Heat Illness

The heat of summer has arrived early this year. A lot of concern is out there to prevent farmworkers and green industry personnel from becoming overwhelmed by the heat at becoming ill.
Remember a sick employee is not productive and could cost you thousands of dollars should they die or become disabled because of spending too much time working in the sun. Wendy Laing one of our Extension Specialist in Industrial Extension has this to share:

The heat and humidity of North Carolina summer is here. Three ingredients water, rest and shade - can be the best prevention steps to avoid a heat related illness. OSHA reports that each year thousands of workers suffer from heat related illnesses, including fatalities, that can be prevented.

Take the time now to educate your workforce about the hazards of working outdoors in hot weather and the simple tips to avoid heat related illnesses, including the simple steps below:

Drink Water Often

Rest in the Shade

Report Heat Symptoms Early

Know What To Do In Emergency

The following OSHA resource page provides numerous educational resources that you can download for your workforce. Thanks and have a safe summer!


Heat Illness





For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Pest News Update- May 16,2011

ORNAMENTALS AND TURF

From: Steve Bambara, Extension Entomologist

White Marked Tussock Moths

Last week we had a report of a minor outbreak of white marked tussock moths. This moth is widely distributed throughout eastern North America and rarely causes a major problem. The larvae feed on foliage of a wide variety of trees, both conifers and hardwoods.
This insect overwinters in the egg stage. Eggs hatch in the spring, usually late April to May. Young larvae skeletonize leaves and older larvae consume entire leaves. Pupation is 5 to 6 weeks later and moths emerge about two weeks following.

Larvae are hairy with red head and shield. The two long black pencils of hairs on the first thorax segment project forward. A single black hair pencil arises from the eighth abdominal segment. The back is mostly yellow, cream, or grayish in color. There are four distinct tufts of white hairs on the first four abdominal segments, and a conspicuous red dot on segments six and seven. Fully grown larvae construct loose tan-gray cocoons on the underside of branches or in bark crevices and pupate.

The male moth is gray with wavy lines across the front wings, about 25 to 30 mm. Antennae are conspicuously feathery. The female moth is wingless, grayish-white to light brown. Females lay eggs in clumps covered with scales and cocoon material. There are probably two generations and a possible third generation per year.

This caterpillar does not "sting", but the hairs can be irritating to skin or the throat of some animal that takes it for a meal.


Keys to Successful Fire Ant Baiting

* Buy fresh bait and only what you will use up within a short time.
* Do not store bait near other pesticides, fuels or products from which it will absorb odors.
* Do not apply it to wet grass or when rain is expected within 24 hours.
* Do not apply directly on top of a mound. Ants do not forage there.
* Do not disturb the mound. Ants that are rebuilding or defending a nest are not busy foraging.
* Do not apply bait when the temperatures are too hot or too cold. Perform the "potato chip test" before baiting. That is, in mid-morning before baiting, drop one or two potato chips near a mound. If ants are consuming the potato chips within 20 minutes, it is a good time to apply bait.


Magicicada Pictures

Reports of periodical cicada are still coming in. It is nice to see how widespread they are (that is, from the viewpoint of an entomologist). J. Reed of Cary, North Carolina wrote us and supplied images of cicadas located around her home. I love her description of the insects and hope she doesn't mind us sharing it.

"They are everywhere; they drop on me from the doors as I leave the house and they especially love the tires on my car. My yard is a landscape of holes. The noise is like listening to heavy traffic from the porch of SpongeBob’s pineapple house (underwater). They are starting to creep me out."



For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Job Openings

Givens Estate has announce 3 new job openings. If you know of someone looking for work please share the attached information with them.

To view the Job Vacancy Announcement go to: Job Announcement

Buncombe County Friends of Agriculture Breakfast

Are you a part of the agriculture community or a supporter of this great asset? If so consider joining other farmers at the second Friends of Agriculture Breakfast
Contact the Buncombe County Center to register.



For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Landscape Industry Certification Exam

There will be a Landscape Industry Certification Exam (previously referred to as CLT ) held in Graham NC on June 8th and 9th. If you have been previously certified and did not get a request to judge you might want to give Kakki Collins at NCNLA a call. The link above will get you to the registration form.
This is a great way to recognize the professional expertise you have in the landscape industry.

