Fall Insect Pests

Now that autumn is here, there are still some insect pests that are out there seeking to attack your landscape plants. Some are pests lingering from the summer and others come out in the cooler fall temperatures.

What are some of these pests? There are lace bugs, which attack azaleas, pieris japonicas, pyracanthas and cotoneasters. They have several generations per year, and they don’t die off till the first heavy frost. There are also scale insects that are still active, especially after the hot dry August. Two species of scale don’t become active until the fall months. Both of these typically attack magnolias. There are also spruce spider mites that attack various species of spruce.

How do we fight these sap sucking pests? We here at Virginia Green Lawn Care treat for the lace bugs as needed throughout the season. We use contact and systemic type insecticides to control this pest. As for the scale insects we use horticultural oil. Finally for the mites we use a miticide or horticultural oil. To control these pests and other ones throughout the year contact your lawn technician or our office for a free estimate. Let us help you control your tree and shrub pests and help keep your plants healthy.