Abstract
Crapemyrtle aphid [Sarucallis kahawaluokalani (Kirkaldy 1907)] (CMA) is an introduced pest of crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia spp. L.), which is among the most common ornamental tree genera in the southern United States. Native to Southeast Asia, CMA has become established on 5 other continents. CMAs produce honeydew as they feed which supports sooty mold growth and can result in leaf defoliation on infested trees. CMAs tend to be most abundant in crapemyrtles planted in locations with extensive surrounding impervious surface cover. A large community of generalist natural enemies are found in close association with CMA, which suggests that CMAs may help conserve natural enemy communities in urban areas. Due to the long-lasting blooms produced by crapemyrtle, and the attractiveness of these blooms to pollinators, insecticides should be used as a last resort to manage CMA infestations. While CMA is considered a specialist pest of crapemyrtle, it has been recorded on 3 species outside of the genus Lagerstroemia.The wide distribution of CMA, closely overlapping that of crapemyrtle, suggests that CMA can likely be found wherever crapemyrtles are commonly planted.
Original language | English |
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Article number | pmae003 |
Journal | Journal of Integrated Pest Management |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America.
Funding
We thank Steve Frank (North Carolina State University), Michael Just (US Army ERDC CERL), and 3 anonymous reviewers for providing feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript. We thank James Baker (North Carolina State University) for providing the photograph used in Fig. 2. This publication was supported by start-up funds provided to C.J.W. by the Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky. This publication was supported by start-up funds provided to C.J.W. by the Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky.
Funders | Funder number |
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James Baker | |
University of Kentucky | |
University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University | |
Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University |
Keywords
- crapemyrtle
- crapemyrtle aphid
- natural enemy
- urban tree
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agronomy and Crop Science
- Plant Science
- Insect Science
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law