University of Illinois Home Yard and Garden newsletter is a great way to stay up on Illinois weed, disease and insect problems and management guidance.  With the below link you can sign up for direct emails notifications as well.

Issue no. 9 of the Home, Yard & Garden Newsletter is now available on the Web. Point your browser to:

http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu


IN THIS ISSUE:

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White grubs
http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=1098

White grub is a common name for the larvae of June beetles, chafers and Japanese beetles that feed on the roots of turfgrass.  The grubs can be found in the first 8 inches of soil beneath turfgrass.  They are white, C-shaped larvae, about 1 inch long and have 6 jointed legs attached close to their small brown head capsule.  Excessive root feeding by white grubs can leave turfgrass poorly anchored to the soil and can result in brown patches in a lawn that can be pulled back like a rug.  This can impact the aesthetics of a lawn and, in some cases, can make sports fields less safe for children and athletes.

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Nimblewill Noticeable During Hot Dry Conditions
http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=1099

There have been a few recent calls about nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi).  With the hot, dry conditions we have had  lately, our cool-season turfgrass growth has slowed, making warm-season  nimblewill growth more noticeable.  While  cool-season turfgrasses are dormant, nimblewill is actively growing and  enjoying the lack of competition.  This  unbalance can allow nimblewill to be a serious weed problem.

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Fire Blight
http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=1100

I have received a few reports and questions regarding fire  blight on ornamental pears. Fire blight is a bacterial disease that infects  approximately 75 different species of plants, all in the Rosaceae family. Apples,  pears, crabapples, and ornamental pears are the most seriously affected  species. Other rosaceous hosts include cotoneaster, hawthorn, quince,  firethorn, and mountain-ash.

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Bacterial Leaf  Scorch – New Molecular Service Available
http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=1101

It’s the time of the year that we start seeing bacterial  leaf scorch symptoms develop in central Illinois, and several samples have been  submitted that appear to be infected in the last few weeks. We are now offering  a molecular test for this pathogen, which will reduce the turnaround time, and  because it’s more sensitive than the previous ELISA test, ca be used any time  during the growing season when symptoms appear.
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Mike