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This integrated pest management (IPM) chapter from the Extension Gardener Handbook familiarizes readers with a systematic approach to managing insect and animal garden pests in an environmentally responsible manner.
This Entomology Insect Note discusses how to identify and manage common armored scale insects that feed on ornamental plants in landscapes and nurseries.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of mealybugs, an insect pest of greenhouse, nursery and landscape plants.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of wheel bugs, an insect pest that preys upon other plant pests.
This Entomology Insect Note describes darkwinged fungus gnats, an insect pest of some field crops, shrubs, and houseplants.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of bagworms, a common ornamental plant pest.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the granulate (Asian) ambrosia beetle, an insect pest of woody ornamental, fruit, and nut trees throughout North Carolina.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the black vine weevil, an insect that stunts and kills plants by feeding on the roots.
This appendix from the Extension Gardener Handbook will help readers to understand the impact of pesticides on our environment, know when to use a pesticide, how to read its label, and how to apply it safely and to understand the signal words and their associated levels of toxicity.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the cicada killer wasp, a beneficial insect that can also be a pest of lawns and turfgrass.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of slugs and snails, insect pests of ornamental, vegetable, and field crops.
This Entomology Insect Note describes common aspects of biology and management of soft scale insects on ornamental plants in landscapes and nurseries with summaries of several example species.
This factsheet describes and gives the biology and management of the Southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of aphid pests of ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers.
This publication covers insect control in a variety of crops, as well as household pests.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of twospotted spider mites on ornamental landscape plants.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the western flower thrip, an insect pest of plants that can also transmit tomato spotted wilt virus and impatiens necrotic spot virus.
This Entomology Insect Note describes false spider mites, insect pests ornamental, fruit and vegetable crops.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of sooty molds, fungi that grow microscopic threads that form easily visible black spots on many plants.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the citrus whitefly, Dialeurodes citri, an insect pest of citrus and gardenia in North Carolina.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of springtails, an insect pest of lawns and turf and occasionally the home.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and life cycle of lecanium scale, a tree and shrub pest.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of pillbugs and sowbugs, insect pests that feed on decaying vegetation.
This Entomology Insect Note focuses on the park bark adelgid, Pineus strobi, pests found on white pines in North Carolina.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the greenhouse whitefly, an insect pest of greenhouse-grown ornamentals and vegetables.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of fall cankerworms, Alsophila pometaria, an insect pest of many trees in North Carolina.
This insect note describes the biology of the Granulate (Asian) Ambrosia Beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus, and provides management recommendations.
Gloomy scale is an armored scale insect pest of ornamental trees, most commonly red maple trees. These pests are much more abundant and damaging in urban landscapes than natural forests. This insect note describes an integrated pest management approach to identifying, monitoring, and managing these pests.
This factsheet describes the biology of yellowjackets— small, social wasps that often nest near or in landscapes.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the crapemyrtle aphid, a common pest of crapemyrtles that reduces plant vigor.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of tea scale, an insect pest of camellias and hollies.
This factsheet describes the biology of the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae, and provides residential management recommendations.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of Indian wax scale, a tiny insect that detracts from a plant's appearance due to white scales and honeydew secretions.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of lace bugs, including the azalea lace bug, hawthorn lace bug, rhododendron lace bug, and sycamore lace bug.
This Entomology Insect Note discusses using paper wasps to control caterpillars in the landscape in North Carolina.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the southern red mite and the spruce spider mite, insect pests of a number of shrubs and herbs.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of barklice, insect pests of smooth-barked shrubs and trees.
This Insect Note describes the biology and management of greenstriped mapleworm, a caterpillar pest of maple trees.
This factsheet describes the biology of the hickory horned devil, Citheronia regalis, the caterpillar of the regal moth. Because hickory horned devils are harmless to humans and are relatively rare, no control measures are needed.
This Entomology Insect Note describes flower thrips, insect pests of grasses and flowering plants.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of Japanese beetle adults, which feed on many species of ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of cottony cushion scale, an insect pest that debilitates plants by sucking out sap.
This publication offers information on the various insect pests and their management in rhododendron.
A foundation of IPM in urban landscapes is to put the right plant in the right place. This reduces plant stress and thus the long term costs of pest management. Impervious surface cover is linked to red maple condition and scale insect infestations. This publication describes impervious surface thresholds to use when selecting sites for planting red maples in urban landscapes.
This entomology insect note describes the biology and control of march flies, insect pests of ornamental and fruit crops.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the brown marmorated stink bug, insect pests of trees and shrubs as well as homes.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the black turpentine beetle, an insect pest of several types of pines in North Carolina.
This factsheet describes the biology of the spring cankerworm moth, Paleacrita vernata, and provides management recommendations.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the twolined spittlebug, an insect pest of turf and ornamentals in North Carolina.
This factsheet describes the biology of the pine needle scale insects, Chionaspis pinifoliae, and provides residential management recommendations.
This factsheet covers the use of horticultural oils to control insects on plants in North Carolina.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the azalea leafminer.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of caterpillars that feed on trees and shrubs.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the cicada, an occasional pest of trees when laying eggs.
This publication is a compilation of ideas from a few specialists based on research, reports in the landscape, experience, and intuition on how to manage storm and disaster damage in landscapes and nurseries.
This Entomology Insect Note describes brown soft scale, a common insect pest on trees, shrubs and indoor plants.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the ash whitefly, an insect pest of Bradford pear trees in North Carolina.