We hope to hold pre-testing classes next year but due to time constraints this year are going to forgo this.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Pest News Update- May 2,2011

ORNAMENTALS AND TURF

From: Steve Bambara, Extension Entomologist

Oak Apple Galls Appealing

Oak-apple gall wasps form large spherical galls on the leaves or leaf petioles of various red, black and scarlet oaks. These galls are up to two inches in diameter, green tinged with red when fresh, and gradually turn brown.

Another common golf ball-sized gall on oak is the wool sower gall. Distinct and unusual fuzzy plant growth is induced by the secretions of the grubs of a tiny gall wasp, Callirhytis seminator. If a fresh wool sower gall is held in a plastic bag out of the sun (so it will not get too hot), within one to three weeks the tiny, harmless gall wasps will emerge. The wool sower gall is specific to white oak and only occurs in the spring. Pulling the gall apart exposes small seed-like structures. The gall wasp grubs develop inside these structures. (This gall is also called the oak seed gall.) Wool sower galls are not abundant and don't cause harm to white oaks. For more information on these galls, see Ornamentals and Turf Insect Note No. 5 at Oak-apple gall.


Predatory Stink Bug Euthyrhychus floridanus

Euthyrhynchus floridanus is not a pest stink bug, but one that feeds on other insects. It is very colorful, yet different in both adult and nymphal stages.

Normally we don't see this until later in the season, but we have had a report already this spring. This is one of the more attractive stink bug adults with three orange spots on a dark, metallic blue-black background. These insects overwinter as adults probably in some dry, sheltered location. Eggs are laid the following spring. The eggs hatch 19 to 33 days later. Nymphs of Euthyrhynchus floridanus take a long time to develop through five stages (40 to 67 days). New adult females wait 5 or 6 days before mating and the eggs are laid 23 to 67 days later. Total developmental time for this species is much longer than for plant-feeding stink bugs.

Nymphs are metallic blue-green with red and are highly aggregated. They even attack larger prey in concert. Apparently, aggregation behavior allows them to successfully attack prey too large to be subdued by a single nymph. Sometimes the adults aggregate with nymphs, although when times get hard these bugs sometimes feed on smaller individuals. When the bugs jab their prey with their proboscis, they inject a toxin that slowly immobilizes the prey. Euthyrhynchus floridanus bugs have an unusual wagging behavior in which the bug rocks its body from side to side while it grips the substrate firmly with its feet. This is thought to be a defensive behavior. Some other predaceous stink bugs feed on plant tissue when insect prey is not available. Plant feeding is not reported for Euthyrhynchus floridanus.


Predatory Ground Beetle Calosoma

Beetles in the genus Calosoma are called caterpillar hunters. They are among the largest in the Carabidae ground beetle family. Adults and larvae are active predators. Calosoma sycophanta is a large, metallic green beetle that was imported from Europe to New England for the biological control of the gypsy moth in 1905. The larva feeds day and night, consuming 50 caterpillars during its two-week developmental period. The adult will eat several hundred caterpillars during a life span of two to four years. There are also several native species of Calosoma. (from the Midwest Biocontrol News). We have had several reports of these insects already this spring.


Crane Flies

Periodically, the public will inquire about "those large mosquitoes." They are usually referring to crane flies. Crane fly larvae live in wet areas and can grow to be quite large. They are rarely a pest to anything. The adults are very fragile creatures and may be seen resting on the sides of a house or under an overhang. Occasionally, they make it into a house. They cannot bite and will usually die with 24 hours once inside. They can be gently relocated outdoors or ignored and swept up later. They are frequently missing appendages. For additional information, see the following web site:

Crane Fly



Eastern Juniper Bark Beetles

A sample of eastern red cedar (Juniperus) containing bark beetles was recently sent from Dare County. The eastern juniper bark beetle, Phloeosinus dentatus, usually attacks eastern red cedar, but it also infests arborvitae and even infests Leyland cypress. These small, blackish-colored beetles bore into the tree and then bore upward with the grain. Eggs are laid in short galleries that extend upward from the entrance hole. Infestations are usually found in cut, broken or fire damaged trees. The eastern juniper bark beetle also attacks red cedars infested with Heterobasion annosum fungus. Together, infested trees of all sizes succumb. The beetle/disease correlation is not clearly defined. Keeping trees in a healthy, unstressed condition should help. Protective bark sprays are less than highly effective against the beetles. For more information, see the following web sites:

Juniper Bark Beetle
Eastern Red Cedar


Springtime Fall Cankerworms in Cabarrus County

I'm a little late with this notice, but thought I'd still mention it. Fall cankerworms are small "inchworms" that hatch in the spring and are fond of young oak and maple foliage. Fall cankerworms have three prologs while spring cankerworms have only two at the end of the abdomen. Caterpillars emerge and consume foliage at some time in March and feed through April. The city of Charlotte has been the major center of this population since 1987, for unknown reasons. Cabarrus County also reported a small outbreak again this year. Durham County had a suspected report, too. Natural controls, which regulate outbreaks in uninhabited forests, have not been effective in reducing fall cankerworm populations in this urban environment. Charlotte has a large number of mature willow oaks that provide an almost unbroken canopy over much of the city.

