Striped (Acalymma vitattum; StCB) and, to a lesser extent, spotted (Diabrotica undecimpunctata; SpCB) cucumber beetles are damaging pests on crops in the family Cucurbitaceae (e.g., cucumber, squash, pumpkin, watermelon). These pests not only inflict severe damage to various plant parts, including roots, leaves (Figure 1), flowers (Figure 2), and fruits (Figure 3), but transmit the[Read More…]
What is integrated management? Regardless of the size of a farm, crops grown, or growing practices, integrated pest management (IPM) is a framework that can be used by all growers. The idea of IPM is that you are taking measures at all stages of production and utilizing a variety of tools to minimize the damage[Read More…]
Lacewings are a group of insects commonly found in Indiana and throughout the world. There are several species, but the most common that you will see in Indiana include the green lacewing and the brown lacewing. They belong to a unique order of insects, Neuroptera, and are commonly referred to as aphid lions. The life[Read More…]
Over the past two years, we’ve been testing various cucumber cultivars to see which ones are most vulnerable to pests in high tunnel systems. We split the cucumbers into two groups based on fruit characteristics for a fair comparison. The first group consists of pickle-type cucumbers, known for being small, blocky, and having thin skin.[Read More…]
Background High tunnels provide a hospitable environment for crops and insect pests, but little is known about the weed community present within them. From 1 December 2022 to 17 March 2023, we visited 14 farms monthly across Indiana and used a quadrat-style approach to measure weed pressure (0% to 100% weed coverage per quadrat) and[Read More…]
The Two-spotted lady beetle, Adalia bipunctata, is a common insect predator, meaning it feeds on other, smaller bugs. Native to North America and Europe, the Two-spotted lady beetle is distinguished from other lady beetles by its oblong shape and two large black spots on either of its back, as well as its large white spots[Read More…]
I have been asked a lot about what the unusually high temperatures we have been experiencing lately will mean for insect pests this season. I don’t have a good answer and often must respond with “it depends,” which is not very satisfying to those who ask. However, in exploring the question, I found the seasonal[Read More…]
The seedcorn maggot, Delia platura, is one of the first pests that will cause damage to vegetables in the spring in our region. This fly, which resembles a house fly but is smaller (Figure 1), begins to emerge from the overwintering pupal stage in the soil in early spring. Upon emergence, the flies quickly aggregate[Read More…]
As the EPA works to update pesticide labels to comply with the Endangered Species Act, we will work to keep you informed of the recent changes. However, it is in your best interest to visit databases often to be sure that you are in compliance with current pesticide laws. One such website to visit includes[Read More…]
There are many traps available to help with monitoring insect populations. As you prepare for the 2024 growing season, I wanted to review some of them in case you want to implement trapping on your farm to help improve your pest management programs. Trap Design Traps come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.[Read More…]