Life Sciences Commons^™

Sp277-F-Azalea Leaf And Flower Gall, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Leaf and flower galls are commonly found on many flowering woody hosts, most often on azalea and camellia. This disease occurs on plants in the Ericaceae or heath family, as well as on some species in the Empetraceae, Lauraceae, Symplocaceae and Theaceae families; including andromeda, arbutus, azalea, blueberry, camellia, huckleberry, Labrador tea, leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), leucothoe, kalmia (mountain laurel) and rhododendron. Azalea leaf and flower gall, caused by the fungus Exobasidium vaccinii can occur on woody ornamentals growing outdoors in landscape plantings and in greenhouses. Disease is more common on plants growing in humid, sheltered areas with little …

Sp341-T-Mud Daubers And Cicada Killers, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Insects, Pests, Plant Diseases and Weeds

Mud daubers, mud wasps and cicada killers may become a nuisance when they nest around homes and other structures where people live, work and play. In spite of their formidable appearance, these solitary wasps are not aggressive and controls are rarely needed.

Sp518 Gypsy Moth Management For Homeowners, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Forestry, Trees, and Timber

Soon, the gypsy moth will become a household word in Tennessee. This obnoxious new neighbor will be eating its way through our hardwood forests, leaving some forests bare.

The gypsy moth is an introduced exotic insect that defoliates hardwood trees, particularly oaks and hickories. Several successive defoliations by the gypsy moth may eventually kill the tree. The gypsy moth has the potential to decimate some older oak forests, similar to the effects of chestnut blight in the early 1900s. The moth was brought to Massachusetts from Europe in 1869 as part of a silk-making experiment. Some larvae escaped, and the …