To provide the highest level of professional tree and shrub care to Philadelphia’s Main Line Communities, we pride ourselves on constant research.
Ours is a very specific and narrow field that requires learning through experience. Each property is unique and every year is different. To keep up with the latest thinking, we initiate contact with the leading arborists, entomologists and pathologists of our industry to discover and implement the best practices available for Plant Health Care.
See the most recent information on the pests and diseases that can affect your property through our gathered resources here.
Order By: Plants A-Z Diseases A-Z Insects A-Z
Granulate ambrosia beetle was introduced to South Carolina from Asia in the early 1970’s.
Lace bugs are exclusively plant feeders, and while more species occur on herbaceous plants, the most common species occur on...
Many species of aphids or plant lice occur on ornamental trees and shrubs in Pennsylvania.
The adult female azalea bark scale is dark red with short legs and antennae and long, sucking mouth-parts.
Twenty-eight lace bug species have been recorded in Pennsylvania, but only a few are key pests of ornamental evergreen plants...
The bagworm is a perennial insect pest of arborvitae, juniper, pine, spruce, and many other evergreen species.
This microscopic mite is an eriophyid mite that is most active during the warm season. Damage will appear as reddish...
Bark beetles, family Scolytidae, are common pests of conifers (such as pines) and some attack broadleaf trees. Over 600 species...
The beech scale (Cryptococcus fagisuga Lindinger) was first found in the U.S. in Massachusetts and Maine in the 1930s.
The black vine weevil is a serious pest in nurseries and established landscape plantings.
The boxwood leafminer is a serious pest of Pennsylvania plantings of boxwood.
Monarthropalpus flavus
The boxwood psyllid is a common pest of boxwood, but not considered as destructive as other boxwood pests.
The boxwood spider mite, Eurytetranychus buxi, becomes active in late April, early May in Oregon. The mites overwinter in the egg...
Cottony camellia scale is a soft scale that feeds on camellia, holly, yew, euonymus, sweetbox, and maple.
Cottony maple leaf scale females are 3 to 4 mm long and 2 to 4 mm wide. They are slightly...
The cottony maple scale is a highly modified insect pest that commonly attacks silver and red maples in Ohio.
One of the more common scale insect pests seen in landscapes here in the Notheast is cottony taxus (cottony camelia)...
Crape myrtles are among the most commonly planted trees in the Southeast. The two main pests are crape myrtle bark...
A couple years ago I began warning about a new pest that was spreading throughout crape myrtle country. Now, the...
Cryptomeria scale is an armored scale found on the underside of needles.
Larvae feed in the inner bark of live, healthy dogwood trees. The damaged area of the trunk or branch swells and eventually...
Adult sawflies are wasplike. After the second molt, larvae become covered in a white powdery substance.
The Eastern tent caterpillar has been observed in the United States since 1646.
Three species of bark beetles are associated with elms in the United States.
The elm leaf beetle is an introduced pest that feeds only on speecies of elm.
The elongate hemlock scale sometime known as the fiorinia scale, is a serious scaled insect pest of hemlock.
Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in...
Eriophyid mites are microscopic mites that often go undetected.
Euonymus Alatus Scale symptoms include yellowing of foliage and dieback of branched in heavy infestations. Heavily infested plants have been...
The euonymus scale is a key pest of deciduous and evergreen euonymus.
Mature females are up to 10 mm long oval and grayish-brown with a white waxy fringe ovisac.
The most common sawfly species that attacks pines in Pennsylvania is the European pine sawfly.
The European red mite (ERM) is the most important mite species attacking tree fruits in North America.
The fall webworm is a widely distrubuted native pest of shade trees and shurbs and appears from late...
The Fletcher Scale, sometimes referred to as the arborvitae soft scale, is a common pest of arborvitae and yew.
Many species of aphids or plant lice occur on ornamental trees and shrubs in Pennsylvania.
The gypsy moth was accidentally introduced into Massachusetts in 1869.
Lace bugs are common pests of a variety of ornamental trees and shrubs.
A moderately common pest problem observed on hawthorn trees in May and June is the hawthorn leafminer, Profenusa canadensis. The...
Adult eriophid mites are minute, yellowish-orange, spindle-shaped mites with four legs.
The most obvious sign of a hemlock woolly adelgid infestation is the copious masses of white filaments of wax produced...
American holly foliage is damaged by the feeding activity of larvae that destroy leaf tissue between the upper and lower...
The honeylocust plant bug is a key pest of honeylocust.
Adult mites that have overwintered are less then 1 mm long and orange.
Adults and larvae of the imported willow leaf beetle both feed on foliage of willows during the summer months.
Indian wax scale insects are tiny, brownish-purple females with microscopic legs and a thick covering of sticky, white wax. There...
Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, is one of the best-known pests to be encountered by Pennsylvania fruit growers, nursery operators, and...
The Japanese cedar longhorned beetle is an exotic insect that bores into trees of the cypress family.
The Japanese maple scale is a recently detected pest of a wide range of woody host plants in Pennsylvania.