Control strategies for fall cankerworms involve mostly trunk banding for flightless female moth trapping in November through December as flightless female moths crawl up the tree. Pesticide sprays in the spring with B.t. or other foliage protectors can be used, but are expensive on large trees. See Cankerworms on the web for additional information.


Azalea Bark Scales

An infestation of azalea bark scales was recently reported from Wilson County. Heavily infested plants may appear chlorotic and unthrifty. The bushes are often covered with sooty mold, a black fungus that grows in the honeydew excreted by the azalea bark scales as they feed. Eventually twigs may die back. Adult females and eggs are protected inside the egg sac from most pesticides. The key to control is treatment in late spring and late fall when the nymphs are present. Horticultural oil sprays should work while crawlers are present, which is about now. Retreatment may be necessary. Orthene is another choice. Imidacloprid as a soil drench at the base of the plant should be effective. This may also occur on rhododendron. For more information, see the following web sites:

Note 134
Azalea Bark Scale

Seedcorn Maggot Flies – Dead, But Still Alive

This week we have received several reports about dead flies on branches. It is an unusual sight and may cause undue concern to gardeners. These flies are adults of seedcorn maggot (Delia platura), which is sometimes a pest of agriculture. Seedcorn maggot flies are grayish-brown in color and about one-fifth of an inch in length. The legs are black and there are bristles scattered on the body. Some seedcorn maggot flies become infected with a live fungus of the genus Entomophthora. Infected flies are swollen and have pinkish bands on the abdomen. Sometimes, gray Entomophthora spores are visible on the fly and on the substrate nearby. This fungus apparently causes the flies to land on protruding objects such as any twigs, clotheslines, and fence posts. The flies cling there and usually die in the afternoon as their abdomens swell with fungal strands inside.

Early the next morning, the fungal spores are released into the air while the humidity is high. The spores infest other seedcorn maggots. Although the fungus-infected flies appear to be damaging the plant, these adult flies are harmless. The seedcorn maggot is found throughout North Carolina. Seedcorn maggots feed primarily on decaying organic matter, but sometimes infest the seeds and seedlings of berries or vegetables. The dead, fungus-infected flies are sometime abundant on the dead twigs of dogwood and crape myrtle in the spring. For more information, see Ornamentals and Turf Insect Note No. 20 on the Internet at Seedcorn Maggots.


From: Steven Frank, Extension Entomologist

Lecanium Scales on Oaks

Oak lecanium scale is one of the largest soft scales in our area. Scales are brown and rounded reaching 6 mm in diameter. As soft scales, lecanium scales produce honeydew that can cause sooty mold on oaks or plants below. It primarily infests oaks trees. Large populations can reduce growth and vitality especially in newly planted trees.

Eggs are present now under adult scale covers indicating crawlers will emerge in the next week or so or may be emerging now in your area. The crawler stage should be targeted for best efficacy. On trees small enough to treat the foliage, horticultural oil can be used. On larger trees, a systemic insecticide such as dinotefuran can be applied as a drench or trunk spray. This scale is not easily eradicated and optimal control measures are still unclear. It is attacked by many parasitoids and predators that can reduce scale abundance if protected from insecticides. For more information, see the following web site: Lecanium Scale


Juniper Scale Crawlers are Active

The juniper scale, Carulaspis juniper, attacks some of the most commonly used plants in ornamental landscapes, including all juniper species but also cypress species and false cypress. There is one generation per year in which females fill up their armored cover with eggs in spring from which crawlers hatch and look for new feeding sites. Infestations can lead to foliage that becomes yellow or brown and generally less lustrous than normal. Large infestations can cause the tips of branches to die and the plant to become sparsely foliated. Isolated infestations can be pruned off of plants. Natural enemies will often keep scale below damaging thresholds. However, in environments where natural enemies are not abundant control may be necessary. Horticultural oil will smother crawlers. Other chemicals such as dinotefuran (Safari), acetamiprid (TriStar), pyroproxifen (Distance) and others can be used to manage infestations. More information on armored scale management can be found at: Armored Scale


