The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has issued a reminder that the arrival of spring is the signal to search your property for overwintering pests, especially on woody plants. They advise that now is the time to
- Remove remove egg masses of Viburnum leaf beetle. Look for rows of bumpy caps on the twigs of last year’s growth. Prune out infested twigs, collect and destroy them to reduce populations of larvae on Viburnum species.
- Collect and destroy overwintering egg masses of Gypsy moth to reduce the severity of infestations of hungry larvae. Gypsy moth eggs masses appear as brown, fuzzy, quarter-sized masses stuck to bark and other wooden objects. They lay their eggs on several species of deciduous trees as well as Colorado spruce.
- Look for for Eastern tent caterpillar egg masses. Monitoring cherry, hawthorn and crabapple twigs for thickened, shiny silver bands that completely encircle small twigs. Prune out, collect and destroy egg masses to prevent 100’s of larvae from hatching and feeding on foliage of beloved landscape specimens.