CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 03/25/98

Spring Brings Azalea Lace Bugs Out of Hibernation

As another winter turns to spring, bears aren't the only things coming out of hibernation. Azalea lace bugs are waking up, too, and will soon damage prized azaleas if homeowners don't take action.

Azalea lace bugs are the main pests of landscape azaleas, say University of Georgia entomologists. The insect with the beautiful, lacy wings can cause ugly damage to azalea foliage.

Lace bugs feed on the underside of leaves and extract the contents of the upper layer of cells. This causes the azalea leaves to appear bleached or mottled.


Kris Braman, an entomologist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said early spring is the perfect time to check plants for azalea lace bugs. Controlling them now, while they're young, is the key, she said.

"The azalea lace bug spends the winter as an egg inside your azaleas' leaves," Braman said. "Now that the temperatures are warming, the eggs are beginning to hatch. And newly emerged nymphs are beginning to feed."

lacebug.GIF (43739 bytes)
Download the color .TIF -- 5.58 M.
Download the grayscale .TIF -- 1.40 M.

Braman said a properly scheduled insecticide application will get rid of these nymphs before they mature and have time to lay eggs.

"If you don't kill them before May, they will have laid eggs, and you'll have to spray several times," she said.

If not controlled, azalea lace bugs can produce four generations from spring to fall. "If you kill this first generation," she said, "you may not have to spray again."

UGA entomologists urge homeowners to use less toxic insecticides to save the good bugs in the landscape.

"Using less toxic insecticides allows you to conserve beneficial insects like the parasitic wasps and spiders that feed on lace bugs," Braman said.

"Horticultural oils and insecticidal soaps have been around a long time," she said. "People are using them more now. But you need to remember that these are strictly contact insecticides."

Contact insecticides must be sprayed on the insects. They work best on soft-bodied bugs like aphids and lace bugs.

"They have no residual activity on the leaves," Braman said, "So beneficial insects can walk on that leaf surface, after the fact, and not be killed. Good contact with lace bugs on the underside of the leaves is important for good control."

azalea.GIF (45607 bytes)
D ownload the color .TIF -- 6.54 M.
Download the grayscale .TIF -- 1.63 M		 If homeowners don't spray for azalea lace bugs, Braman said, young plants will suffer the most damage.

"In our research," she said, "we have observed that older plants, those that have been in the landscape for several years, can withstand more lace bug damage. They can tolerate some damage because they have well-established root systems and are not already under stress like a newly transplanted azalea."

Braman said this is one reason homeowners keep replacing young plants year after year.
"If you wait too long to spray, the nymphs will become egg-laying adults. And you will have to fight all stages of lace bugs," she said. "Unfortunately, the egg stage is not affected by insecticides."

Sharon Omahen is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Kris Braman
A Master Gardener with UGA Extension teaches a class at the GROWL Fulton County Demonstration and Teaching Garden. (Submitted photo) CAES News
Volunteers uplift statewide UGA Extension outreach programs 04/22/24 Sheri Dorn, Keri Gandy Hobbs
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension depends on thousands of volunteers who give generously to extend program impact and reach in support Extension missions. During Volunteer Appreciation Week April 21-28, UGA Extension celebrates the many volunteers who donate their time to facilitate 4-H, Master Gardener and Family and Consumer Sciences programming. Volunteers across Extension contributed over 324,200 hours in 2023, the equivalent of more than 155 full-time employees.
uga commencement CAES News
CAES to celebrate new graduates during May 9 convocation 04/18/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
As another academic year draws to a close, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is gearing up for its Athens campus convocation ceremony, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, at The Classic Center in Athens. “Each year, it’s an honor to celebrate the success of our CAES graduates,” said CAES Dean and Director Nick T. Place. “It’s amazing what these students accomplish during their time with us, and I’m always excited to commemorate this next step in their lives as they continue on to either further studies or the start of their careers.”
A student harvests red clover at UGArden. CAES News
UGA horticulture class shows students the science behind herbal remedies 04/16/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
The field of medicine is ever-changing, and the use of herbal medicines may play a bigger role in health care as the value of natural remedies gain recognition in the Western world. Students at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are delving into the field of medicinal remedies through the class “Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants.” Offered to undergraduate students through the Department of Horticulture, the class helps students develop a deeper understanding of the connection between nature and health.
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms CAES News
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms 04/15/24 David Mitchell
During the pandemic, labor problems became acute on many farms in Georgia and across the country. Farms once staffed by humans to bring produce from the field to stores for purchase were suddenly short-staffed, and the global supply chain was severely impacted. Working with UGA’s Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center and A&M Farms in Lyons, Georgia, a team of researchers led by School of Computing Professor Prashant Doshi is designing collaborative robots to mitigate some of these potential challenges.
2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate who went on to earn a master’s degree in 1982 and education specialist degree in 1984 from UGA’s College of Education. CAES News
Innovator, educator inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame 04/11/24 Maria M. Lameiras
An innovator in peanut breeding whose research revitalized an industry and an ardent champion of agricultural education were inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame at the 68th University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Association Awards in Athens. The 2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate.
Peach growers are looking forward to a fruitful season as the weather this winter and spring have been near-perfect for the sensitive crop. This year is projected to be a much-needed comeback from the disastrous season they experienced after a late freeze in March 2023 took out more than 90% of the state's crop. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA) CAES News
Growers hopeful 2024 peach season will rebound from disastrous 2023 04/10/24 Emily Cabrera
Last year, the peach industry lost $60 million due to the late freeze that hit much of the Southeast in mid-March 2023, said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for Peach and Taylor counties. With no freezing temperatures in the forecast and hope for strong pricing during the upcoming season, peach growers are looking forward to a much-needed rebound year.