Issue no. 8 of the Home, Yard & Garden Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE:

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Guignardia Leaf Blotch

http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=605

Guignardia leaf blotch is a fungal disease that affects many Aesculus species.  In Illinois, this disease is commonly seen on the common horsechestnut (Aesculus  hippocastanum).  Symptoms begin as rapidly enlarging, irregularly shaped,  water-soaked areas.

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Modified Growing Degree Days (Base 50°F,  March 1 through May 15)

http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=606

Insect  development is temperature dependent. We can use degree days to help predict insect emergence and activity. Home, Yard, and Garden readers  can use the links in this article along with the degree day accumulations to determine  what insect pests could be active in their area.

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Illinois  Invasive Plant Phenology Report

http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=607

Several invasive plant experts  from around the state have started a new series of reports focusing on the  phenology of invasive plants in Illinois. The intent of these reports is to  provide an update on the development of invasive plants across the state of  Illinois -- what plants are in bloom, leafing out, setting seed, or senescing in  different areas of the state.

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Thousand  Cankers Disease Confirmed in Indiana, Fungus Found on Insect Other than Walnut  Twig Beetle

http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=608

The Indiana Department of  Natural Resource issued a press release on Friday, June 20 announcing the  detection of Thousand Cankers Disease in Indiana. Indiana joins Maryland, North  Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and eight western states  with the disease.

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Palmer Amaranth -- A New Weed to Watch For

http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=609

Ask any cotton farmer what has been their biggest weed  problem of recent years and they will all likely tell you the same:  Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri).  This  plant has put some southern farmers out of business. Midwest farmers are now or  will soon be well acquainted with this fast growing and yield robbing species  as it is moving northward across the Midwest.

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Japanese Beetle

http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=610

Japanese  beetle adults are present throughout Illinois. Robert Bellm, Extension  Educator, reported their presence in Madison County, and Ed Nangle, Chicago District  Golf Association, reported their presence in Cook County. Last week in this  newsletter, we predicted low numbers in the northern half of the state due to  the extended deep soil freezing last winter.

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Fall Webworm

http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=611

Fall  webworm is named for infestations that occur in the northern part of the United  States only in late summer to early fall. In the southern half of the United  States, including the southern half of Illinois, fall webworm has an additional  generation in early summer. This first generation of fall webworm is now  feeding in southern Illinois.

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Don't Confuse Japanese Beetles with Emerald Ash Borer

Japanese beetles join ash borer, long horn as suburban tree scourges

By Marni Pyke | Daily Herald Staff

There's a collective crunching noise in gardens across the region this month. And if you follow that sound to its source, you'll find a copper-winged insect with a green body.

What's this new pestilence to trouble the area?

More emerald ash borers? A resurgence of the Asian long-horned beetle? Gypsy moths?

Relax. It's just the Japanese beetle.

If you were to list all the insect villains that have broken the hearts of tree lovers in the last decade, the Japanese beetle is not among the top evildoers - at least in the suburbs. It's more like an annoying relative who stays forever and empties your refrigerator.

In downstate Illinois, however, the beetle is packing more of a punch, as it devours corn and soybean crops.

For answers on the latest insect plague, we turned to entomologists Philip Nixon and Kevin Steffey with the University of Illinois Extension and Fredric Miller of the Morton Arboretum.

What are these bugs?

Japanese beetles arrived in North America in the early 1900s. They made their first appearance in the Chicago metropolitan region in the 1960s. The sun-loving insects (they lie dormant when it's raining) start at the top of plants and eat their way down, turning the leaves brown. Adults are about the size of a dime, with copper-colored wings, green bodies and white spots.

What local species do they target?

Adult beetles have a fondness for roses as well as marigolds and hollyhocks. Favorites among trees include lindens, crabapple, birches and cherry.

Will they kill plants in my garden?

It's unlikely because Japanese beetles come out later in the summer, after plants have taken much of the nourishment they need from leaves through photosynthesis. It's rare the bugs will kill an established plant, although the munching can take its toll on young ones.

How can I protect my vegetation?

Pick the beetles off by hand in the evening, when they're less likely to fly away or apply insecticides such as Sevin or Bayer Advanced Multi-Insect Killer. But experts advise using bug spray sparingly, targeting heavily infested plants or ones in more public areas. Natural predators, such as skunks, will eat the beetles when they are in the grub stage.

Are there more beetles now than before?

In some areas of the state, experts said the pest is definitely more problematic than it's been before. Reasons could be extensive egg laying last year coupled with heavy snowfalls that insulated the soil and protected the grubs.

What's the life cycle?

One year. Adult Japanese beetles emerge in late June and early July. They live for four to six weeks. Before dying, females lay eggs in the soil, which hatch in July and August as white grubs about an inch long. The grubs feast on roots and are partial to turf, which creates another headache for homeowners. The grubs feed into the fall and spend the winter underground.

How can I learn more?

Visit www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/hortanswers.