Check out some timely turfgrass information as part of the recent Turfgrass Team Times (TTT).

The Asian Needle Ant is native to China, Korea, and Japan. Contrary to some recent media headlines, it is not new to the U.S. The needle ant was first found in Decatur, GA, in 1932, and has since been confirmed in a number of other states, including in one location in southwest Ohio.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has expanded the Box Tree Moth (BTM, Cydalima perspectalis) federal quarantine to include Berkeley County, West Virginia. The county is located in the eastern panhandle, bounded by Maryland and Virginia.

Brood XIV (14) of the 17-year periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) in southern Ohio remains impactful. The cacophonous chorusing of the males continues with females producing egg slits (a.k.a. oviposition slits) on a wide range of plant stems. The oviposition damage is now producing noticeable stem dieback called “flagging.”

This week's is full of seasonal turfgrass information, and a warning to protect plants, and yourself, as temperatures increase over the weekend and throughout the week. 

We are in the thick of it… or TICK of it. Tick season is all year long, but we have been receiving a high volume of tick reports this spring. Prevention should always be your first line of defense. But if you are bitten , it can be helpful to have the tick tested for pathogens. OSU now has a tick testing lab for just such a purpose.

Guignardia Leaf Blotch of Aesculus is a fungal disease that is commonly observed on buckeyes and horsechestnuts in Ohio at this time of the year. However, don’t leap to the conclusion that all leaf blotches are symptomatic of this disease.

On a recent walk through a cemetery I frequent, I noticed several tree bases that were treated with a herbicide. In the past, the previous cemetery manager told me he never used herbicides and would have his workers string trim around all the grave markers and trees. So why the change?

This week's contributors include: Dr. David Shetlar; Dr. David Gardner; Dr. Ed Nangle; and Pam Sherratt. These experts are talking billbugs, fertilizer labels and clover, oxalis and other trifoliate weed ID and managing. 

On a recent walk in the cemetery near our office, I came upon a downed tree. Remarkably, I took a picture of the same tree 4 days ago and it looked fine. But unknown to me at the time, rot was lurking in a poor crotch angle.