‘Tis the Season for Predictions

Pundit predictions will soon be in the air. World issues, politics, and economics are favorite themes. What about your landscape? These six pests bear watching.

Insects - European elm flea weevils, tiny but mighty at just 2 mm in length, devour elm leaves before your eyes. Eaten leaves look similar to those feasted upon by leaf beetles. These critters should be voracious in 2011.

Scales - European elm, oak kermes, pine needle, and euonymus scale are all common in the landscape. One adult produces 50 – 300 eggs each. Scales tap into the tree or shrub’s sap stream, sucking the sugars from the plant. Look for continued damage in 2011.

Borers - Mountain pine beetle continues to get the most press and it is not going away. Beetles have chewed their way through one-million acres of Colorado lodgepole pines. Now working their way through Colorado Front Range communities, ponderosa and Scotch pines are on the 2011 menu.

Diseases - Fire blight is one of the most common and visible fruit tree diseases. Fire blight occurs every year, but weather often dictates severity. This one is a wait and see.

Thousand cankers of Walnut - This disease has now spread to most Colorado communities. A tiny twig beetle with a fungal associate is the walnut-killing culprit. Once detected, the tree is doomed. However, the decline may take a period of several years.

Pine Wilt Nematode - New to us is the Pine Wilt Nematode from the Midwest United States. Now found in Denver, Pine Wilt is a pest of Scotch pines, but will also attack Austrian and mugo. The disease is caused by a pine sawyer spreading a nematode (microscopic worm) and wilt fungus into pine twigs. Death occurs in one year. With just a few reports of pine wilt in Colorado, control needs are being watched for in 2011.

What to do?
If all of this sounds daunting, it is. Now is a good time to inspect plants for pests and consult with an arborist.

Swingle has more licensed arborists than any other Colorado landscape care company and is a proud member of the Tree Care Industry Association.

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