Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Washington State University

WSU Snohomish County Extension office has moved!

Our office is now located in the Snohomish County Parks & Recreation Administration Office at Willis Tucker Park, 6705 Puget Park Drive, Snohomish, 98296.

Bugs and Blights

(425) 338-2400

BUGS & BLIGHTS NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

 


Introducing the online archive for “Bugs & Blights” newsletters: Timely pests and diseases of nurseries, yards and landscapes in Snohomish County, written by Extension Educator, Sharon J. Collman (Retired).

January

  • B&B 2011 January (pdf)
    • Description: Unexpected freeze and related symptoms – Lack of leaf drop, later leafing, thinner foliage, root and branch die-back, shriveled and damaged leaves, blossom delay, split bark.
  • B&B 2013 January (pdf)
    • Organizing Bugs & Blights info at home, and identifying varieties of stink bugs (brown marmorated vs. local).
  • B&B 2014 January Pioneer Awards (pdf)
    • Description: “Honoring Innovation and Enduring Contributions within the Green Industry” – Recipient/Extension Educator: Sharon J. Collman
  • B&B 2014 January (pdf)
    • Description: Exploring different types of pine tree damage, whether disease, insect or stress.
  • B&B 2014 January (pdf)
    • Description: Pesticide Licensing, IPM classes, tent caterpillars, diagnostic books, yellowing lawns, and spruce aphids.
  • B&B 2015 January (pdf)
    • Description: Winter insects and related issues – Tent caterpillars, crane flies, yellowing lawns, and spruce aphids.

 


February

  • B&B 2013 February (pdf)
    • Description: Insects of late winter/early spring – Weevils, pollinators and springtails.
  • B&B 2014 February (pdf)
    • Description: Effects of winter temperature fluctuations on insects and pests – tent caterpillars, slugs, snails, hemlock wooly adelgid, fleas, and flies.

 


March

  • B&B 2012 March (pdf)
    • Description: Stormwater pollution, hellebore leaf spot, bergenia leaf spot, and a brief introduction of WSU Extension Agent Don Tapio and his gardening advice newspaper column/book.
  • B&B 2013 March (pdf)
    • Description: The landscape professional’s role in attracting pollinators.
  • B&B 2014 March (pdf)
    • Description: Basic insect groups and how to identify them – Spiders, termites, stink bugs, and beetles.
  • B&B 2016 March (pdf)
    • Description: Target the pest, protect the rest! – European crane fly and European chafer.

 


April

  • B&B 2008 April (pdf)
    • Description: The initial edition of the online “Bugs and Blights” newsletter, with information/links on season appropriate content – Tent caterpillars, apple ermine moth, cherry brown rot, blossom blight, fruit rot and their hosts.
  • B&B 2010 April (pdf)
    • Description: Why fruit trees fail to bear fruit – Lack of pollination, spotted wing drosophila, apple anthracnose, tent caterpillars covered. Brown rot of stone fruits and WSU Snohomish County Extension website for pest and garden resources.
  • B&B 2012 April (pdf)
    • Description: Spring and wet weather issues – Cherry laurel shot-hole, yellowing lawns, lecanium scales, and rust on roses.
  • B&B 2013 April (pdf)
    • Description: Resources for science backed Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and pesticide information for the home gardener as well as professionals. Includes brief descriptions of each resource.
  • B&B 2014 April (pdf)
    • Description: Target the pest, protect the rest! – Red lily leaf beetle, tent caterpillars, freeze damage, pesticide cautions, blueberry bud stages.
  • B&B 2015 April (pdf)
    • Description: Currant sawflies, lily leaf beetles, coral spot, European chafer, rust on roses, and sequoia pitch moth.

 


May

  • B&B 2010 May (pdf)
    • Description: Fruit related issues: Green apple aphids, rosy apple aphid, lecanium scale, spotted wing drosophila, apple leaf curling midge, black cherry aphids, beneficial insects, and apple scab.
  • B&B 2010B May (pdf)
    • Description: Brown rot on flowering plum, quince, almond, cherry and apple. Three types of spring tent caterpillars – silver-spotted tiger moth, western tent caterpillars, and apple ermine moth. Brief description of WSU website Hortsense. Brief biography of emeritus faculty (as of July 2017) Sharon Collman.
  • B&B 2012 May (pdf)
    • Description: Beneficial insects: millipedes, banded alder borer, bumblebee, soldier beetle, daddy long-legs, parasitic wasps, true bugs, and fireless firefly.
  • B&B 2014 May (pdf)
    • Description: Lily leaf beetles, tent caterpillars, viburnum leaf beetle, cutworms, natural pesticides & Insect, Weed and Plant Disease Handbook (publications).
  • B&B 2020 May 03 (pdf)
    • Description: Elderberry borer beetle, Ellychnia beetle, root-weevil larva, imported currantworm eggs & larva (sawfly), yellow rust on raspberries, burr knot on apple. Includes relevant links to factsheets on these pests from Hortsense (WSU), Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Handbook, and Bugs & Blights (Sharon Collman).
  • B&B 2020 May 15 (pdf)
    • Description: Carpenter ants (winged, worker, queen), hemlock woolly adelgid, balsam woolly adelgid, apple anthracnose, alder flea beetles, azalea sawfly, daylily gall midge. Includes relevant links from Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Handbook, Pacific Northwest Insect Management Handbook, American Daylily Society, WSU Research Libraries (Extension Bulletin), USDA Forestry Service (Forest and Insect Disease Leaflet).

