varieties, although deciduous varieties may also be attacked. They may attack rhododendron, mountain laurel and related plants. Are you noticing leaf stippling, with chlorotic (light-colored) patches or leaves with a burnt, silvery appearance on your rhododendrons and azaleas? The introduced avocado lace bug (Pseudacysta perseae) is a pest of avocado (Persea americana) and camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora). The rhododendron or azalea lace bug is a pest that gardeners in the south face nearly every year. It is made from a fatty acid. Clackamas County Oregon. Some varieties of azaleas do not attract lace bugs. Contact us if you would like help controlling lace bugs. Figure 1. Damage Azalea lace bug feeds on both evergreen and deciduous azaleas and rhododendrons. The azalea lace bug is particularly injurious to evergreen azalea (Rhododendron spp.) There they suck out the sap, robbing the plant of nutrients and causing the leaves to turn speckled grey-brown or silvery. Azalea and Rhododendron Lace Bug control. 10). It is, however, rarely diagnosed correctly. Lace bugs are attracted to a wide variety of ornamentals such as azaleas, rhododendrons, viburnums, flowering quince, crabapple and cotoneaster. Rhododendron Lace Bug (Stephanitis takeyai) Lace bug damage is indicated by stippling (very tiny spots) on leaves of plants growing on dry sites and those with low plant diversity. The rhododendron lace bug is a native species. On the underside if the damaged leaf, you may find several of the Rhododendron Bugs. It is our opinion that the symptoms may appear to many as a drought related or nutritional and thus rarely is brought to plant clinics. We have infestation of Azalea Lace Bugs on our Rhododendrons in our home yard. How To Get Rid Of Garden Gravel? Control: Rhododendron lace bugs should be treated when they appear in early May. The young insects feed on sap and leave small drops of black excrement in their path. These insect pests overwinter as eggs that are inserted into plant leaves. The … As azaleas begin to bloom, the insect begins its lifecycle. Nymphs are spiny, and dark, and develop through four growth stages. Later, the leaves take on a bronzed appearance. It can be responsible for causing pale mottling most notably on the leaves of Pieris and Rhododendron. Azalea (Rhododendron)-Lace bug. Pieris Lace Bug Management - Guide. Adult females cause more feeding injury than adult males and nymphs (Buntin et al. Some of the important species of lace bugs are for the azalea - Stephanitis pyrioides, hawthorn - Corythucha cydoniae, lantana - Teleonemia scrupulosa, and hackberry - C. celtidis.Lace bugs also feed on oak, elm, basswood, fringetree, and pyracantha among others. Lace bugs – If the upper sides of leaves are speckled green and yellow, then lace bugs may be at work. Pest description and crop damage Overwinters in egg stage. Rhododendron lace-bug, Stephanitus rhododendri, is a fairly common pest of certain Rhododendrons. Females insert tiny, oblong eggs in leaf tissue and cover them with dark excrement. Guest Article MANAGEMENT OF LACE BUG AT MTBG Date: 22nd January 2016 author: Kathy Wilson tags: pest & diseases,plant care Management of Lace Bug at Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens. What is the best way to control them? (rhododendron lace bug) Toolbox. Repeat sprays as needed. S. rhododendri has been in We use M-Pede oil to reduce populations. The bug is normally no more than a few millimetres long with dark colourings. Plant lace bug resistant varieties of azaleas. Most have a specific host preference, which aids in identification. Recognition and Life Cycle Adults are about 1/8-inch long. Azalea lace bug (Stephanitis pyrioides (Scott) damage is recognized as a stippled, silvery, chlorotic, or bleached appearance of the leaves. Lace Bugs. Lace bugs can be controlled by frequent spraying. Adult insects are whitish-tan and approximately 0.13 inch long with lacy-looking wings. In 2015, we followed up on this experiment by testing green lacewing larvae and MeSA, each alone and combined, on potted rhododendrons placed in the USDA garden and farm. This lace bug overwinters in the egg stage on the plant. Lace bug damage on evergreens is most common and severe on azalea, pyracantha, rhododendron and andromeda. The damage first appears as a speckled chlorosis. Azalea lace bug adult with light and dark patterns on its wings. The azalea lace bug and andromeda lace bug were both accidentally introduced from Japan. It is especially important to prevent damage on evergreens early in the season because foliage will retain unsightly lace bug injury and be less functional for more than a year. There are several types of lace bugs, including the rhododendron lace bug and the azalea lace bug. 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