New Pest for the State of Kansas
by Neil Cates, Livestock Production Agent
Two weeks ago, I received a call about elm trees having significant insect damage from a Mitchell County resident. My first suspicion was the elm leaf beetle which is fairly common. Once I examined the trees however, I was able to quickly rule out the elm leaf beetle, leaving me stumped as to what the cause of the damage could be. Since my focus area is livestock I by no means am an expert on insects, but my insect knowledge has increased significantly the past couple of months. Every elm tree on the place was affected. The leaves look like they had been blasted with a shotgun. I noticed that on every tree as well, there were little flea like bugs jumping everywhere, and decided that they were the cause of the damage, not knowing what kind of an insect they were. I collected a sample, and sent them to the diagnostic lab.
The European elm flea weevil, was first identified in the northeastern United States in the early 1980s. The bugs are tiny, (flea size) and are brown with black spots, with a snout and long legs that are detectable under a magnifying glass. They leap around like fleas.
The damage caused will not kill the tree, only make it unattractive. They are mainly found on Siberian elms, but can appear on Chinese, American, hybrid and lacebark elms as well. The weevils feed in May and June.
Treatments for the elm leaf beetle are also effective on the European elm flea weevil. Control is primarily directed against the adults. Sprays of acephate (Orthene), imidacloprid (Merit), bifenthrin (Onyx, Talstar), or carbaryl (Sevin) should provide control. However, controlling the pest is probably not economical since it only causes cosmetic damage and doesn't threaten the life of the tree.
The purpose of this blog is not to alarm you of a new pest, simply to make you aware of it. Has anybody else noticed this pest in their elm trees?