This species was intercepted 131 times at U. S. ports-of-entry between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from Brazil, China,...
The juniper scale, native to Europe, is now distributed throughout the United States. This armored scale insect occasionally becomes a...
About 160 species of lace bugs have been described in North America.
Caterpillars of this species are very small and one of their first actions is to cut off a needle tip...
Leafhoppers will feed on the new growth of wisteria. The severity of infestation depends on the size of the migrating...
A moderately common pest problem observed on hawthorn trees in May and June is the hawthorn leafminer, Profenusa canadensis. The...
The European fruit lecanium is a key soft scale insect pest of shade trees and other woody ornamental plants in...
Adult lilac (ash) borers are moths that vary in color from brown to yellow to orange. They have clear wings...
The magnolia scale is one of the largest scale insects in the United States. It feeds only on magnolia. This...
A photo of magnolia scale infestation.
The mimosa webworm feeds primarily on the leaves on mimosa and honeylocust trees.
Bark beetles, family Scolytidae, are common pests of conifers (such as pines) and some attack broadleaf trees. Over 600 species...
Obscure scale is a key pest of oak in Pennsylvania.
The peachtree borer, a native insect, is a major pest of stone fruits in the United States and Canada.
Pear sawflies feed on hawthorn, serviceberry, pear, and other members of the rose family.
A tree heavily infested with pine bark adelgid may have the look of snow on its branches and trunk.
These cylindrical, brown to black beetles are usually very small, 1/6 to 1/8-inch, but they can cause considerable damage. Fortunately,...
The pine needle scale is considered a key pest of pines in landscapes, nurseries, and Christmas tree plantations in Pennsylvania.
This minor pest of eastern white pine is best recognized by the symptoms it produces rather than by the appearance...
The privet rust mite, Aculus ligustri, is a microscopic mite with tiny, scissorlike mouthparts that it uses to puncture the...
There are several species of sawflies that attack pines in Pennsylvania including the redheaded pine sawfly.
The rhododendron borer is one of the smallest clearwing borers found in Pennsylvania.
Twenty-eight lace bug species have been recorded in Pennsylvania, but only a few are key pests of ornamental evergreen plants...
The rhododendron tip midge is a light-brown, 1.25-mm-long fly.
Unfortunately, the numerous insects and related pests that attack roses can make growing them "interesting," if not outright challenging.
The rose midge, Dasineura rhodophaga (Coquillett, 1900), is an uncommon but damaging pest of roses.
This insect has a global distribution, and is commonly seen on Rosa and Rubus.
Spider mites are tiny 8 legged animals closely related to spiders. Several kinds are important pests of ornamental trees, shrubs...
The common roseslug, Endelomyia aethiops, can be found skeletonizing rose leaves in late spring and early summer.
This species was intercepted 131 times at U. S. ports-of-entry between 1995 and 2012, with specimens originating from Brazil, China,...
The female adult is about 0.38 mm long and resembles a small spider.
Spider mites are not insects, and are more closely related to spiders.
The aphid produces raised ribs or "corrugations" on the upper leaf surface that match deep furrows between the veins on...
This pest is most commonly recognized when the nymphs make the bubbly spittle masses on small branches of conifers.
Lycorma delicatula, commonly known as the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), is a new invasive insect that has spread throughout southeastern Pennsylvania...
This scale is small and is often clustered in-groups of 3 to 8 at the base of new shoots. Their...
The eastern spruce gall adelgid is a key pest of Norway spruce in northeastern United States.
The Spruce Spider Mite is considered one of the most destructive spider mites in the United States.
Lace bugs are exclusively plant feeders. The most common species occur on the foliage of trees and shrubs.
A small soft bodied insect covered with fine whitish wax, similar in appearance to soft scale.
Thrips, order Thysanoptera, are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings.
The tuliptree scale is one of the largest soft scale insects in the United States.
The two-spotted spider mite has been reported infesting over 200 species of plants. This mite can be found on deciduous...
The twolined chestnut borer, Agrilus bilineatus (Weber), belongs to the beetle family Buprestidae.
This pest has the potential to become a serious problem in nurseries and landscapes in Pennsylvania.
White pine sheath mite, Setoptus strobacus Keifer, can be found in the needle sheath and on the needles of eastern...
The white pine weevil is considered the most destructive insect pest of eastern white pine in North America.
What was formerly considered to be a single species of scale known as the white peach scale, has been determined...
Whiteflies are white insects with pale yellow bodies that are approximately 2 mm long.
These sap-sucking insects cover themselves with waxy filaments to deter predators.
English ivy, Hedera helix is an evergreen groundcover and climbing vine hardy in the Philadelphia area. Long utilized as a ground cover, the...
The Arboretum at Laurel Hill is collaborating with Cornell University to grow hybrid oak trees at their cemetery in Bala Cynwyd.
The project was...
Oak Wilt
Oak wilt has always been one of those diseases that we were happy to not have to deal with. We were aware...