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…]
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
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…]
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…]
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…]