Pest Management: Invasive & Beneficial Species

New York Invasive Species link

Invasiveness Assessment Scores & Ranks for 183 Nonnative Plant Species (PDF)

Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County Invasive Species link

Weeds

A town resident brought in a sample of a plant that likes to creep along in the grass. The plant was identified as Ground Ivy or Creeping Charlie. Its botanical name is Glechoma hederacea L. and it has been listed as weedy or invasive.

Invasive Plant Species

This is a partial list of highly invasive species. Most of these species are foreign and take away vital space from our native plants. Some have the capacity to take over and smoother very large areas. These invasive’s lack the support that our native plants can offer our native insects and wildlife.

Invasive plants to watch out for are Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata), Mile-A-Minute Vine (Persicaria perfoliata), Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata), Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora), Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), and Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).

Click here to read an interesting article about a bug eating the Kudzu plant. A subscription or sign in is required to view NY Times’ article.

The next three listed are commonly sold and planted in our area: Japanese Barberry Bush (Berberis thunbergii), Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus), Norway Maple Tree (UConn) (Acer platanoides). Pennsylvania Dept of Conservation & Natural Resources published a Norway Maple (PDF) fact sheet click here to view it. Please consider using alternative native plants instead. Click Here (PDF) for some choices. The following link explains the invasive behavior of these three plants: New Hampshire Agriculture Document (PDF)

Read an article: Scientists link invasive barberry to Lyme disease

Here is another foreign plant species that exhibits highly invasive behavior the Pyrus calleryana. Better know as the cultivar Bradford Pear. This tree has invaded the wild and is currently being studied. Please consider planting a native plant in its place. Such as, Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis), Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus), Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis) or Two-Winged Silverbell (Halesia diptera var. magniflora).

Mile-a-Minute vine was found in Lagrange in the summer (2007) so there is a threat that it will be creeping into East Fishkill. This invasive plant spreads by seeds. Animals eat the berries from the plants that contain the seeds. The seeds pass through the animal’s body so he deposits them while traveling. Another way this plant invades other areas is via water. Seeds flow with the current of the streams, creeks and rivers so there is no telling how far they will journey. Mile-a-Minute-vine, Persicaria perfoliata, previously known as Polygonum perfoliatum is in the Buckwheat family (Polygonaceae). Click here for a Mile-a-Minute Fact Sheet (PDF).

Tree of Heaven – Ailanthus altissima, looks very similar to Sumac

Beneficial Insects

Cicada Killer Wasp: If you wish to deter this insect from burrowing near your house or in your yard, keep your turf thick and gardens well mulched. They like sandy soil or look for bare spots in your lawn. Fact Sheet from Texas University.

Pest Management: Invasive Insects

Click Here for Cornell Insect Diagnostic Labrotory Fact Sheets

These invasive insects or plant diseases are already in the Hudson Valley (click on the links for more information):

Artillery Fungus is a species that spots light-colored items such as a white sided building. Learn more about this pest by visiting the following PDF link.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (in the Hudson Valley from Cornell University) feeds on corn, peppers, tomatoes, apples and peaches. Brown Marmorated Stink Bug website. Here is a link to an article that chickens may help with the infestation of stink bugs.

Elongate Hemlock Scale feeds on spruces, firs, and Taxus. US Dept of Agriculture. Penn State fact sheet.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid US Forest Service

Viburnum Leaf Beetle Cornell University

These invasive insects or plant diseases are headed towards the Hudson Valley:

Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) attacks many different types of trees. Another link from the USDA.

Boxwood Blight (PDF) (Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum PDF) has been ID’d in Connecticut (Fairfield County), North Carolina, New York (Long Island) and Virginia. The symptoms include leaf-spots and blight (wither), rapid defoliation, black cankers on stem and severe dieback. Here is a list of alternative shrubs for the boxwood. Look for dwarf cultivars of: Ilex crenata, Pieris japonica, Rhododendron spp., and Taxus baccata.

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was found in the Lower Hudson Valley Region. Here is a webinar link for homeowners explaining how the Emeral Ash Borer will effect our lives. It lncludes tree management. Identify ash trees by using this helpful PDF link Ash tree ID (Fraxinus spp.). Have you seen this statement lately? ‘Don’t Move Firewood!’. Firewood movement can spread invasive pests. Here is a link to an article, ‘Insects Found In Nearly 50% Of Retail Firewood’. It is well documented that the Emerald Ash Borer has invaded isolated areas due to firewood movement. New York Invasive Species website has a lot of information pertaining to the EAB

Granulate Ambrosia Beetle North Carolina State University Coop Ext