In this issue
Turfgrass
European chafer grubs are active now
Renovating home lawns
Common myths about moles in lawns
Christmas trees and forestry
Controlling white pine weevil
Balsam twig aphids hatch in the spring
Gypsy moth spray window
Other news
Avian influenza - small poultry flock seminars
Weather news

European chafer grubs have been actively feeding on turf roots the last two weeks. New patches of thin or dead turf have recently appeared throughout southern Michigan, including parts of Eaton, Ingham, Genessee, Oakland, Monroe, Wayne and Ottawa counties. I expect peak damage this week in Monroe and southern Wayne County, followed by peak damage in one to two weeks in the Lansing area. South-facing slopes of lawns or any areas where the soil is sandy or dries quickly are the most likely to harbor European chafer. Spring feeding on turf roots and the resulting dead patches in home lawns may grow larger over the next three weeks.

Always check for grubs first before applying an insecticide because lawns can be thin or have dead patches for other reasons as well. If more than 10 grubs per square foot are found, additional damage is likely in the next two weeks.

Homeowners may choose to wait until the grubs are done feeding and then re-seed in early May, or they can treat infested areas of their lawn now with Sevin (carbaryl) or Bayer Advanced Lawn 24 Hour Grub Control (trichlorfon, or Dylox). I suggest waiting one week after applying an insecticide before re-seeding to make sure the grubs don't eat the grass seed or the germinating plants. See the article by Kevin Frank in this Landscape Alert issue for more details on re-seeding, including how long to wait before applying a crabgrass preventer or any herbicide.

The grubs will be done feeding by the middle of May, so there will be no point in using insecticide for spring grubs after May 15. Healthy lawns will grow quickly, filling-in small dead patches an inch or two wide. Lawns with larger dead patches will benefit from re-seeding or over-seeding.

After last summer’s challenging growing conditions, it’s likely that many are looking to reseed some damaged turf areas this spring. Depending on location there are certainly some grub hot spots around and many of these areas will need to be reseeded. The recommendation is to wait about one to two weeks after applying a grub insecticide before reseeding.

It is perfectly safe to apply fertilizer at the time of seeding. A starter fertilizer is a fertilizer that typically has a nitrogen to phosphate ratio of 1:1 or 1:1.5. A starter fertilizer application at seeding will prove beneficial in getting the young seedlings going. Typical application rates for a starter fertilizer at seeding are 1 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. Make sure to keep the seeded area moist throughout establishment. In many cases this may require watering several times a day. A good mulch cover will help the area stay moist so the site may be watered less frequently. Water lightly when irrigating, there is no need to see water standing or running off the site.

If you’re reseeding turf areas, make sure to avoid applying herbicides this spring, i.e., no fertilizer + crabgrass preventer or weed & feed products. Young seedlings don’t tolerate herbicides very well, and the guideline is usually to wait three "real" mowings before applying any herbicides or in some cases at least 60 days. By "real" mowings, I mean you’re actually cutting significant grass, not just running over the area to trim down any weeds.

Back in 2004 I became aware of a local chapter of Moles Anonymous – those individuals often shunned by society due to their mole problems and their feeble attempts to extradite Mr. Mole from their lawn. Many homeowners in Michigan who have started to wander out to their lawns in the last couple weeks have turned an ankle as they’ve stepped in a mole tunnel. If you’re one of the Moles Anonymous legions, you’ve no doubt started to form your plan for ridding these little devils out of your lawn. Here are the common myths about moles.

Mole Myth 1: I have moles in my yards so that means I have grubs, right?

False. Moles eat lots of stuff and grubs are not the only entrée on their menu. It is not appropriate, or for that matter legal, to apply a grub control insecticide to eliminate moles. First of all it won’t work, second of all the pesticide label is the law and insecticides are not labeled for mole control.

Mole Myth 2: Juicy Fruit, Bubblicious, or Extra Spearmint gum control moles.

I usually tell people if it works for you that’s great, however I have no evidence to support this recommendation. I suppose if nothing else you’d have moles with good breath.

Mole Myth 3: Mole repellants, underground sonic waves, pinwheels in the yard will get rid of my moles.

False. Pinwheels are decorative though.

The only time tested effective method for controlling moles is a good trap. They come in many different styles and will likely require some practice before you snare your first mole. To improve your success make sure to get your scent off the trap. I’ve heard of mole trappers boiling their traps in water to rid the human scent. Handle the trap with some gloves when setting the trap. Make sure to find an active tunnel – this is easier for the eastern mole that produces the surface tunnel than for the star-nosed mole that has a deeper tunnel and makes the volcano in the lawn. Flatten the tunnel one day and then come back the next to see if the tunnel is raised – if raised, it’s an active tunnel.

Finally, there is a relatively new mole bait product on the market called Talpirid. The bait is “disguised” to look just like an earthworm – reminds me of a gummy worm. You place the worm in the tunnel; mole eats it, end of story. I don’t have any personal experience using this product but have heard many stories from the mole battle field that folks are having good results. The “worms” aren’t cheap though so you may need to assess your mole disgust level before starting this eradication program.

Larvae of the white pine weevil kill the terminal leader and the top two to four years of growth on many varieties of spruce, as well as white and Scotch pine trees. If you had weevil damage last year and you need to control the weevils, you will have to do it early this spring.

The adult weevils overwinter on the ground, protected and insulated by the litter (fallen needles). Once they warm up, the weevils move up to the tops of the trees in the late afternoon or early evening and feed on the terminal leader. Each time a female weevil makes a feeding wound on the terminal, she lays one to four eggs in the wound. Those eggs will hatch within a few weeks and the larvae chew their way through the bark. They will feed in the phloem under the bark for several weeks, pupate and then emerge as new adults around midsummer.

