In years past, the European corn borer was the most important pest of sweet corn, as well as being a pest of peppers and other vegetables. Since the advent of Bt field corn, the overall population of corn borers has been dramatically suppressed, so far that we often forget about it being a pest of[Read More…]
Corn
We are again seeing a lull in pheromone trap catches of corn earworms. However, I caution sweet corn growers to remain vigilant in checking their traps. Populations can increase rapidly, especially if carried north on storm fronts from the Gulf Coast. It is also important to watch the development of the field corn around your[Read More…]
Pinney Purdue Vegetable Field Day and Sweet Corn Sampler. Thursday, August 13, 2015. 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. CDT. Pinney Purdue Ag Center, 11402 S. County Line Rd., Wanatah, IN. Plot tours include soil health management and disease suppressive soils, tomatoes and peppers in high tunnels, and sweet corn varieties. To register, contact Lori Jolly-Brown,[Read More…]
After a brief lull in pheromone trap catches, we have resumed catching earworm moths all around the state. Although most of the counts are relatively low (less than 10 per night), remember that for early planted sweet corn that silks before the neighboring field corn silks, the threshold for treatment is 1 moth per night.[Read More…]
2015 marks the 40th year of my career as an entomologist and I still am surprised on a regular basis by how insects behave. I put out a corn earworm pheromone trap on May 14 and immediately caught 7 moths that night. Over the next three nights, I caught 36 moths. Typically, the few earworms[Read More…]
The cool, wet weather we have been having is perfect for the root and seed maggots in early planted vegetables. I have already received calls about onion maggots. If you are planting early vegetables, check out the article in the March 17, 2015, issue of the Hotline for 2015. So, how do we define early[Read More…]
One way insects communicate with individuals of the same species is with pheromones. Pheromones are volatile chemicals released by an insect that usually can be detected only by individuals of the same species. There are a number of different types of pheromones, but the most common type is the sex pheromone. Usually the females will[Read More…]
Three species of seed and root maggots attack vegetables in Indiana. The seedcorn maggot feeds on seeds and seedlings of sweet corn, cucurbits, lima and snap beans, peas, and other crops. Cabbage maggots can cause serious damage to transplants of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts and make the fleshy roots of radishes, turnips, and[Read More…]