Testing Biopesticides to Manage Crapemyrtle Bark Scale
Additional contributors to this article include: Dr. Rodrigo Diaz, Dr. Yan Chen, Dr. Blake Wilson, and Dr. Vinson Doyle. Current crapemyrtle bark scale management methods depend heavily on pesticides, which can have a negative impact on beneficial insects. Biopesticides, insecticides that are developed from live organisms, have shown potential for managing several pests and have low impact on non-target insects and other organisms. The objectives of this research were to determine (1) if biopesticides can be used as a management tool to suppress crapemyrtle bark scale in different seasons, and (2) effects towards beneficial lady beetles known to attack crapemyrtle bark scale. For those interested, here as some details as to how we designed our trial. Treatments were applied as a bark spray to potted plants or full-grown trees infested with crapemyrtle bark scale during winter, spring, and fall 2019. The fungal biopesticides Ancora® (Isaria fumosorosea strain PFR97) and BioCeres®…