 


June

  • B&B 2012 June (pdf)
    • Description: Sawflies, new and native species – Dogwood sawfly, azalea sawfly, pear or cherry slug, willow sawflies, and currantworm.
  • B&B 2013 June (pdf)
    • Description: Pear and cherry slugs, lorquin’s admiral, azalea sawfly, ASyrphid fly. (All references in this article to hortsense should be redirected to the updated site: hortsense.wsu.edu)
  • B&B 2013 June 13 (pdf)
    • Description: Mountain ash sawfly and management options, including pruning, manual removal and pesticides. Black vine weevil.
  • B&B 2014 June (pdf)
    • Description: Azalea sawfly, hemlock wooly adelgid, lacewing, stinkbugs, and white rust.
  • B&B 2015 June (pdf)
    • Description: Lace bugs, azalea lace bug.
  • BB 2020 June 1 (pdf)
    • Corepsis beetle (tickseed beetle) adult & eggs, ladybeetle stages, sequoia pitch moth, cinnabar moth and rose rust. Includes links to relevant publications or descriptions from University of California, University of Oregon, Washington State University, Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Handbook, and Wikipedia.
  • B&B 2020 June 15 (pdf)
    • Description: Cold damage to vegetable starts, Sirococcus blight on conifers, garden symphyla, wireworms (click beetle larva), downy mildew vs. powdery mildew, identifying hail damage, European chafer (larvae and adult beetle). Includes relevant links to publications, images and descriptions from Gardening in Washington State (WSU), Pest Alerts (WSU), University of Minnesota Extension, Wikipedia, Planet Natural, and Forestry Images.

 


July

  • B&B 2011 July (pdf)
    • Description: Heuchera rust, potato flea beetles, sawfly stages (focusing on currant sawfly), and related damage.
  • B&B 2012 July (pdf)
    • Description: Mountain ash sawfly, white rust on Lunaria (common name: money plant), narcissus bulb fly, lacewing larvae, and slugs.
  • B&B 2013 July (pdf)
    • Description: Flea beetle and leaf beetle larvae, otherwise known as rose slugs (rose slug, bristly rose slug, curled rose slug, leaf beetle instars), pear-leaf roll midge and related damage.
  • B&B 2014 July (pdf)
    • Description: Target the pest, protect the rest! – Pesticide storage, squirrel damage, cottony camellia scale, and lady beetle/ladybug larvae.

 


August

  • B&B 2010 August (pdf)
    • Description: Sirococcus shoot blight, apple leaf curl midge, green alder sawfly, woods weevil complex, and WSDA Pesticide License study materials (publications).
  • B&B 2011 August (pdf)
    • Description: Fruit drop, lack of pollination, cold temperatures and information about the Pacific Northwest Insect Management Handbook.
  • B&B 2012 August (pdf)
    • Description: Red lily leaf beetle, fall webworm, columbine sawfly, pesticide usage/label laws and Bugs & Blights blog.
  • B&B 2014 August (pdf)
    • Description: Target the pest, protect the rest! – Bees vs. Wasps and pesticides.

 


September

  • B&B 2012 September (pdf)
    • Description: Graft incompatibility, columbine sawfly, sapsucker (woodpecker) damage to trees, and information on the Snohomish County WSU Extension program Growing Groceries, which teaches gardening methods to those wanting to start community, food bank or family gardens.
  • B&B 2015 September (pdf)
    • Description: Drought stress symptoms in plants, and amending soil for better water absorption.

October

  • B&B 1985 October (pdf)
    • Description: Pests of Apple Fruit: Apple scab, bull’s eye rot, russetting, apple maggot, San Jose scale, coddling moth, rosy apple aphid, bitter rot, apple anthracnose, pandemis leaf roller, leaf rollers & cutworms, bird injury and fruit drop. Learn the differences between and symptoms of these apple problems.
  • B&B 2010 October (pdf)
    • Description: The symbiotic relationship between yellow-jacket nests and carpet beetles. Information on yellow-jackets, bald-faced hornets, paper wasps, mud daubers, differences in nests and bed bugs.
  • B&B 2011 October (pdf)
    • Description: Household nuisance insects: fruit flies, slugs. Late blight,
  • B&B 2012 October (pdf)
    • Description: A primer on slugs and snails: Learn basics on their biology and behavior, where to find them and information on bait.
  • B&B 2013 October (pdf)
    • Description: Expanding on the purpose of Bugs & Blights: information resulting in correct diagnosis leading to resources that provide safe and effective monitoring and management options, potentially reducing unnecessary pesticide applications and decreasing the resulting damage to our waters, pollinators, and environment. Pest management resources: Gardening in Washington website, PestSightings, PNW Insect Management Handbook, and PNW Plant Disease Management Handbook.
  • B&B 2014 October (pdf)
    • Description: Stink bugs: Wanted and unwanted. Western conifer seed bugs.
  • B&B 2015 October (pdf)
    • Description: Stink bugs: brown marmorated and native species. Boxelder bugs, grass weevils, and banded wooly bear caterpillars.

 


November

  • B&B 2013 November (pdf)
    • Description: Preventing and reducing Spring appearing plant disease in Fall. Mushrooms and conks, disease leaves and flowers, and the effect of fallen fruit, twigs, branches and trunks on plant disease as well as control methods.
  • B&B 2015 November (pdf)
    • Description: Common landscape insects: European chafer, Japanese beetle, brown marmorated stink bug, and western conifer seed bug.

 


December

  • B&B 2010 December (pdf)
    • Description: Winter pests in the orchard: tent caterpillars, aphids, lecanium scale, oystershell scales, and San Jose scale.