Pennsylvania
Penn State experts weigh in on the threat posed by box tree moths
Identifying box tree moths
Most adult box tree moths are primarily white, with a border of brown along the edges of their wings. Around 5% are completely brown. Skvarla says they bear a slight resemblance to melonworm moths, which are native to North America, but are otherwise distinctive for our area.
By the time you’re noticing moths, however, the damage may already be done.
“The caterpillar stage is the most damaging stage,” Skvarla said. “It’s the almost mature caterpillars that are doing the majority of feeding. It can kill boxwoods quickly. There are some reports that boxwoods will die within a year of heavy feeding. Part of the problem is the caterpillars, especially in heavy infestations, will strip all of the leaves off of the boxwood. Once they strip the leaves, if they’re still hungry, they’ll start chewing on the bark.”
Boxwoods may be able to recover from damage to their leaves, but once the caterpillars start stripping the bark, entire branches can die off — which can mean death for the plants.
“Even if they do recover, the shape of the bush is often lost,” Skvarla said. “So there goes the aesthetic value of having them in ornamental planting.”
The caterpillars are lime green with yellow, white and black stripes running along each side.
But the easiest way to identify them, Skvarla says, may be simply to keep an eye on your boxwoods.
“There are no other caterpillar pests on boxwood in North America,” Skvarla said. “So if you find a caterpillar on boxwoods, it’s a pretty good guess that it’s going to be a box tree moth.”
Dealing with box tree moths
Unlike with spotted lanternflies, Skvarla doesn’t recommend stomping any and all caterpillars or moths that you think might be box trees.
“Most times, private homeowners are going to be aware of infestations because of the damage they see to their boxwoods, not because of the moths that they’re seeing flying around,” he said. “So if your boxwood is really damaged, that’s the time to start going, ‘Well, maybe this is a box tree moth. I should look further, look for caterpillars, maybe look for moths.’”
The first step for anyone who suspects they might have an infestation is to monitor their boxwoods, says Patricia Prade, an entomologist with Penn State Extension who specializes in controlling pests and invasive species.
“You need to know if you have this insect,” Prade said. “So you need to constantly check if you see any larvae.”
One way to confirm whether or not you have an infestation is to purchase pheromone traps geared specifically toward box tree moths.
Prade says there are a few options for curbing box tree moths. Her first suggestion is to simply pluck them off, or trim away the infested areas.
“If you’re a homeowner, for example, and you see some caterpillars, you can handpick them and kill them easily,” she said. “It can be challenging if you have a lot of plants infested, but if you have just a couple, you can cut a branch or something like that. That’s very targeted, right? It’s a very good way to control them fast and not to just spray chemicals on the environment.”
Because box tree moths are so new, Prade says, studies are still being done to find out what chemicals are most effective against them while being the least damaging to other life. In the meantime, she says, homeowners can seek out pesticides targeted toward caterpillars, which are likely to kill box tree moths.
MIFFLIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — Thousands of people gathered to watch one of the world’s largest operating steam locomotive make several stops in Pennsylvania.
Union Pacific’s “Big Boy” No. 4014 made stops in Lebanon, Lewistown, Pittston, Rockville, among other locations.
CBS 21 Meteorologist and Chief Drone Pilot Ed Russo captured video during its stops in central Pennsylvania.
MORE | Big Boy steam locomotive draws massive crowd in Lebanon
Pennsylvania
Here’s how to see Big Boy, the world’s largest steam locomotive, in western Pennsylvania
The historic Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, is rolling through western Pennsylvania on Saturday, ending with a stop in Leetsdale.
Called the “Elvis Presley” of steam locomotives, the legendary Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 has been crossing the country to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. It celebrated the Fourth of July in Philadelphia, and now it’s coming back through the Pittsburgh area before making its way back home west.
Where will Big Boy stop in Western Pennsylvania?
Big Boy will stop in Leetsdale on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. Before then, it will roll through multiple other communities.
According to both Union Pacific and train experts KDKA consulted with, the tentative Saturday, July 11, schedule is as follows:
- 9 a.m. – Leaves Altoona
- 9:30 a.m.-10 a.m. – Stop at Horseshoe Curve National Historic Site
- 10:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m. – Stop in Cresson, Pennsylvania
- About 1:30 p.m. – Roll through Derry, Pennsylvania
- About 1:35 p.m. – Roll through Bradenville, Pennsylvania
- About 1:45 p.m. – Roll through Latrobe, Pennsylvania
- About 2:15 p.m. – Roll through Greensburg, Pennsylvania
- About 2:35 p.m. – Roll through Jeannette, Pennsylvania
- Time TBD – Roll through South Side Flats/Station Square along the Monongahela River. Big Boy will cross the Ohio River on the bridge over Brunot Island.
