I caught my first earworm (Figure 1) moth in a pheromone trap last week. Earworms are very polyphagous, meaning they will eat lots of different plants. I suspect that any females that are flying are laying their eggs on wild plants of some sort and not on the seedling stage sweet corn or dent corn that[Read More…]
Insect and Mite Management
The cool, wet weather we are experiencing is perfect for the root and seed maggots, namely cabbage maggot, onion maggot, and seedcorn maggot. One way of avoiding damage from these pests is to wait until the soils warm up to 70o F before planting, but that is not always possible. The use of row covers[Read More…]
Three species of seed and root maggots attack vegetables in Indiana. The seedcorn maggot (Figure 1) feeds on seeds and seedlings of sweetcorn, 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,[Read More…]
In recent years, many seed companies have begun using the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam (FarMore) as a seed treatment on cucurbit and other vegetable seeds. Thiamethoxam is a systemic insecticide that moves from the seed coat into the seedling and then moves throughout the plant. Research has shown that these seed treatments provide about 3 weeks[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…]
Catches of corn earworm moths in pheromone traps are gradually increasing. I had 18 in my trap this morning (August 18). The gradual increase is indicative of the local population emerging. We can expect them to continue to gradually increase for most of the remainder of the season. What we have not had is the[Read More…]
We have received a number of reports of outbreaks of spider mites, primarily in watermelons and in high tunnels. The problems in high tunnels are not unexpected because one of the primary causes of mortality in mite populations is rainfall washing them off the plants and, of course, that is lacking completely in high tunnels.[Read More…]
Pheromone trap catches for corn earworms continue to be very low. Again, this is a time when growers can save a lot of money and time by monitoring their pheromone traps and not spraying. I harvested untreated sweet corn on Friday, July 31, and had over 98% clean ears and the few that were damaged[Read More…]
Fall armyworms have completed their annual trek from the Gulf Coast to the Midwest. Fall armyworm larvae will feed on all aboveground parts of the sweet corn plant, during all stages of growth. The damage to the foliage is much more severe than with European corn borer. Larvae will feed from within the whorl of[Read More…]
I have seen more green stink bugs this year than at any time in my career. I have no logical explanation for their abundance. It was thought that as the invasive brown marmorated stink bug became established, it might outcompete the native stink bugs such as the green stink bug, causing numbers to decrease. However,[Read More…]