The following are highlights and updates about samples and questions recently received in the Plant & Insect Diagnostic Clinic. Visit the PIDC’s Facebook page to ask questions and for updates and more pictures.
Insects
Strawberry root weevils are back! These accidental invaders crawl into the house from the yard. Read more at the Clinic website. They are harmless and there is no need to use insectides, just sweep them up and discard (or kindly take them back outside). They are usually only wander indoors for a short time each summer, so we should be nearing the end of the problem.
Diseases
We are still getting samples and questions about conifers with needle browning and needle drop (many of them due to environmental stress). On the fruit and veggie side, we’ve received apple and crabapple samples with apple scab, Septoria leaf spot on tomato, bacterial spot and sunscald on pepper (photo below).
Strawberry root weevils resemble small ticks but have the three separate body parts, 6 legs and elbowed antennae.
Sunscald damage on green peppers. Photo credit: D. Mueller