Current Articles
Browse Archives
Search
Contact Us
AUF Home
ISA Seal
Get Acrobat Reader

Arboriculture & Urban Forestry Online
Volume 21, Issue 2 — March 1995
https://www.isa-arbor.com/Publications/Arboriculture-Urban-Forestry

Management Considerations for the Azalea Lace Bug in Landscape Habitats    (View PDF)

Robert B. Trumbule, Robert F. Denno and Michael J. Raupp

Abstract: The azalea lace bug is a severe pest of ornamental azaleas throughout much of eastern North America. Reports in the literature suggest that lace bugs occur more abundantly and damage azaleas more frequently in sunny, exposed landscapes compared to more shaded plantings. By measuring the light intensity over azalea plants in four damage categories (high, moderate, low and no damage), we were able to rigorously confirm this reported pattern. The highest light intensities were recorded over azaleas incurring the most lace bug damage and the lowest light intensities were registered over plants in the low damage categories. A survey of the literature showed that although caged lace bugs perform and reproduce best on shade-grown azalea plants, uncaged lace bugs do not survive well at all in shaded habitats where they apparently suffer higher mortality from natural enemies. Invertebrate predators such as spiders are implicated in relegating lace bugs to azaleas in sunny habitats where although lace bug performance is reduced on light- and water-stressed plants, overall survival is greatest. Infestations of lace bugs may be minimized by planting azaleas in shaded landscapes with mixed vegetation that provide refuge for invertebrate predators.

Keywords:

https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.1995.011


Current Articles | Browse Archives | Search | AUF Home | ISA Home | Get Acrobat