July 2016 NEWS

Japanese Beetles

That special time of year has arrived. It’s Japanese beetle time. They suddenly seem to be everywhere. We have had reports of adult Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) in several locations in Dupage County. I have even spotted a couple of them as far north as Boone County not far from the Wisconsin border (and that was almost two weeks ago!).

Japanese beetles are up to 1/2 inch long, and have oval, metallic green bodies with coppery brown wing covers. They appear to have five white spots along each side and two additional white spots behind their wing covers. Upon examination under a hand lens, the spots are actually tufts of hair.

Adult beetles feed on nearly 300 different species of ornamental plants with about 50 species being preferred. Highly preferred hosts include rose, crabapple, cherry, grape, and linden. The adults feed on leaf tissue between veins, resulting in skeletonized leaves. Severely infested plants may be almost completely defoliated.

Early infestations of Japanese beetle may be missed since the insects start feeding in the tops of trees. Japanese beetles overwinter as larvae (grubs) about four to eight inches beneath the soil surface. In spring, as the soil temperatures warm to about 55° F, the grubs move upward through the soil to pupate. Adults normally emerge from late June through July. Within a few days after emergence, the females mate and burrow into the soil to lay eggs. Nearly all eggs are laid by mid-August. In sufficiently warm and moist soil, eggs will hatch in about ten days. Grubs feed on plant roots until cold weather forces them to greater depths in the soil for the winter. There is one generation of this beetle per year.
Source: Morton Arboretum

Imidacloprid

Systemic insecticides for use on ornamental plants in greenhouses, nurseries and interior plantscapes. Provides excellent control and long-lasting residual. Available in flowable formulation for application convenience.

• Unsurpassed control of whitefly and aphids in greenhouse and nursery
• Outstanding residual control—reliable for up to 12 weeks
• Systemic control at low use rates on dozens of pests
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Pest controlled (but not limited to) include:

• Japanese Beetle
• Southern Masked Chafer
• Northern Masked Chaper
• European Chafer
• European Crane Fly • Green June Beetle
• White Grub
• And many others

ARBORJET®

National Seed is pleased to announce we are now a distributor of Arborjet products. For 15 years, Arborjet has focused on developing the leading tree injection equipment and formulations to protect trees. This addition compliments our full line of fertilizers, chemicals and injection products for tree care professionals. Please contact Kevin if you would like more information:

Kevin.Spiller@natseed.com / Mobile 630-903-5240

Tree Watering Bags

Tired of standing next to a newly planted tree with a hose and seeing most of the water running away from the tree into the grass? Then make your job easier and more effective—use a National Seed Tree Watering Bag!!

The National Seed Tree Watering Bag distributes approximately 20 gallons of water around the base of the tree over a 4-6 hour period. This allows the water to be absorbed into the ground rather than run off. This is very useful when planting a new tree or watering a young tree in the dry time of the year.

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