Wednesday 26 December 2012

Elm Leaf Beetle




Larvae
Elm Leaf Beetle 
Common Name: Elm Leaf Beetle 
Scientific Name: Xanthogallerucae  luteola
Order: Coleoptera Family: Chrysomelidae
Identification:
Eggs – Eggs are yellowish to gray and lemon shaped. Females lay them in clumps or double rows of about 10 to 30 on the underside of elm leaves.

Larvae - Larvae are black when newly hatched. After feeding, they become a dull yellow or green with rows of tiny dark projections and a pair of black stripes down the back. They are slug like and reach a length around ½ an inch.

Pupae - Pupae are ¼ an inch long and yellow. They are often found in litter on the ground or near the base of elm trees.

Adult - Adults are yellowish to olive-green with black stripes along the outer margin of each wing cover (elytra). They are about ¼ an inch long 

Life Stages: Elm leaf beetles have complete metamorphosis and there are 2 complete generations per year in Canada. Females lay 400-800 eggs which hatch in approximately one week. The subsequent larvae go through three growing stages (instars) while eating the underside of leaves. This growing process takes approximately 2-3 weeks and when finished the larvae crawl down the trunk of the tree to pupate (form cocoons) at its base. Adult beetles emerge within two weeks and fly back to the leaves to eat and lay eggs. Adults often seek overwintering protection in or near homes. Though they do not reproduce indoors and harmless, they can become active again during warm winter days.
Types of Plants Affected: Elms (i.e. English Elm, Scotch Elm, Siberian Elm, etc.)
Type of Damage: Larvae skeletonize the leaf’s underside surface, while adults chew entirely through the leaf, often in a shot hole pattern. As damage accumulates, dry, skeletonized leaves become obvious. Heavily infested trees have sparse foliage, and remaining leaves take on a rusty, reddish brown tint. Adults also try to overwinter inside homes by going through cracks.
Control Methods:
Cultural: Seal up any cracks in houses and install screens by mid-August to prevent adults from overwintering inside. If they do get in, vacuum them up.
Physical: Some say elm beetles can be pressure washed off branches with a soapy spray, however, this is not proven by study. Rake or use a shop vacuum at the base of a tree to get rid of some pupae or larvae.
Biological: Natural enemies include birds, toads, diseases and predaceous or parasitic insects. One parasitic wasp, Oomyzus gallerucae, has been very successful at killing elm leaf beetle larvae. However, it has had a hard time establishing itself past one season in North America.

Chemical: Tree banding the infected tree with insecticide right before the first generation of larvae crawl down the trunk to pupate is the most effective method (late June to early July). Unfortunately, some damage will already be done by the first generation, but it will be limited. Also, in order to prevent beetles from migrating, whole communities should spray trees. Two spraying sessions will be needed in May and July or August to kill both generations. Some effective chemicals to be used are: Sevin (carbaryl), Spinosad and Ortho Bug-B-Gon Max (Carbaryl).

REFERENCES
Center for Invasive Species Research, University of California, Riverside (2001). The Elm Leaf
Beetle Xanthogallerucae luteola. Retrieved from http://cisr.ucr.edu/elm_leaf_beetle.html

Cranshaw, W.S. (2011). Elm Leaf Beetles no 5.5.21. Colorado State University Extension.

Dahlsten lab home (2004). Elm Leaf Beetle. Retrieved from

Health Canada (2011). Consumer Safety-Pesticides and Pest Management-Product Label. Retrieved from

Home and Garden Information Centre (1992). The Elm Leaf Beetle. Maryland Cooperative Extension,
University of Maryland. Retrieved from http://www.hgic.umd.edu/_media/documents/hg113_000.pdf

Island Crop Management(2007). Elm Leaf Beetle. Retrieved from

North Carolina Cooperative Extension (2001). Ornamentals and Turf, Department of

Pest Management Grant, Final Grant, Contract #97-0274 (04/1/99). Implementation of the
Integrated Pest Management for the Elm Leaf Beetle, Xanthogallerucae luteola
(Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera),in a Large Urban Area (Sacramento). Retrieved from http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pestmgt/grants/97-98/finlrpts/97-0274.pdf

