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Looking Ahead
Volume 64 Number 1 Date 05/02/2019 BLACK CUTWORM - Moths first appeared in the state on April 4 this season and a significant capture of 10 moths in two nights was recorded near Janesville in Rock County on April 12. Nine other trap sites in Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Iowa and Jefferson counties also registered significant flights in the past three weeks. The spring survey has captured a cumulative total of 487 black cutworm moths in 44 traps as of May 1, which compares to 230 moths at this time last year and 1,531 in 2017. Egg hatch is beginning in locations where 90 degree days (modified base 50°F) have accumulated since the first significant flight on April 12, including Beloit, Madison and Lone Rock. BROWN MARMORATED STINK BUG - The record-cold Arctic air that impacted Wisconsin in late January is unlikely to have reduced overwintering BMSB populations. This newly-established invasive pest avoids exposure to lethal cold temperatures by entering diapause and sheltering indoors or beneath the bark of dead, standing trees. According to UW-Madison Entomologist PJ Liesch, BMSB continues to be one of the top reported insects at the Insect Diagnostic Lab this spring. With the recent addition of Dodge County, BMSB has been now been confirmed in 29 of Wisconsin's 72 counties. EASTERN TENT CATERPILLAR - Egg hatch was observed on April 20 in Green County. The characteristic tents are not yet noticeable, but should become visible on apple, ornamental crabapple, wild cherry, and other host trees by the second week of May. Manual removal of the small tents, rather than pruning infested branches, is suggested. Insecticides are not necessary for tent caterpillar control. TRUE ARMYWORM - The first capture of true armyworm moths was registered in southern Wisconsin during the week on April 8, and additional flights have been reported since then. The Janesville black light trap has collected 140 moths to date, with 54 of those captured April 18-24 and 61 moths caught April 25-May 1. A pheromone trap at the same site has picked up 25 moths as of May 1. Recall that pheromone traps attract only male moths, whereas black light is attractive to both males and females. These captures signal that at least three migration events have occurred this spring and egg deposition has started. GYPSY MOTH - Overwintered eggs are expected to begin hatching in the week ahead. Horticultural oil applied directly to the egg masses will remain an effective treatment for one more week in the central and northern areas of the state. Golden Pest Spray Oil and other oil products labeled for gypsy moth control are available online or at garden centers and retailers. -- Krista Hamilton, DATCP Entomologist 
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