The Japanese beetle is found throughout Virginia and in most of the Eastern United States. In regions west of the Mississippi it is found in isolated pockets. Japanese beetles were first found in New Jersey in 1916 and have spread from that point since. The Japanese beetle has been well established in Virginia since the early 1970’s.

Heavily infested trees will have large numbers of scales on twigs and branches. Scales may also be found on exposed roots and on the trunk of young trees. Scale insects feed on plant sap with their long thread-like mouthparts (stylets), which are several times longer than the insect itself.

Spider mites (Family Tetranychidae, Order Acari) are not insects; they are closely related to spiders, harvestmen (daddy longlegs), and ticks. Unlike insects, which have six legs and three body parts, spider mites have eight legs and a one-part body. They also lack wings, antennae, and compound eyes. Individual spider mites are almost microscopic, yet when they occur in large numbers, they can cause serious damage. Dozens of species attack shade trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants.

The spruce spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae, Oligonychus unuguis (Jacobi)) lives in all areas of Virginia and is widely distributed throughout the temperate regions of the United States and Canada. It attacks spruce, arborvitae, juniper, hemlock, pine, Douglas fir, Fraser fir, and larch, among others.

This extension publication presents information on how out-of-play areas serve as pollinator-friendly habitats in golf courses. This project also introduces information on the remote sensing approach to monitor the plant health status of this out-of-play areas.

This extension publication presents information on the biology, phenology monitoring, and damage associated with the annual bluegrass weevil, a key pest of turfgrass under golf course conditions in Virginia. This publication also introduces information on the remote sensing approach to monitor this pest.

Diamondback moth has become one of the hardest lepidopteran "worm" pests to control globally due to insecticide resistance. Mating disruption is an effective pesticide-free strategy for managing this pest of cabbage, broccoli, collards, and other brassica crops.

The Japanese maple scale is an armored scale, considered a key pest, causing the nursey industry significant losses due to direct injury or plant rejection. Identify JMS can be difficult due to their biology. This factsheet serves as a pictorial guide to provide key features of this insect.

Box tree moth (BTM), Cydalima perspectalis (Walker), is a destructive pest of boxwood (Buxus spp.). Native to Asia, BTM spread to Europe in 2006 and into Canada in 2018. BTM was found in New York in 2021, Michigan in 2022, and Ohio in 2023. It has not yet been found in Virginia. BTM feeds on all species of Buxus. Boxwood is a favored ornamental and a staple evergreen shrub cultivated in the US horticultural trade. This fact sheet was developed to help you identify BTM and some of the insects that could be mistaken for it in Virginia.

Arborvitae leafminer (Argyresthia thuiella; Lepidoptera: Argyresthiidae) is a small moth that attacks arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis), its cultivars, and sometimes false cypress (Chamaecyparis sp.). Native to North America, it was originally found in the the native host range of arborvitae in the upper Midwest, northeastern US, and adjacent Canada. It has since spread, presumably through the horticultural trade, to other parts of the US, Canada, and Europe.

Cicada killers (Sphecius speciosus) are quite large and menacing-looking ground nesting wasps that look very menacing to the general public, but are actually quite docile insects unless disturbed. As their name implies, they are a beneficial predator of cicadas. This publication details their identification and management strategies.