Landscape Message: Apr 7, 2017

"The Landscape Message will be updated weekly April through June. The next message will be available on April 14. To receive immediate notification when the next Landscape Message update is posted, be sure to join our e-mail list."

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From the Insects section:

• Winter Moth: Operophtera brumata. The eggs of this insect, laid by the females who emerged in November of 2016 and were active through the winter months (mainly November through December when temperatures are above freezing) are currently present in the landscape and hidden in cracks and crevices of bark or beneath lichen on host plants such as oak, maple, apple, blueberry, crabapple, etc. Eggs are tiny and green when first laid, but quickly turn a red-orange color soon after. As the egg develops, it will turn a bright blue color, and then a very dark blue-black just prior to egg hatch. For more information about the life cycle and management of winter moth, please visit this newly updated (March, 2017)fact sheet: Winter Moth Identification and Management (https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/winter-moth-identification-management).

According to reports, winter moth eggs have begun to hatch at a single site monitored in Franklin, MA (Heather Faubert, University of Rhode Island) as of 4/6/2017. At this time, egg color change and hatch has not yet been observed at other locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island where the emergence of winter moth caterpillars is being tracked. Reports suggest that the site in Franklin, MA typically experiences earlier egg development, hatch, and that only a very small percentage of those eggs have changed from orange to blue and even fewer have hatched as of 4/6/2017. Coastal areas also suffering from winter moth defoliation typically have later egg hatch due to cooler temperatures. We will continue to monitor winter moth egg hatch and will report any additional development reported by scouts in the next Landscape Message due April 14th. You may also visit the UMass Landscape, Nursery, and Urban Forestry Facebook page @UMassExtLandscapefor announcements regarding winter moth activity.

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