- 6:15 p.m.-6:45 p.m. – Stop in Leetsdale, Pennsylvania. From the Borough of Leetsdale: the viewing location for Big Boy will be at Ferry Street Railroad Crossing near the Subway.
Other times and locations for roll-throughs have not been determined yet.
And while Union Pacific wants everyone to come out and see the Big Boy, they want everyone to be safe. They’re reminding people to stay 25 feet off the tracks and never cross or put anything on the tracks, especially when the Big Boy is rolling through.
What is Big Boy No. 4014?
Built in 1941 to haul massive military and freight loads over the Wasatch Mountains during World War II, the Big Boy was one of just 25 locomotives ever built.
“It is just an astounding piece of machinery,” Ian Luconti from Friendship, Pennsylvania, said while seeing Big Boy in Altoona. “I don’t know how somebody could wake up one day and say, ‘I’m going to build a steam engine.’ I just wanted to come and see it. It’s historic, there’s only a couple of them in the world that I know of.”
Today, only eight others survive on display across the country. But after a years-long restoration led by engineer Ed Dickens and his crew, Big Boy No. 4014 is the only one still under steam and operating on America’s rails.
“It brings people together,” Dickens said. “It brings communities together, it brings everyone together, and it’s brought our companies together in a way that is necessary to do this and it is a lot to pull off.”
And just how big is the Big Boy? It carries about 25,000 gallons of water, weighs roughly 1.2 million pounds, and stretches 133 feet from end to end — nearly 60 feet longer than a typical diesel locomotive, making it the largest operating steam locomotive in the world.
As part of America’s 250th anniversary, Big Boy No. 4014 has been on a coast-to-coast tour, crossing the Mississippi River and into the Ohio Valley for the first time since it was built in New York in 1941. Thousands of people gathered to watch it in Erie County when it came to Pennsylvania for the first time.
“I think I can speak for all of us: it’s a trip of a lifetime,” said Dickens. “And we are people that are accustomed to seeing large crowds turning out for the Big Boy. The crowds turning out for this locomotive are in the millions. And it’s just mile after mile of this heartwarming emotion that is just beautiful to see.”
Pennsylvania
Man arrested over alleged antisemitic threats to Gov. Josh Shapiro | The Jerusalem Post
Richard John Franklin, 65, had reportedly visited the district office to seek assistance with paying outstanding taxes.
While being helped by a staff member, he began using antisemitic slurs directed at Governor Shapiro and threatened to commit arson at the governor’s mansion, police stated.
After making these threats, state troopers from the Political Violence Threat Unit met with Franklin at his home later that day, where he provided inconsistent accounts of the incident at the district office, CBS News reported.
According to the police report, Franklin admitted to using an antisemitic slur and claimed that his statements about burning the governor’s mansion were ‘sympathetic’ and ‘positive in nature’ because the Governor and his family had previously survived an arson attack.
Franklin was taken into custody and charged with terrorist threats, ethnic intimidation, harassment, and disorderly conduct.
He was taken to Pennsylvania’s Delaware County Prison after he was unable to post $100,000 bail, and scheduled for a preliminary hearing next week, according to CBS News.
Shapiro and his family had previously survived an arson attack last year while celebrating Passover.
Their residence was set on fire overnight, prompting the family’s evacuation.
This previous attack was reportedly motivated by Shapiro’s perceived stance on Palestine.
The attacker, Cody Balmer, called 911 shortly after the incident occurred early on a Sunday morning, identifying himself and telling the operators that Shapiro needed to know he “will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” according to the police search warrant.
Reuters and the Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
-
Nevada3 minutes agoNevada climber dies after fall while climbing in Oregon
-
New Hampshire6 minutes agoMan From Northwood Arrested On Driving Under The Influence Charge: Concord Police Log
-
New Jersey7 minutes agoNJ firefighter dies after crash responding to fire call
-
New Mexico18 minutes agoIsolated storm chances continue for parts of New Mexico this weekend
-
North Carolina21 minutes agoA 4-year-old boy’s simple habit of waving to his neighbors transformed his North Carolina community
-
North Dakota26 minutes agoWest Fargo attorney named to North Dakota Ethics Commission
-
Ohio33 minutes agoStruggling Ohio county seeks funds to care for 16 kids rescued from squalor and prosecute their family
-
Oklahoma36 minutes agoMartha Lillard, last US polio patient using iron lung, dies at 78 in Oklahoma
