Maple trees also facing infestations by insects
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By MICHAEL RUKAVINA
OBSERVER Staff Writer
While much needed attention is being paid to problems surrounding the emerald ash borer in parts of Cattaraugus County, in Chautauqua County and specifically the city of Dunkirk a cyclical tree infestation is occurring.
One of the largest and most conspicuous scale insects, the cottony maple scale, has made its mark on maple trees along Roosevelt and Lucas Avenue in the city of Dunkirk. Trees along the road and in one resident's yard appear to be strung with popcorn along its branches, a sign that a severe infestation is taking place.
"It could be a threatening thing," Helen Falco of Roosevelt Avenue, who notified authorities, said. "All down Roosevelt and down Lucas Avenue, the infestation is there."
Falco said it has been the first time in her 20 years at that address that she has noticed an infestation like this. The cottony maple scale is defined as a usually cyclical problem with damaging populations that occur irregularly, but typically can remain high for one to three years once established.
"We know about it but there's not much we can do," Tony Gugino, Dunkirk Public Works Superintendent said. "I know DEC is monitoring it and they made use aware of it. There's really nothing we can do to prevent it but it is apparent and hopefully it's one of those cyclical things that biology will take care of on its own as it runs its course."
The infestation begins in June when the female lays egg masses through the summer, eventually hatching into crawlers from June through mid-July (each egg mass contains 1,000-1,500 eggs). Those crawlers migrate to the underside of the host plant, being maple trees, and they insert their piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed on the sap from vascular cells of the plant.
The "pest" spends the remainder of the summer feeding on leaves. Male scales then mature in late summer, mate with the female and then die.
"I don't know if you'll have complete death of trees from that. You may have loss of leaves and some twigs die back from heavy infestation," Patrick Marren, Forester for the DEC said. "It will really stick to the Silver Maple's primarily, it may go after Red Maples, but it's fairly exclusive to those species."
According to Marren, the DEC would not be handling any treatment options and said that would be the responsibility, if they chose to take action, by the owner of the tree. He did say, however, that treatments are available for the infestation.
"Some of them are restricted use pesticides but also a horticulture oil can be effective in controlling that and carbaryl which is available to homeowners," Marren said.
The application of horticultural oil is recommended to be used in early spring before new growth starts as an adormant treatment. Crawlers can be manage with an application of a registered insecticide made in late June and repeated according to the labels instructions in early July. There are warnings for use of any insecticides and residents who may be looking to treat any tree on their property should first contact the DEC at 851-7010.
The "pest" spends the remainder of the summer feeding on leaves. Male scales then mature in late summer, mate with the female and then die.
"I don't know if you'll have complete death of trees from that. You may have loss of leaves and some twigs die back from heavy infestation," Patrick Marren, Forester for the DEC said. "It will really stick to the Silver Maple's primarily, it may go after Red Maples, but it's fairly exclusive to those species."
According to Marren, the DEC would not be handling any treatment options and said that would be the responsibility, if they chose to take action, by the owner of the tree. He did say, however, that treatments are available for the infestation.
"Some of them are restricted use pesticides but also a horticulture oil can be effective in controlling that and carbaryl which is available to homeowners," Marren said.
The application of horticultural oil is recommended to be used in early spring before new growth starts as an adormant treatment. Crawlers can be manage with an application of a registered insecticide made in late June and repeated according to the labels instructions in early July. There are warnings for use of any insecticides and residents who may be looking to treat any tree on their property should first contact the DEC at 851-7010.
Comments on this article may be sent to mrukavina@observertoday.com
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Billkinner
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07-06-09 10:43 PM
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Allow the Cottony Scale to run it's course.Although unsightly it rarely results in more than leaf decline and small limb die-back. Bill Kinner- Certified Arborist-Savannah, Ga.
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