What to Do When Poplars Get Pests? Pest Control Methods Shared

Poplars have many types of diseases and pests, and the damage is severe. The main pests include the poplar white leaf miner (Phyllocnistis), poplar lappet moth (Gastropacha), poplar prominent moth (Clostera), and poplar round scale (Quadraspidiotus) etc. So, what to do when poplars get pests?

1. What to do when poplars get pests

1. Manual capture. According to the scars or notches bitten by adults when laying eggs, use a small knife or hammer to pierce or smash the eggs to death, hook out the larvae with wire, and catch the adults, etc.

2. Biological control. Use Dastarcus helophoroides, Sclerodermus sichuanensis, woodpeckers, etc. for control.

3. Chemical control. Apply Green Weilei to control longhorn beetle adults, and spray a 200-300 times dilution of Green Weilei on the trunk or large side branches before the peak emergence period of longhorn beetle adults.

4. Trunk drilling and injection control. For trees with tall crowns where spraying is relatively difficult, trunk drilling and injection of 40% omethoate stock solution or 20% imidacloprid can control longhorn beetle adults and larvae. The method is: drill an oblique hole 30cm above the ground on the trunk deep enough to reach the xylem, with a dosage generally of 0.3-0.9mL/cm DBH. It can also be injected directly from the frass holes.

2. Types of poplar leaf-eating insect pests

1. Poplar prominent moth (Clostera): The larvae live in groups. In the 1st-2nd instars, they often strip and eat the leaf mesophyll on one leaf. After the 2nd instar, they spin silk to bind leaves and hide within them. When disturbed, they can spin silk and hang down, drifting with the wind. After the 3rd instar, they gradually spread outward to cause damage. When mature, they spin silk to bind leaves and make thin cocoons to pupate. Because the larvae reproduce quickly, are numerous, and are widely distributed, they can easily cause disasters during major outbreaks.

2. Poplar small prominent moth (Micromelalopha): The larvae eat the leaf epidermis and mesophyll, leaving only the leaf veins, appearing net-like. In severe cases, most leaves of poplars and willows are eaten bare, looking like fire from a distance.

3. Willow tussock moth (Leucoma): It mainly harms trees of the Salicaceae family. In severe cases, it can eat all the leaves and produce large amounts of frass, seriously affecting the environmental hygiene of urban landscape green spaces. The willow tussock moth has 2-3 generations per year, overwinters as 2nd instar larvae making thin cocoons in bark cracks, begins activity and damage in early to mid-April of the following year, June is the peak period of the 1st generation larvae, and September is the peak period of the 2nd generation larvae.