Burkholder PHC Contributes to New Plant Health Care Discoveries and Achievements

Malvern, PA, February 03, 2024 –Burkholder PHC has recently been recognized for several notable Plant Health Care discoveries and occurrences. Starker Wright, manager of Burkholder PHC, has been directly involved in the following:

Rescue treatment for eriophyid/rust mite damage

Privet, rose, pear, spruce, and hemlock commonly show bronzing of foliage that has been attributed to tip/twig blights and foliar diseases, but fungicide treatments have not been effective in halting disease progression. In 2023, Burkholder PHC identified eriophyid/rust mites on affected plants (particularly privet and spruce), and treatment effects have been spectacular.

Formal identification (with Penn State Insect Identification Lab) of Philoeosinus canadensis

Philoeosinus canadensis is a tiny borer beetle that has killed stressed “Green Giant” arborvitae trees in the Main Line area for several years. This is the first identification of this beetle in Pennsylvania, more commonly found along the U.S.-Canadian border from Maine to Michigan. With identification, Burkholder PHC developed a management plan for high-risk arborvitae trees before the damage becomes irreversible.

Full-season management plan for roses

Roses can be a spectacular landscape plant but are among Main Line’s most pest-damage-prone plant groups and commonly become an eyesore by late spring. Slug sawflies, Japanese beetles, deer, rabbits, spider mites, rust mites, thrips, aphids, scale insects, and a wide range of plant diseases severely damage roses yearly. However, with attentive and specific management tactics, roses can be kept clean for the growing season, ensuring continuous blooming through fall.

Formal identification (with Penn State Insect Identification Lab) of Zeuzera pyrina

Burkholder PHC identified the Zeuzera pyrina (leopard moth) infesting and eventually killing landscape hybrid maples.