Aulacaspsis yasumatsui

The scales of mature A. yasumatsui females are white, 1.2 to1.6 mm long and highly variable in form. They tend to be pear-shaped but are often irregularly shaped, conforming to leaf veins, adjacent scales, and other objects. The scale of the male is 0.5 to 0.6 mm long, white, and elongate.

Cycas reveluta and C. taitungensis are their favored host plants. They are Widely distributed world wide.

 The unusually dense populations and rapid spread of Asian cycad scale suggests it is an exotic invasive and has few, if any natural enemies. If left untreated, this pest will kill its plant host. At its worst, an infestation of the Asian cycad scale can completely coat a medium-sized sago within several months. The coating can be composed of several layers and include a high proportion of dead insects as well as live scale insects. Heavy infestations can include up to 3000 scales per square inch in several layers.

The Asian cycad scale is unusual in that it can also infest the roots of cycads. These scales have been observed at depths up to 24 inches.

They can cover the leaves of Cycads as to look like snow.

In general, scale insects hatch into a “crawler” stage capable of movement, or in some species, even limited flight. When they find a suitable spot on a plant, they insert their mouthparts, called a stylet (much like a straw), into the plant and start feeding. Shortly afterwards they begin to create a covering over themselves. They will stay this way until they die.

Females go through three instars, and the average time from egg hatch to adult is 28 days. Females can lay more than 100 eggs which hatch in eight to 12 days at 25 degrees C. Most females do no live longer than 75 days.

Only a few other species of armored scale insects infest roots and those roots are generally located near the soil surface.

Anoplophora glabripennis

A.L.B. are 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches (20 – 32 mm) long and are glossy jet black they are very smooth with up to 20 distinct white spots on the back.

There host include Maple species; Horsechestnut, Elms, Birches, Willows, Boxelder and Poplars but there may be more.
They are native to China and Korea and and have been introduced into the U.S. into MASSACHUSETTS and NEW YORK and NEW JERSEY through wood packing materials.

 When the eggs hatch, small white larvae bore their way through the bark into the tree feeding on the sensitive vascular layer beneath. The larvae continue to feed deeper into the tree’s heartwood forming tunnels, or galleries, in the trunk or branches.

This damage eventually kills the tree if the infestation is severe enough.

When the larva matures over the course of a year, it forms a pupa near the surface under the bark. From the pupa, an adult beetle emerges chewing its way out of the tree forming characteristic round holes approximately 3/8 ths of an inch in diameter. Many of these holes will appear on a heavily infested tree sometimes with sawdust associated and sap oozing from the holes

ALB have one generation per year. Adult beetles are usually present from July to October, but can be found later in the fall if temperatures are warm. Adults usually stay on the trees from which they emerged or they may disperse short distances to a new host to feed and reproduce. Each female is capable of laying up to 160 eggs. The eggs hatch in 10-15 days and the larvae tunnel under the bark and into the wood where they eventually pupate. The adults emerge from pupation sites by boring a tunnel in the wood and creating a round exit hole in the tree.

Xanthomonas spp. (bacterium)
Bacterial plant pathogens that enter plants through wounds or natural openings, such as stomata (breathing pores) or hydathodes. Once the bacterium’s cells enter the plant, they can move systemically, causing severe leaf blight. Initial symptoms appear as small, water-soaked, circular lesions with irregular borders near the leaf margin.
The water-soaked leaf areas can be readily observed by examining the underside of the leaves. After 7–14 days of initial symptoms, lesions enlarge, coalesce, and typically cover large portions of the leaf area. Eventually, the lesions turn brown with greenish-yellow borders, resulting in premature senescence and leaf drop.

