If your house is covered with small pale moths near your porchlights at this time of year, then you have a wintermoth population.

The wintermoth, which so many of you know by the little green inchworm caterpillars that eat your trees in the springtime, is now in its adult form. They ended their pupation about 2 weeks ago, and are now mating. Pupation occurs from early June, when the larval caterpillars drop from the trees and bury themselves in the soil, until this time of year. The moth itself is not harmful to your landscape, but their conspicuous presence at night is unmistakeable.

This is a time of year where a "do-it-yourself" control can have some impact; the female moth is flightless, and must walk up the tree trunk to lay her eggs. You can trap her and prevent her brood from becoming the springtime nuisance by applying an effective bug barrier on your susceptible trees. This is accomplished by creating a solid, impenetrable barrier encircling the tree trunk- there are a few commercially available products at your local garden center or hardware store. To make the barrier most effective, apply a sticky substance to the barrier so the moth cannot move. One commonly available product is called tanglefoot. I have also seen some people use duct tape effectively as well. You will need to check your sticky barrier regularly too- if populations are high enough, you may need to reapply your sticker as the moths accumulate.

This will not be the answer to all your problems if you have had a significant wintermoth population in the past, but may be able to reduce populations a little bit. Foliar sprays still offer the best value and control for most landscape situations, but also emerging are microinjections. While this type of treatment may cost a bit more, it offers you the opportunity to address the problem in the fall, providing a better level of control in the spring. This is a great option for clients that are sensitive to chemicals, or have sensitive landscape areas such as vegetable gardens or koi ponds.

One last thing to remember, if you are looking for do-it-yourself options, be sure to select a product labelled for control of caterpillars, or lepidoptera. I have seen many people buy the wrong products at a garden center- always read the label! Products like horticultural oil will not control caterpillars once they have hatched. If you need to consult an arborist, we at Mayer Tree are always available to assist you.

Jeff

With the warmer temperature's, the insect activity in our landscapes have picked up. Wintermoth larvae are now 1-2 mm in length, still very small, but they are feeding and causing damage. I have seen heavy populations in Boxford, Manchester, Middleton, and Beverly. If you have not made arrangements for treatment, this would be a good time to call your arborist.

Other notable active pests observed: carpenter ants, mosquitos, ticks, and boxwood leafminer. Pine sawfly eggs are close to hatching as well, so watch your hard pines, such as mugo, red, Austrian, and scotch for these ravenous feeders.

Several evergreen trees and shrubs are still showing symptoms of winter damage. A certified arborist can help you assess the damage, and determine if they will recover.

Lastly, as you are preparing to lay down all that fresh new mulch- be careful not to put too much down at the base of your trees. I was recently at a property where the homeowner had applied too much over the past few years, and has trees that are dying. Too much mulch makes it difficult for a tree or shrub to get water and oxygen, which will stress them significantly and make secondary pests and pathogens more likely to target the tree. 1-2 inches at the base of the tree is sufficient, and 3-4 inches is acceptable away fron the tree's trunk.

As always, the Certified Arborists at Mayer Tree Service are here for you!

Jeff

So spring is here. Really?

We have had a very cool spring this year, unlike last year where at this time nearly all trees had leafed out. This has caused many of our typical insect pests, especially wintermoth, to be slow in emerging this spring.

Wintermoth has hatched in many areas, but has not been very noticeable to this point, but I have seen the fine webs around twigs and buds of cherry and blueberry in the past week. Once we get a few warm days, we can expect to see more trees break bud, and begin to see more insect activity.

Deer ticks and dog ticks are now active, so be sure to check yourself, your kids, and your pets if you are outside this weekend. I had to pull a tick off my son last weekend after doing our spring cleanup on Saturday. Some areas have reported mosquito activity already also.

Did you know that we can manage ticks and mosquitos at your property? If you live in an area prone to ticks or mosquitos, or if you are planning a big outdoor event like a party or a wedding, we can come to your property and treat for these pests. This will reduce your chances of coming into contact with these insects that carry Lyme disease or EEE or West Nile Virus. Call Mayer Tree if you would like to learn more.

Hopefully by my next blog post, I can talk about all the wonderful flowering trees. Happy Spring!

Jeff

So it is spring time, but it sure doesn't feel like it yet. Temperatures are still dipping below freezing at night.

I did see some crabapples, in a sunny southern exposure against a large brick building, that had broken bud, meaning it is starting to push out it's leaves and flowers. Not many other trees are at this point yet though.

It's not too late to prune your pome fruits (apple, crabapple, pear, etc) if you are trying to improve fruit production. Doing this now will encourage better flowers and fruitset.

Soon we will see wintermoth caterpillar larvae on newly formed foliage as other trees break bud. If your eyes are really good, you might be able to pop open some buds and find them inside. They are very tiny, so you must look carefully- let me know if you try this and have any luck!

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, which has been active since January, can now be easily seen in new cottony masses on the undersides of hemlock twigs. Having this pest does not mean you must remove these trees- it is treatable by several methods. Contact us to learn more. If left unchecked, this invasive pest will likely kill even the largest native hemlocks.

I am ready for spring, just maybe one more snowstorm later this week (please no more).

Jeff Bourque

March 14, 2011

Spring is around the corner, as I saw snowbells in bloom and crocuses poking through the ground. It officially starts Sunday the 20th. I know, finally!

This is a great time to be pruning your pome fruit trees, such as apple, crabapple, and pear, as the buds are beginning to swell. This will promote better flower and fruit if done now. When temperatures get a little warmer, a dormant oil can be applied.

I have heard that this should be a good year for wintermoth caterpillar. Winter was relatively mild in terms of temperature. Last year was not too bad in many areas due to a late April frost that killed a lot of larvae. Keep an eye out for the caterpillars as they hatch this spring and pry their way into the unopened buds- a hand lens will make this easier. If you have a horsechestnut nearby, their sticky buds act like flypaper, and will catch many larvae preventing them from getting into the bud, so a good tree to use to check early populations.

The daffodils are just around the corner, and the Plant Health Care trucks will be on the road soon!

Jeff Bourque