Japanese maple scale is an exotic, armored scale insect pest of several ornamental trees and shrubs, most commonly in urban landscapes. This insect factsheet provides an integrated pest management approach to identifying, monitoring, and managing Japanese maple scale.
This factsheet describes the biology of the beech erineum mite, Aceria ferruginea, and provides residential management recommendations.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the Eastern tent caterpillar in North Carolina.
The red-headed flea beetle (RHFB), Systena frontalis, is a serious pest of broadleaved ornamental plants in nurseries. This document describes current knowledge of the pest and best practices for its management in nurseries.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the black twig borer, an insect pest of many trees typically found in southeastern and coastal North Carolina.
Fuller rose beetle is a generalist herbivore pest of many ornamental trees and shrubs. These pests feed are primarily nocturnal and feed on leaves, although they are not often economically damaging. This insect note describes an integrated pest management approach to identifying, monitoring, and managing these pests.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of leafminer flies, an insect pest of many flowers and ornamentals.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of euonymus scale, insect pests of euonymus, pachysandra and celastrus in North Carolina.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of carpenterworms, an insect pest of hardwood trees in North Carolina.
This factsheet discusses the biology and control of ocellate gall midges, which cause red and yellow spots on the surface of red maple leaves.
Maple spider mites are a common arthropod pest of landscape and nursery-grown maple trees, most commonly red maple and red maple x silver maple hybrids (Freeman maples). This pest factsheet provides an integrated pest management approach to identify, monitor, and manage maple spider mites.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the azalea stem borer.
Impervious surface cover increases tree stress and reduces tree condition. We developed an impervious surface threshold to help tree care professionals select planting sites where red maples will thrive. In this publication we describe how to estimate impervious surface cover, on site, with the Pace to Plant technique.
This insect note includes a pest management calendar for pests of pine in North Carolina.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of hemispherical scale, an insect pest of many flowering trees and shrubs, as well as greenhouse plants.
This factsheet describes the biology of the juniper webworm, Dichomeris marginella, and provides residential management recommendations.
This insect note contains a pest management calendar for juniper insect and mite pests.
This factsheet shows when common pests of rhododendron are likely to be present.
The larger elm leaf beetle is 3/8 to 5/8 inches long. It is orange with large metallic blue spots. The larvae are up to ¾ inch long and are also orange. (up to 20 mm in length) orange larvae are also conspicuous and easily recognized. The larger elm leaf beetle often suddenly appears in great numbers, does tremendous defoliation for a year or two and then disappears for an indefinite time (perhaps decades). Sometimes groups of larvae can be seen on the soil surface beneath a tree. The beetles overwinter as grubs in the soil. In spring they pupate, and the new adults emerge from the soil in May. There is one generation per year. The adults may survive throughout the summer.
This factsheet describes the biology of the greater peachtree borer, Synanthedon exitisoa, and provides residential management recommendations.
This insect note contains a pest management calendar for Leyland cypress.
This entomology insect note describes the management of Japanese beetles in commercial nursery and landscape operations. Scouting, monitoring and control of these insect pests is discussed.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the silverleaf whitefly, an insect pest of ornamentals and vegetables grown in commercial greenhouses.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the twobanded Japanese weevil, an insect pest of many trees and shrubs.
This insect note contains a pest management calendar for crape myrtle insect and mite pests.
This poster-sized landscape management calendar is a guide to keeping your landscape healthy with sound management practices. It discusses proper establishment and maintenance practices as well as monitoring and targeted treatment of pests.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of fungus-infected seedcorn maggot flies, an insect pest that feeds on the seeds and seedlings of vegetables.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of cottony maple leaf scale, Pulvinaria innumerabilis, an insect pest that feeds primarily on maple and dogwoods in North Carolina.
This insect note contains a pest management calendar for dogwood pests.
This publication offers a month by month guide to managing pests of roses in North Carolina.
This insect note contains a pest management calendar for Euonymus pests.
This Entomology Insect Note includes a pest management calendar for ornamental cherry in North Carolina landscapes.
European pepper moth (Duponchelia fovealis) is a pest of ornamental and vegetable crops with nearly worldwide distribution. In the US, it is most common in the Southeast but can live in greenhouses in northern regions. European pepper moth caterpillars feed on hundreds of plant species in many families. The caterpillars near the soil surface where they feed on lower leaves, stems, and roots. Management of this pest is difficult because it is hard to detect and it is protected from insecticides within silk webbing.
This Entomology Insect Note describes the biology and control of the cypress weevil, an insect pest of Leyland cypress in North Carolina.
Healthy plants are important components of urban landscapes. These plants, however, are subjected to attacks by a myriad of pests while they are being grown in a nursery or maintained in a landscape. The ultimate goal of a successful ornamental plant pest management program is to improve the quality of plants (nurseries and greenhouses) and plant care services (landscape care operations) while minimizing pesticide use and the negative impacts of pesticide use to the environment, workers, clients, and other non-target organisms. To do so, ornamental plant growers and landscape care professionals have to understand the basic operating principles of integrated pest management, or IPM. The results of IPM can be spectacularly effective when well designed and executed.
This insect note contains a pest management calendar for azalea insect and mite pests.
This insect note contains a pest management calendar for boxwood insect and mite pests.
This insect note contains a pest management calendar for hemlock insect and mite pests.
This insect note contains a pest management calendar for camellia insect and mite pests.
This insect note contains a pest management calendar for oak insect and mite pests.
This factsheet shows when common insect and mite pests of pyracantha are likely to be present.
