MSU Urban IPM Alerts

Commonly referred to as “the worm in my apple,” codling moths are the primary insect pest of apple and pear in Montana. The adult codling moth typically emerges during apple bloom across the state, which can help growers and homeowners time chemical controls.

There are several options for managing codling moth in backyard plantings. Chemical controls are applied after petal fall and should never be applied during bloom when risk to harming pollinators is high.

See the link to this printable fact sheet for more information (ADA Compliant):

https://ipm.montana.edu/documents/entomology/ent-fact-sheets-2020-2021/2021_insect_fact_sheet_codling_moth_final.pdf

With the warm and dry winter weather we have had over the past few months, the Schutter Diagnostic Lab has been receiving several samples of evergreen trees and shrubs with symptoms of winter injury. Winter kill or desiccation occurs when the amount of water lost by the foliage exceeds the amount picked up by the roots. Symptoms appear as browning/yellowing needles, sometimes affecting entire branches. 

See the attached fact sheet for more information.

It’s tick season and time to look out for ticks. The Forest Service also released a report about an increase in Colorado tick fever cases (vectored by the Rocky Mountain wood tick) last summer (2020) in the Lolo, Bitterroot, Beaverhead-Deerlodge, and Salmon-Challis National Forests.

See the attached fact sheets for more information on ticks in Montana and the report from the Forest Service.

(revised to include Forest Service report)

The invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, was confirmed for the first time in Montana on January 26, 2021 (from inside a home in Billings). We currently don’t know if it is established in Montana and what impact it might have on our crops and specialty crops across the state. Its detection in other states poses problems ranging from a nuisance to a severe agricultural pest. See the alert for further information.