insect pest

Tea scale is serious pest of camellias and certain other ornamental plants in Georgia. Scale insects pierce plant tissues and suck out juices which reduces the vitality of the plants. Heavy infestations result in unsightly plants, fewer and smaller blooms, twig dieback and possible plant death.

       Tea Scale on Camellia

Twig girdlers are beetles that emerge from late September to October and girdle limbs from 6-18 mm in diameter. The cut encircles the twig and is seldom complete, leaving a jagged edge in the center upon breaking off. They also can remove large patches of bark while feeding. Preferred host trees are the pecan, hickory, persimmon, elms, and hackberry. If populations are high they attack oaks, and sometimes fruit trees.

Asian tiger mosquito populations could be at record levels this year in Georgia according to leading mosquito experts.

Silverfish. Sounds like something you'd buy in the frozen foods section at a health food store. But in reality, these little insect pests can become a significant nuisance for homeowners, if populations get out of hand.
 
   Photo: Entomology Department, Clemson University

Ah, the harbingers of Spring have arrived! The Atlanta Braves are playing ball, azaleas and dogwoods are blooming, robins are on the windowsill - and tent caterpillar nests are appearing in our wild cherry trees.

Argentine ants are busy, 1/8 inch long ants which are often found crawling in long, well-organized trails looking for food. They will go up tree trunks and into buildings. One Argentine ant colony can consist of hundreds of thousands of ants and one or more queens. They have few pests and are hard to kill. They are very good at finding food, so good in fact that they can keep fire ants from establishing themselves in an area.

If you own a cherry tree or a Japanese Maple, be vigilant! There is an insect pest out there stalking your prized landscape tree. It is very tiny but it can bring even large trees down. The insect is a beetle and it is an illegal immigrant known as the Asian ambrosia beetle.