Symptoms of most bacterial blights first appear on leaves as small, watersoaked spots and/or light green areas. These spots enlarge and the tissue in the centers dies and turns brown.
These irregularly shaped spots are bordered by a lemon yellow ring, which is a diagnostic symptom of common blight. These spots or lesions can develop on the edges or in interveinal areas of leaves. The spots may grow together, resulting in the death of the entire leaf and defoliation of the plant. Infected pods will first show small, watersoaked spots that develop into large, dark red irregular spots. Under favorable conditions, these spots may show a yellow slimy ooze (pod symptoms of common and halo blight diseases are virtually indistinguishable). Seed in infected pods can become infected; white-colored seed may show butter yellow spots when infected. Heavily infected seed may be shriveled and germinate poorly.

The bacterium is Xylella fastidiosa, which invades the sap-conducting xylem cells, is associated with a leaf scorch of at least five tree species.

Bacterial leaf scorch affects elms and several species in the red and black oak group including northern red oak, Quercus rubra; pin oak, Q. palustirs; scarlet oak,

1. coccinea; southern red oak, Q. falcata; laurel oak, Q. laurifolia; shingle oak,
2. imbricaria; and the black/water oak, Q. nigra, sycamore, maple, mulberry, plum and citrus are also susceptible.

Bacterial leaf scorch has been observed most often in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern states. However, oak leaf scorch has been seen as far north as New York; affected sycamores are common in Texas; and diseased mulberries have been seen as far west as Nebraska. These diseases have been detected in other regions.

Environmental factors such as drought, excessive salt, or root damage have long been known to cause abiotic leaf scorch. These factors exacerbate bacterial leaf scorch.

Xylem-feeding leafhoppers transmit X. fastidiosa. In a typical life cycle, marginal leaf scorch symptoms begin to develop in mid-to-late June and increase in severity throughout summer and early fall. Scorch appears as an irregular, scalloped browning along the leaf margin and may be bordered by a yellow halo. As browning spreads toward the mid-vein, leaves may curl and drop early. Symptom severity progresses from older to younger leaves on a branch; newest leaves at the tip sometimes remain unaffected. Symptoms recur each year and spread over the tree’s crown. Chronic infection results in branch dieback, crown decline and death.

Fenusa pusilla (birch leaf miner)

There are many other species that cause leaf mining injury.

Leaf miner larvae are small, white, and flattened; 1/4 in (6mm) long when grown. The larvae and black fecal matter are easily seen on infested leaves when held to light.  The adults are small, black sawflies about 1/8 in. (93mm) long, with wingspread of 1/4 in. (6mm). They can be found on or around unfolded leaves in spring.

Many plant species are favored and found in North America.

Mining or tunneling activity by larvae in leaf tissues produces obvious brown blotches or blisters on leaves. Trees generally become uniformly brown, although the tops are most often severely affected. Healthy trees can be infested without being seriously injured. Repeated infestations over several years can significantly weaken a tree, leaving it vulnerable to attack by other pests, such as borers and fungus pathogens.

The adults emerge from soil and fly to birch trees in the spring when leaves are about half-developed. Females lay eggs in young leaf tissue, newly unfolded from the bud. Eggs hatch after about a week and the small larvae feed, the mines often becoming united to form single large blotches. Larvae become fully developed in 10-15 days and stop feeding. They open a hole in the leaf and drop to the ground, where they enter the soil, pupate, and emerge several weeks later as another generation. Since another generation is completed in 5-6 weeks, 2-4 life cycles may occur in a year. The last generation will remain in the soil until spring.

Melanconium betulinum   (fungus)

All birch are suseptable.

Found throughout United States and Canada.

Borer infestation, drought, poor soil drainage, adverse temperatures (over 95^o F.), exposed locations, and sandy soils all contribute.

There is a Progressive browning of foliage and dieback of twigs and branches from flattened, sunken, swollen and discolored cankers. Diseased bark on branches red-brown, dotted with cupped, black fruiting bodies.

Acervulus are embedded in outer bark, hyphae extending into cambium. Conidia are released to invade bark through natural openings (lenticels), where new acervuli develop. Infection continuous during growing season.

