Landscape Message: Jul 10, 2020

UMass Extension's Landscape Message is an educational newsletter intended to inform and guide Massachusetts Green Industry professionals in the management of our collective landscape. Detailed reports from scouts and Extension spThe Landscape Message will be updated bi-weekly July through September. The next message will be available on July 24. To receive immediate notification when the next Landscape Message update is posted, be sure to join our e-mail list.ecialists on growing conditions, pest activity, and cultural practices for the management of woody ornamentals, trees, and turf are regular features. The following issue has been updated to provide timely management information and the latest regional news and environmental data.

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Environmental Data

The following data was collected on or about July 8, 2020. Total accumulated growing degree days (GDD) represent the heating units above a 50° F baseline temperature collected via our instruments for the 2020 calendar year. This information is intended for use as a guide for monitoring the developmental stages of pests in your location and planning management strategies accordingly.

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Mosquitoes: State public health officials announce season’s first EEE positive mosquito sample:https://www.mass.gov/news/state-public-health-officials-announce-seasons-first-eee-positive-mosquito-sample-0 . On July 3, 2020 the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced that the eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus has been detected in mosquitoes in Massachusetts for the first time this year. The presence of EEE in a mosquito was confirmed from Orange, MA in Franklin County. No human or animal cases were detected at that time. Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH says “It is early in the year for the first evidence of EEE, therefore continued mosquito surveillance over the next several weeks will help us understand more about how quickly the virus might emerge this year”. For more information about this detection and ways to protect yourself, visit the link above.