Background Tomato pinworm “TPW” (Keiferia lycopersicella) is a small microlepidopteran pest of solanaceous crops with a strong preference for tomato (Figure 1). It naturally occurs in warm climates of the U.S., including Texas, Florida, Hawaii, and California. It cannot survive outdoors in temperate climates, such as Indiana, where winter temperatures exceed a low threshold of[Read More…]
Laura Ingwell
Entomology
Area(s) of Interest: Vegetable Pest Management, Protected Agriculture, Controlled Environment Agriculture, Urban Agriculture
Area(s) of Interest: Vegetable Pest Management, Protected Agriculture, Controlled Environment Agriculture, Urban Agriculture
If you work or have worked with specialty crops, we are reaching out for your help. To develop a scouting protocol for twospotted spider mite management, we are aiming to identify the limit of detection of this pest by growers. We are hoping that you will take 5-10 minutes to complete a survey displaying a[Read More…]
This season started out dry and hot. These are the ideal conditions for pests that we often associate with controlled environments: aphids and mites. There are a number of factors that contribute to their success in these conditions, including lack of rain which physically removes the insect from the plant and drought-stressed plants, which are[Read More…]
Last week I encountered my first adult Japanese Beetle of the 2023 season. It was at my home, and I was keeping my fingers crossed that it was just an unlucky stray individual, but hoping I had more time before their devastation would arrive. Well, I was wrong. Over the weekend, I found a few[Read More…]
Are you interested in collaborating with Purdue Entomology on the grant “Improving two-spotted spider mite management in high tunnel cucumber production” funded by North Central SARE, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (LNC20-438)? The primary objectives of this research are to increase our understanding of two-spotted spider mite dynamics and management in a high tunnel cucumber[Read More…]
At the Purdue Student Farm, we are in full swing with our Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB; Figure 1) management program. On this small farm, these beetles are a consistent threat to the potato crop. This is in part due to their limited ability to rotate, as the whole farm is smaller than the recommended rotation[Read More…]
Join eOrganic for 4 webinars on the findings of the biocontrol project in April and May 2023! Register at the links below for the May 18 and May 24 webinars! Recordings will be posted here and on the eOrganic YouTube channel! eOrganic Webinars Date Webinar Presenters April 26, 2023 Marketing Value-added Grains for Local and[Read More…]
Each year we get several reports of seedlings being cut at or near the base of the plant/soil surface. The critter who gets the blame most often is cutworms. And that makes sense because the damage is in the name. However, with closer inspection, it seems that the blame can often be misplaced. There are[Read More…]
Background Pillbugs, roly-polys, and potato bugs are the dominant common names for the isopod genus Armadillidium spp. As the scientific name suggests, these little critters resemble mini armadillos but are, in fact, crustaceans that live on land (Figure 1). Therefore, they are more closely related to lobsters, crabs, and shrimp than insects. Pillbugs are important[Read More…]