they migrate up and down the trunk of the plant.

 

 

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA)

HWA is an invasive, aphid-like insect that attacks hemlocks. They are very small (1.5 mm) and often hard to see, but they can be easily identified by the white woolly masses they form on the underside of branches at the base of the needles. Hemlocks are one of the few evergreen trees that can tolerate shade and are truly an important part of our landscape. If properly maintained, they are a wonderful and sometimes essential tree for many landscapes.

 

 

Boxwood leafminer

Boxwood leafminer can be a fairly destructive insect pest of boxwood. The larvae of this fly feed on the tissue between the outer surfaces of the leaves. This feeding of this insect can seriously disfigure the shrubs and results in blotch shaped mines in the leaves. The infested leaves appear blistered from late summer through the following spring.

 

 

 

 

Boxwood blight

Boxwood blight is a dreaded fungal disease that is very hard to prevent or treat. See our detailed article on boxwood blight here.