Have you taken a close look at pumpkin or squash fields recently? In June and early July, pumpkin plantings at Pinney Purdue Ag Center in Northwest Indiana, the following insects were observed this week. See the Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for management recommendations. Squash Bee Squash bees collecting nectar from a female pumpkin flower. These…Read more about Pumpkin Insect Observations[Read More]
Insect and Mite Management
During a recent farm visit, I encountered one of the worst two-spotted spider mite infestations I’ve seen in a high tunnel tomato crop. Photos sent by the producer prior to the visit indicated that spider mites were undoubtedly the issue, but the extent to which the mite population had exploded was shocking. Nearly all plants…Read more about Two-spotted Spider Mites in High Tunnel Tomatoes: Know Your Pest[Read More]
We have experienced several cool days over the past two weeks. One watermelon trial at Southwest Purdue Ag Center was planted on May 4, and during the two days following transplanting, recorded air temperatures dropped below 50°F. We evaluated plant survival 9 days after transplanting. In this trial, we had grafted and non-grafted seedless watermelons…Read more about Watermelon Plant Survival[Read More]
The 2026 Northwest Indiana Vegetable Farmer Workshop will be held on February 2, 2026, 1:00 – 4:00 PM Central Time at the Porter County Public Library, 103 Jefferson Street, Valparaiso, IN. Save the date and register now! Register: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9vILKOLOj3T7nDw. PARP and CCH credits expected. Payments for PARP credits should be made in advance by mailing a…Read more about 2026 Northwest Indiana Vegetable Farmer Workshop[Read More]
Corn Earworm https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/veg/cornearworm/ Our dent corn is through with pollination, leaving only our late plantings of sweet corn as a resource for the abundant moths in the landscape. Our thresholds are back down to 1 moth per night AND green silk on the plant to trigger a pesticide application. Did you know that corn earworm…Read more about Insect Trapping Updates[Read More]
Squash Vine Borer https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/veg/squash-vine-borer/ The number of participants reporting trap catches has declined dramatically. Clinton, Allen, and Henry Counties are consistently reporting 1-4 moths per night. It seems that these populations didn’t get the memo that they are supposed to coordinate their mating during one concentrated time point in the summer. Regardless, at this…Read more about Insect Trapping Updates[Read More]
If you are a high tunnel tomato grower, you may have encountered small, blotchy leaf mines (Figure 1) or tiny brown mottled moths (Figure 2) on your plants in the past few years. These tiny pests are the tomato pinworm, Keiferia lycopersicella (family Gelechiidae). They should not be confused with the leaf mining fly, Liromyza…Read more about Insect Spotlight: Tomato Pinworm[Read More]
A familiar and dreaded sight of any home gardener is to find their rose bushes in a state of disrepair. Leaves skeletonized, flowers destroyed, and the remains crawling with iridescent green and brown beetles. This is the result of a Japanese beetle infestation. Japanese beetles were introduced to the United States around the turn of…Read more about Insect Spotlight: Japanese Beetles[Read More]
Squash Vine Borer More information available at https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/veg/squash-vine-borer/ For those trappers who are currently reporting, we can see that our first generation of active adult moths is declining. Corn Earworm More information available at https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/veg/cornearworm/ Montgomery County is still holding the record (La Porte did get the closest), but counts have dropped dramatically. We are…Read more about Insect Trapping Updates[Read More]
If you haven’t had the pleasure, please allow me to introduce you to the Harlequin bug, Murgantia histronica (Figure 1). This true bug (Order Hemiptera) is equipped with piercing-sucking mouthparts and has a preference for feeding on brassica crops. Unfortunately for us, their feeding results in white blotches on the leaf tissues (Figure 2), and…Read more about Insect Spotlight: Meet the Harlequin Bug![Read More]