Dendroctonus  terebrans  (black turpentine beetle)

The Larvae are small, creamy white, segmented; feed out through inner bark in mass  formation, producing a cavity from a few square inches to more than a square foot between the bark and wood; cavities filled with resinous fluid.
While the adults body are stout, 1/4-3/8 in. long, head broad without frontal groove
Red turpentine beetle (D. valens) or black turpentine beetle (D. terebrans). They both attack bases of healthy, dying, injured, or felled trees and stumps.
Egg galleries are Irregular, longitudinal, a few inches to several feet long, packed with frass in which eggs are laid.

Most all pines are susceptible and  occasionally fir, larch, and spruce.
The Red turpentine beetles are found throughout western and northeastern United States and southern Canada;
While the Black turpentine beetles are found to be in the Southeastern United States along the Atlantic coast.
Drought, low vigor, overcrowding, injuries and nutrient deficiencies contribute to attacks.

Easily noticed are the pitch tube on base of stem, crumbling resinous frass on ground at root crown; reddening of individual branches.
There are one or more generations per year. Heaviest attacks in mid-summer; overwinter as larvae and adults in trees and stumps attacked previous season. In southern range, all stages present any season of the year. Adults occur within pupal cells constructed in the boring dust of the brood chamber or in short mines along its margin.

Otiorhynchus_sulcatus

Black vine weevil is the most destructive and widespread of weevils. This weevil is found throughout most of northern North America from Maine to the Carolinas, and west to Washington and Oregon. It is also found in most of Canada and may have a flexible choice of foods
A favorite is yew which has led to another common name, the Taxus weevil it feeds on over 100 plants, trees, shrubs and flowers.
Adults are approximately ½” (12 mm) long, with an oblong shape and slate gray to blackish brown coloring, having pitted wings covered with short hairs for a speckled appearance. The weevil has a short, broad snout and elbowed antennae. It is difficult to distinguish black vine weevils from other Otiorhynchus weevils.
Adults and larvae have a wide variety of hosts, but prefer yew, hemlock, some rhododendrons and other broad-leaf evergreens like azalea, mountain laurel and euonymus. Adults can also feed on deciduous and herbaceous plants.
All adults are female in North American populations. Though adults are flightless, they are very active walkers. They are nocturnal and hide during the day in shady, moist locations like leaf litter, mulch, or on the stems of dense plants. If disturbed while on a stem, the adult will drop to the leaf litter where it becomes difficult to see due to effective camouflage.
Adults emerge in late May to early June and can live for several months (some adults may overwinter). Adults feed on leaf margins for two to three weeks before egg laying activity begins in late July, then alternate between egg laying and feeding for a month or more. Up to 500 eggs can be laid during this time and are set in the soil about 1-15″ (2-40 cm) deep, near the roots of host plants.
Larvae emerge in 10-14 days as off-white grubs with brown heads and in the characteristic C shape, looking similar to other root weevil larvae. They tunnel through the soil to feed on roots, growing to a length of 5/8″ (15 mm) by the end of the summer. Larvae overwinter in the soil as a pre-pupa, resume feeding in late May and early June before becoming milky white pupae with clearly visible legs in the spring. Pupation lasts about one month.
Usually there is one generation per year on trees and plants.
Adults feed on leaf margins, making crescent-shaped notches that are similar to those of other insects. Correct diagnosis in the field may be tricky. Feeding is more noticeable on rhododendrons or other broad-leaf plants but often more extensive on narrow-leaf evergreens, particularly yews. Adult feeding rarely causes serious injury.
Larvae feed on roots and, in the case of more mature larvae, bark on larger roots. Such feeding is exhibited by yellowing leaves, stunted growth and may eventually lead to plant death. The most extensive feeding damage occurs in the spring before pupation. High populations or overly damp soils in the fall can force larvae closer to the soil surface where they may feed on the stem, leading to girdling and subsequent death of plant.

