The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) was recently detected in Frederick County, Virginia on January 10, 2018. It has been reported that egg masses and a dead adult were found.

 

The spotted lanternfly, an invasive planthopper, was first discovered in the United States in Pennsylvania in the fall of 2014. It is native to China, India, Vietnam, and introduced to Korea where it has become a major pest. This insect has the potential to greatly impact the grape, hops and logging industries. In November of 2017 a single female was found in New Castle County...

Ant specimens collected in mid-November in southwest Ohio were confirmed by the USDA, APHIS to be Asian Needle Ants. This is not the first report of this ant being found in the U.S. However, it is the first confirmation of this non-native stinging ant being found in Ohio.

While all is quite in the gypsy moth's world, much preparation is occurring in Ohio to manage future gypsy moth populations this year as part of the two programs ODA administers:  Slow-The-Spread and Suppression.  Recently ODA released the schedule for their 2018 Gypsy Moth Treatment Open Houses and the 2018 Treatment Maps. Treatment blocks have been identified and are planned in19 Ohio Counties. Treatments will occur after caterpillars hatch this spring and when weather conditions are favorable.  Treatments are made to protect trees from damage from the leaf feeding caterpillars like seen...

While emerald ash borer (EAB) may be considered "old-news" in the buckeye state, many may want to keep a watchful eye on its progression beyond Ohio. Each month, USDA APHIS produces an updated EAB Detection Map. Occasionally, we like to post these updated maps on BYGL for those that are interested in monitoring the spread of the pest in North America. 

 

The most recent additions to the map include:

• initial county detections in: St. Clair and Talladega Counties, Alabama; Queens County, New York; and Eau...

Earlier today, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) the Ohio Department of Natural Resources(ODNR) announced the discovery of a hemlock-killing pest in Lake, Geauga and Athens counties. The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a small, aphid-like insect native to Asia, which threatens the health and sustainability of two hemlock tree species native to the eastern United States.

 

HWA was first reported in the eastern United States in 1951 near Richmond, Virginia. Today, it is established in portions of 20 states from...

Emerald Ash Borer University (EABU) recently released the dates and topics of its upcoming "virtual semester." Five FREE webinars are scheduled in February and March. Each session will last approximately one hour. A certificate of participation can be emailed to those participating on the live webinars. All sessions will be recorded and linked to the National EAB Website at www.emeraldashborer.info following the session using YouTube.

 

EABU is a free webinar series supported through the US Forest Service and coordinated by...

Tri-State Green Industry Conference (GIC) Thursday, February 1, 2018 Sharonville Convention Center 11355 Chester Rd Cincinnati, OH 45246

This is a great time of the year to slow down, sit down, and contemplate answers to big questions. Like, what do honeylocusts and pronghorns have in common? Why do Osage orange trees, Kentucky coffeetrees, and avocado trees have such large seed packages? In all cases, what we see now was shaped by animals that no longer exist; they are extinct.

Earlier today (12/29/2017), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) posted an eNewsletter designed to keep everyone up-to-date with Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) eradication efforts in the US. While some BYGL readers might receive the eNewsletter directly from USDA, we wanted to make sure as many people are in the "ALB-know" as possible. 

 

Presently, there are active eradication programs operating in three states including New York, Massachusetts and Ohio.

 

While information on eradication efforts in each state is valuable to follow and stay up-...

BYGL reports become sparse at this time of the year with cold temperatures suppressing our subject matter. So, I was surprised last Thursday when I got an e-mail from John Martini, University of Cincinnati's Landscape Architect, with an image taken by UC Planner Joe Willging showing collections of white fluffy material on the branches of an alder (Alnus sp.).