Seattle Community Network. Elm Leaf Beetle HOWTO. Retrieved from          http://www.scn.org/~bk269/elms.html
 
Solomon, James (04/21/11). Elm Leaf Beetle Xanthogallerucae luteola (Muller, 1766). USDA
Forest Service, Bugwood.org. Retrieved from

Thurston, Graham S. (1998). Biological Control of Elm Leaf Beetle. Retrieved from

UC IPM Online, (2004). Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. Retrieved from            http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7403.html
Utah State University Cooperative Extension, (2000). Elm Leaf Beetles, Fact Sheet No. 22.  




Colorado Potato Beetle



Colorado Potato Beetle

Common Name: Colorado potato beetle
Scientific Name: Leptinotarsa decemlineata
Order: Coleoptra Family: Chrysomelidae
Life Stages: Complete metamorphosis (egg, larvae, pupae, adult)
Eggs:    Are bright orange, foot-ball shaped and found in
clumps of 20-60 on the underside of leaves. They hatch in 4-9 days.
Larvae: Are reddish, ½” long and humpbacked with 2 rows of black spots down the sides. They are found mostly near the hatching site or on the top of the potato plant. As they mature through the 4 molt (instar) stages, they tend to move farther away in search of more food.  This whole maturing process takes a mere 2-3 weeks. 
Pupae: Found burrowed in the soil near the potato plant, the pupae are oval and orangish in colour. The adult will emerge in 5-10 days. 
Adult: The adults are 3/8” long, yellowish-orange robust and oval insects. They have 10 black stripes down their elytra (leathery wings). Interestingly enough, the beetle overwinters as an adult and their emergence is more or less synchronized with potato plants.


Type of Damage: Both adults and larvae feed on their host plants’ foliage and stems. Adults usually cause less severe damage, except in cases where they eat through the stem of young host plants and cause the plant’s subsequent death. One beetle will not cause much damage; however, their high reproduction rates and subsequent unchecked eating often causes full defoliation of the host plants. 
Control Methods:
Cultural: There are three cultural control methods that work quite well. 1. Crop rotation, with a 0.5 km protection distance of susceptible crops, is known to have reduced the beetle populations by 95.8%.  2. Delaying your planting until later in the season or planting varieties that will produce earlier in the season (before beetle damage is significant) are two other good options. And 3. Plant a “trap” crop to seduce the insects and then destroy the trap crop. 
Physical: Digging small trenches around your crop at a 45 degree angle can trap the beetles (they usually walk to crops after spring emergence). Up to 95% of the beetles can remain trapped in these trenches. If dealing with a small number of plants, hand-picking of adults and eggs is also a viable option.
Biological: Many biological controls are not effective because of the early onslaught of beetle damage, however, the following creatures are predatory towards the Colorado potato beetle:  A blue-green ground beetle (Lebia grandis), predatory stink bugs, green lacewings, the spined soldier bug (Podisus maculiventris) and a tachnid fly (Myiopharus doryphorae). 
Chemical: The beetle quickly grows immune to pesticides, so most are not effective after a few years (i.e. Sevin). Also, only applications to young larvae are effective as eggs and pupae are protected and adults are very difficult to spray. The four chemicals still recommended, however, are Rotenone, a botanical insecticide (recently registered for food crops) produced upon extracts from the Neem tree, a fungus (Beauveria bassiana) and the natural bacteria product, Bacillus thuringiensis, var. tenebrionis.

Types of Plants Affected: Potato crops and other plants in the Solanacae family such as eggplant, ground cherry, tobacco, tomato, etc. Its first recorded host plant was the buffalo-bur.

Additional Information:
1.      The adult females can lay up to 500 eggs over a 4-5 week period.
2.      They are able to fly up to several kilometres to find a new host plant if need be.

My First Contract BEFORE I came

In summer of 2012, I was given the opportunity to contract myself out as a landscaper in the community. My first contract was at the following location. Thinking I might appreciate the difference in appearances, I snapped a handful of pictures before starting my summer work. 











My First Contract AFTER I started working



At the height of the season, I couldn't help but snap a few more pictures to show the change.