Otiorhynchus_sulcatus
Black vine weevil is the most destructive and widespread of weevils. This weevil is found throughout most of northern North America from Maine to the Carolinas, and west to Washington and Oregon. It is also found in most of Canada and may have a flexible choice of foods.
A favorite is yew which has led to another common name, the Taxus weevil it feeds on over 100 plants, trees, shrubs and flowers.

Black Vine Weevil Larvae feed on roots and, in the case of more mature larvae, bark on larger roots. Such feeding is exhibited by yellowing leaves, stunted growth and may eventually lead to plant death. The most extensive feeding damage occurs in the spring before pupation. High populations or overly damp soils in the fall can force larvae closer to the soil surface where they may feed on the stem, leading to girdling and subsequent death of plant.

Larvae emerge in 10-14 days as off-white grubs with brown heads and in the characteristic C shape, looking similar to other root weevil larvae. They tunnel through the soil to feed on roots, growing to a length of 5/8″ (15 mm) by the end of the summer. Larvae overwinter in the soil as a pre-pupa, resume feeding in late May and early June before becoming milky white pupae with clearly visible legs in the spring. Pupation lasts about one month.
Usually there is one generation per year on trees and plants.
Adults and larvae have a wide variety of hosts, but prefer yew, hemlock, some rhododendrons and other broad-leaf evergreens like azalea, mountain laurel and euonymus. Adults can also feed on deciduous and herbaceous plants.

Adults are approximately ½” (12 mm) long, with an oblong shape and slate gray to blackish brown coloring, having pitted wings covered with short hairs for a speckled appearance. The weevil has a short, broad snout and elbowed antennae. It is difficult to distinguish black vine weevils from other Otiorhynchus weevils.
All adults are female in North American populations. Though adults are flightless, they are very active walkers. They are nocturnal and hide during the day in shady, moist locations like leaf litter, mulch, or on the stems of dense plants. If disturbed while on a stem, the adult will drop to the leaf litter where it becomes difficult to see due to effective camouflage.

Adults emerge in late May to early June and can live for several months (some adults may overwinter). Adults feed on leaf margins for two to three weeks before egg laying activity begins in late July, then alternate between egg laying and feeding for a month or more. Up to 500 eggs can be laid during this time and are set in the soil about 1-15″ (2-40 cm) deep, near the roots of host plants.

Adults feed on leaf margins, making crescent-shaped notches that are similar to those of other insects. Correct diagnosis in the field may be tricky. Feeding is more noticeable on rhododendrons or other broad-leaf plants but often more extensive on narrow-leaf evergreens, particularly yews. Adult feeding rarely causes serious injury.

OAK DECLINE COMPLEX:
Caused by one or more of the following fungi:
Botryodiplodia querci, Fusarium solani, Cephalosporium diospyri, Pestalotia macrosporum, Diplodia quercina, Phialophora sp., Dothiorella querci, Verticicladiella sp., Fusarium oxysporum, Verticillium albo-atrum

All oak species are hosts.

This complex has been reported throughout the continental United States.

Drought (soil moisture levels below 60% field capacity), with air temperatures above 60° F. Root damage from transplanting, construction, or compaction all contribute.

Symptoms vary according to host and fungus involved. Initial discoloration of leaf margins, sometimes with interveinal yellowing; later total yellowing possible, followed by stunting, slow to quick wilting, and dieback; usually evident first in upper crown. Leaves may or may not fall prematurely. As disease progresses individual branches may have thinner foliage, followed by a thinning of the entire crown. Vascular discoloration varies with organism, red-brown to black-blue, in twigs and/or root crown. Tree may die in as few as 2-3 months, or death may be gradual over 3-8 years.

Lethal infection, generally through roots from soilborne phase of fungus. Some of the fungi (Botryodiplodia, Diplodia) may become established as twig-canker inciters, at which stage decline is slow. Falling branches and twigs may introduce the fungus to the root area.