8-13-2004 |
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The gray and brown discoloration of locust tree foliage
being noticed in many areas of the state does not mean that fall
has already come to the Mountain State. The change is actually the
work of the locust leaf miner - a small, flat elongated beetle with
a taste for locust leaves. The insect can also be found at times
on apple, oak, birch, beech, elm, cherry and hawthorn trees. The damage to the leaves causes stress to the trees, but it's not as serious a problem as one might think. Unless trees infested with leaf miners are already under a great deal of stress, they are likely to recover, despite their unsightly appearance.
According to Jill Hoff, Forest Pathologist with the West Virginia
Department of Agriculture (WVDA), general preventative measures
can help to maintain the appearance of the trees in landscape settings. She also noted that insecticides are an option for trees. To achieve
the best control, treatment should be with a systemic product and
it should be applied in May or early June. That's the time when
adult leaf miners have emerged from the bark crevices that are their
winter homes and the larval "mines" are less than a quarter
inch in length. The larvae tunnel in between the top and bottom
layers of leaves, eating as they go. Contact: Buddy Davidson The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.
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