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Boring Times are Upon Us

ORNAMENTALS AND TURF

From: Steven Frank, Extension Entomologist

Boring Times are Upon Us

A number of clearwing borers are active that can damage ornamental trees and shrubs. This week we captured over a hundred lesser peach tree borers in a single trap. The lesser peachtree borer, Synanthedon pictipes LPTB, is primarily a pest of peach and cherry trees including ornamental cherry. We also caught a lot of dogwood borers, Synanthedon scitula. Dogwood borers have a wide host range that includes dogwood (Cornus florida), but also cherry and apple. In both species adults emerge from tree trunks in spring (now!) and lay eggs on the bark of host trees. Larvae hatch and bore through bark and into trees. Existing bark damage is a preferred oviposition site. The primary means of prevention for susceptible trees is maintaining healthy trees and protecting trees from mechanical damage to bark. In addition, a contact insecticide such as permethrin can be sprayed on tree bark to deter oviposition and successful entry by larvae.

Traps in WNC are also being monitored- an update will be available soon.


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Growin' in the Mountains

Growing in the Mountains is going on today and tomorrow as are several other plant sales events. Just came back from the show with several new plants for my own garden. Got to visit with several of my small growers and meet a few old friends that I had not seen in some time. The mood was very upbeat, sales brisk, and vendors very happy. If you are in the Asheville area today and tomorrow you should drop by the Farmer's Market and make some plant purchases. It will get you into the gardening mood- in spite of the rain.

Would like to take the opportunity to thank nurseryman and sustainability guru, Chuck Marsh from Useful Plants Nursery, in Black Mt for his comments about calling elected official to encourage them to keep funding Cooperative Extension. His calls were fruitful and the office of Mr. Tom Apodoca went the extra mile to let him know that his vote would be in support of NC Cooperative Extension and our efforts to provide the information needed by our growers to stay in business during these lean times. Thanks to both Chuck Marsh and to Senator Apodoca.
In case you are not familiar with Useful Plants Nursery, they are located off Highway 9 near Black Mountain. They are probably the only nursery in this area that focuses almost exclusively on fruiting plants.


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Ornamental Pest News for April 15th

The pests mentioned in this blog may be a little later here in Western NC but be on the lookout!
Read carefully.

ORNAMENTALS AND TURF

From: Steve Bambara, Extension Entomologist

Early Spring Insects

Just to catch you up over the past few weeks, you've probably already noticed the ground nesting bees. Some of the early species are andrenids, but other species will be popping up through the spring. These can upset home owners, but they are not a sting threat. For more information, see Ornamentals and Turf Insect Note No. 100 at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/lawn/note100/note100.html.

Carpenter bees are very active. Males are marking off territory and looking for females. These bees are good pollinators. They can be very distracting if boring into your porch or deck. It’s time to practice your tennis serve. For more information, see Residential, Structural and Community Pests Insect Note No. 4 at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/carpenterbees.htm.

Tent caterpillars seem late, but the temperatures have been up and down. These hairy caterpillars web the crotches of cherry trees and crabapples, primarily. For more information, see Ornamentals and Turf Insect Note No. 62 at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note61/note61.html.


Minute Cypress Scales

The minute cypress scale may be tiny in size, but it can be a headache if you're trying to grow Leyland Cypress. It may also infest other hosts such as arborvitae, juniper and similar evergreens. The minute cypress scale, Carulaspis minima, is a small armored scale with a circular to oval cover (Fig. 13). It has a brown papery appearance with a yellow center. The scales can be found on needles and bark, where they cause yellowing and dieback. This scale overwinters on the needles, and the crawlers hatch in late spring. A recently received specimen at the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic at North Carolina State University (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/plantpath/extension/clinic/) showed eggs still not hatched, so there is a little time in most regions before the crawler stage. For additional information on insect pests of the Leyland Cypress, see Ornamentals and Turf Insect Note No. 133 on the web at
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/specificplants/note133/note133.html.


From: Steven Frank, Extension Entomologist

Boxwood Leafminers are Active!

The boxwood leafminer is the most commonly reported pest of boxwoods in North Carolina. Accidentally introduced from Europe, this small fly seems to prefer American boxwood, although English and Japanese boxwoods are also susceptible. Boxwoods infested with this leafminer develop blisters on the lower leaf surface. Infested leaves are usually smaller, off-color and drop sooner than healthy leaves. Heavily infested boxwoods usually have sparse foliage and poor color.