If you need to control white pine weevil, your one opportunity is early in the spring. Insecticide should be applied to the terminal leader once it begins to warm up - somewhere around 25-65 GDD50. It's better to be a bit early than to be late with this application. Use a persistent product, because the adult weevils don't all warm up at the same rate. You could have weevil adults feeding on the terminals for three weeks or perhaps longer. If you can avoid spraying the rest of the tree, you will conserve beneficial species like predatory mites.

Growers in Pennsylvania have had luck using tedder traps to detect white pine weevil adults. These traps are placed in the field next to trees that was damaged the previous year. Weevils overwintering at the bases of the trees are attracted by the scents of alcohol and turpentine that mimic the odor of pine trees. Information on these traps can be found at http://ctrees.cas.psu.edu/info_insects.htm#Insects

Balsam twig aphid eggs begin to hatch early in spring, typically around late March to mid-April, depending on temperatures and location within the state. Hatching is completed in one to two weeks. Studies in Michigan showed that egg hatch began at roughly 60 to 70 GDD50 and continue until approximately 100 GDD50. The newly hatched aphids are very small and difficult to see, but by mid- to late April, at approximately 100 to 140 GDD50, they have grown enough to be easily visible against a dark background. These first-generation aphids are called “stem mothers.”

Growers (particularly in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula) that had Fraser or balsam fir trees that were heavily damaged by this aphid last year, should be scouting now. Scout the trees damaged last year, as that's where you will be most likely to find aphids this year. If you had heavy damage last summer and you are planning to harvest trees this year, you can apply an insecticide this spring. To prevent damage to your trees, you will need to kill the stem mother – this first generation.

Keep in mind, however, that if aphid populations are not very high and you did not have heavy damage last year, you probably don't need to spray.

For more information see bulletin E2813 - Biology and Management of Balsam Twig Aphid. The pdf version can be found on line at the MSU Extension Bulletin office at http://web2.msue.msu.edu/bulletins/mainsearch.cfm and type in the keyword balsam. This is also available at your local Extension office.

Mike Bryan with the Michigan Department of Agriculture reports that we have opened the spray window for Dimilin for nurseries and Christmas trees the past few years around May 5. Weather conditions will certainly impact egg hatch and caterpillar development. So stay tuned as we monitor gypsy moth development around the state this spring, we will announce the opening of the spray window in the Landscape Alert.

The commercial poultry industry has had an intensive biosecurity plan in place for several years. Our largest concern is for small flock poultry owners, particularly free-range poultry where domestic chickens, turkeys and ducks may share common feeding/living areas with wild birds. In Asia and Europe, this is how H5N1 has transferred to domestic poultry and then to humans. In this regard, MSU Extension is working with the MSU Diagnostic Center for Population & Animal Health and other agencies and organizations to offer educational seminars around the state on small flock biosecurity.

These seminars are not meant to address pandemic flu or deal with general public issues. They are designed specifically to help small flock poultry owners learn more about the H5N1 virus and how to implement biosecurity practices at their home or farm. The goal for these educational seminars is to reduce chances that the small flocks would contract the virus from wild birds.

 Central Michigan –Thursday, April27, 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Bay City  Delta College, Room S-105 1961, Delta Rd. University Center, MI 48710
Capacity 102. Contact Bay County MSUE at 989 -895-4026.

 Northwest Michigan – Thursday May 4, 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Wexford MSUE office 401 N. Lake St. Cadillac, MI 49601
Contact Sherry at 231-779-9480.

Upper Peninsula – Friday May 5, 6:00 to 9:00 PM
At the Kinross township hall, 310 Curtis, Kincheloe, MI 49788
Contact Jim Lucas, Chippewa MSUE at 906-635-6368.

Upper Peninsula – Saturday May 6 at 1:00 PM Central time
At the Menominee MSUE office S904 US 41 Stephenson, MI 49887 in Menominee County
Contact Mike Erdman, Menominee MSUE at 800-236-1678 or 906-753-2209.

South Central Michigan — Thursday, May 18 6 to 9 PM, MSU Livestock Pavilion.
Contact: Clinton County MSU Extension Office at 989- 224-5240

Jet stream flow across North America shifted late last week to a western troughing, eastern ridging pattern, leaving Michigan and the Great Lakes region under southwesterly flow aloft and a week-long spell of springlike weather. This pattern is expected to continue for a few more days before the jet stream shifts to a more west to east zonal pattern by late next week.

In the short term, a cool front over the Upper Midwest region Friday morning (April 14) will move eastward through Michigan during the day Friday, bringing slightly cooler air into the state on westerly winds. Fair and dry weather is expected statewide Saturday, followed by a chance of a few light, scattered showers again across southern sections of the state Easter Sunday. After Friday =s 70+ degree highs across many sections of the state, temperatures will fall back to daytime highs from the 50s north to 60s south Saturday through Tuesday of next week, with low temperatures ranging from the low and mid-30s far north to the 40s in the south.

Further ahead, medium‑range forecast guidance has lately been inconsistent (large day-to-day differences in the forecast model output), suggesting a larger scale jet stream pattern change may be possible in the one to two week time frame. The official NOAA 6-10 day and 8-14 day outlooks (covering April 19-23 and 21-27) both call for above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation totals across Michigan. Due to the erratic model behavior mentioned above, forecaster confidence in these outlooks is considered lower than normal for the season. For what it’s worth, the most recent package of medium-range forecast guidance suggests a cooler, unsettled weather pattern developing by late next week, possibly continuing into the following week.