A field day will be held on July 9 to share with the public the various research activities at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center in Vincennes, IN. The day will start at 7:30 A.M. with a health fair. Registration starts at 8:30 A.M. Presentation topics include: managing cucumber beetles while protecting bees, production of vegetables[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…]
Striped cucumber beetles are emerging from their overwintering habitat in southern Indiana. This pest can damage cucurbit crops in several ways. One that I saw this week is that they can kill young transplants by their direct feeding. Of more critical concern usually is their ability to transmit the bacterium that causes bacterial wilt of[Read More…]
It’s early in the growing season, but I am already receiving calls about aphids on melons. We had lots of problems with aphids in 2013 and not very many last year. Particularly at this time of year, I’m recommending Assail® for aphid control on melons for several reasons. First, it does an excellent job killing[Read More…]
I have received calls about seedcorn maggots in melons and have seen wireworm damage in my research plots in Vincennes. Seedcorn maggots are usually associated with cool weather since the adult flies will not lay their eggs near melons plants when the soil temperature exceeds 70°F. So the cool weather we have had this past[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…]
For most insect pests, we have some viable options to manage them organically. For years we have been looking for an organic solution for striped cucumber beetle and bacterial wilt on melons and cucumbers. It appears that we now have a viable option. There is a relatively new product, Cidetrak D, manufactured by Trece, which[Read More…]
While the hard copy of the Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers 2015 (ID-56) has been available since early January, the on-line version is updated as needed. Below I outline the latest changes. Page 40, Table 16. Several insecticide products were added to the “Insecticide Labeling for Greenhouse Use” table. Page 100, Cucurbit chapter.[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…]