Re: lonicera vines and botrytis

Joan:

Regarding the problem you are having with your honeysuckle:

At this point, the most important thing you can do is to make sure
of what the problem is.  I don't know where you live, so I cannot
give specifics.  Most states in the US and provinces in Canada have
extension agents in each county that can be contacted for help.  If
they cannot provide a diagnosis, they have resource people at a
university.  There is often a charge for this service, ranging from
$0 to $25, depending on the place and problem, but you must
determine what the problem is before you can effectively deal with
it.  Another place to obtain help is a nursery or garden center. 
People there are often aware of what the most common problems are
and how to deal with them.  However, they are usually not pest
diagnosis professionals and mistaken diagnoses are fairly common in
my experience; you would need to get a feel for what they know
before you put too much stock in their information.

The most common pest on honeysuckle (Lonicera) is the honeysuckle
aphid, and the description you gave could fit damage caused by this
aphid.  It causes curled leaves that may turn dark later on,
especially in the fall and on into the winter.  On most
honeysuckles, they cause a cluster of short twigs on the ends of
branches.  The insects are often difficult to find, so diagnosis is
usually based on the symptoms.

The other most common problem in my area is honeysuckle blight, 
caused by a fungus called Insolibasidium deformans.

There are treatments for each of these problems, but they must be 
designed specifically for the pest.

Good luck,

Jim



James Walla
Plant Pathology Dept.
North Dakota State Univ.
Fargo, ND 58105
Phone: 701-231-7069   FAX: 701-231-7851
E-mail: walla@badlands.nodak.edu    webpage: www.ndsu.nodak.edu/instruct/walla/

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