Adult leafminers are active right now. The flies can be found hovering around boxwoods looking for places to lay eggs. A number of insecticides can be used to prevent the flies from landing and laying eggs or to kill the maggots that mine the leaves and cause damage. More information can be found at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/shrubs/ort016e/ort016e.htm.
Ornamental Pest Alerts on Twitter

I am offering a new pest alert system this year via Twitter. Twitter is a social networking service that allows short messages to be sent to anyone who signs up to receive them. The advantage of Twitter over electronic mail for this purpose is that Tweets arrive on grower smart phones or cell phones while they are in the field working rather than on their office desk in the evening.

I am monitoring landscape and nursery pest activity by degree day calculations and scouting, then “tweet” when I find that pests are active or will soon be active. My Twitter name is @OrnaPests. Sign up for Twitter (super easy) then choose to follow @OrnaPests to receive these valuable alerts.



For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

North Carolina Agriculture Needs Your Help

North Carolina Agriculture Needs Your Help!

N.C. Cooperative Extension Service (NCCES), N.C. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service (NCDA & CS) budgets maybe cut drastically, this week! The State Budget, including the Higher Education Budget will be considered early next week. The Higher Education Budget is where the College’s Agricultural Programs, which include NCCES and ARS budgets reside. Potential state cuts may result in a 25-30% budget reduction to these programs. For NCCES these reductions would result in the loss of over $13 million and 300-400 positions. Similar cuts face research.

Agriculture is the #1 industry in N.C., providing $74.3 billion and 688,000 jobs to our state. The NCCES, NCDA&CS and the ARS programs support agriculture in N.C. everyday through current research and cutting-edge technology, services that maximize on-farm efficiency and education. On average, it costs N.C. consumers only 2 cents per day to conduct these programs that contribute to the success of not only local farmers, but local communities. Needless to say, a 25-30% budget reduction would be devastate the ability of these programs to meet the current and future needs of the citizens of N.C.

The NCCES partners with communities to deliver research-based education and technology that enrich the lives, land and economy of North Carolinians. NCCES delivers programming in 4-H Youth Development, Family and Consumer Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture. The accomplishments and impacts of NCCES include:
Assisting in the creation of the school lunch program in rural communities and library system (Family and Consumer Sciences)
In 2011, the construction of the WNC Regional Livestock Center was completed. In its first sale over 1,200 head of livestock were sold accounting of $1 million, all staying in the local economy. (Agriculture).

The following are “talking points” you can use to discuss with your N.C. Representative and Senator.

1. N.C. ranks 3rd nationally in agriculture representing 8 major commodities.

2. N.C. has one of the best extension service and research programs in the country. A recent study showed that the productivity of N.C. agriculture has gained more that 2% per year since 1960. This increase is directly related to the state’s investment in research and extension.

3. In 2010 NCCES reported over 5.8 million contacts.

4. The primary research, extension, marketing and development organizations supporting agriculture are not only effective, but frugal. NCCES and the Research budget account for only 0.23% and 0.30% of the General Fund, respectively. Combining this with the NCDA & CS (0.31%) and NCA&T SU budgets, the total budget for these programs this equals to only 1% of the General Fund!

5. Agricultural research helps families save money. Agricultural productivity is largely responsible for the fact that the percentage of U.S. household income spent on food has decreased 22.3 to 9.5% at the same time that total food consumption increased.

6. For every $1 invested in public agricultural research $32 is returned back to society!

7. 4-H is one of the Nation’s premier youth development programs. Compared to their peers, youth engaged in 4-H stay in school longer, have higher graduation rates and college attendance and graduation, smoke less, have significantly lower rates of criminal conduct and arrests, and are more involved in their communities..

Everyone has your own personal story about how these programs have impacted your life. NOW is the time to share your story with your N.C. Representative and N.C. Senator. Handwritten notes and phone calls are the most effective means of reaching these individuals.

If you have written you elected officials or plan to do so please let us know so we can keep a record of our supporters. Thank you letters directed to agents and carbon copied to our administrators and elected officials go a long way in keeping up the morale of all of our staff during times of uncertainty like we are currently facing.

We realize that all of you are also facing economic hardships and having the pain of laying off good employees. Hopefully, by keeping relevant programs we can help each other through this crisis.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.