David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager Spotted wing drosophila trap counts have remained relatively steady for several weeks, which is unusual for this late in the season. Past experience has typically shown significant increases in […]
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PEST PRESSURE MODERATE AS SEASON WINDS DOWN Earworm and Fall Armyworm Threaten Remaining Corn This will be the final issue of the Sweet Corn IPM Newsletter for the 2023 season. I would like to thank all the growers who participated in the program this year, and our team of IPM scouts, including Chantal Cyr, Ethan […]
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Maturity report followed by some announcements Apple Maturity at Highmoor Farm McIntosh: A small decrease in starch since last week, and a very small drop in Delta reading. Flavor is still sour. Honeycrisp: A drop in both starch and Delta reading, but it’s still early for Honeycrisp, unless you have the early-ripening strain. Color is […]
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Apple Maturity at Highmoor Farm Paulared apples taste great this week. Zestar was not tested this week. McIntosh was firm and sour in today’s taste tests. Some of your customers may prefer it this way, but it is not ready to harvest for storage. One of our blocks had seedless apples, probably killed by the […]
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David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager Spotted Wing Drosophila: Populations of spotted wing drosophila remained relatively steady this week, with captures higher in some fields, lower in other fields, but no major changes, except where […]
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MOTH COUNTS LOWER THIS WEEK Most Fresh Silking Corn Still Requires Protection SITUATION Cool night temperatures appear to have slowed corn pest activity this week as moth counts were lower at most locations. Growers are looking forward to a strong market for the holiday weekend, and supply and quality are looking good, in spite of […]
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David Handley, Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist; James Dill, Pest Management Specialist, Phil Fanning, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Entomology, Christina Howard, Maine New Farmer Project Manager Spotted Wing Drosophila: We were unable to collect samples from our traps last week, due to staffing shortages. So, the numbers collected this week reflect two weeks’ worth of […]
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CORN EARWORM PRESSURE GROWS Fresh Silking Corn Remaining Requires Protection SITUATION Last week’s storms appear to have brought up a wave of corn earworm moths, as numbers climbed in most locations this week. Other pest numbers have been lower in most fields, with the exception of four-legged species. Deer, raccoons, skunks and coyotes have been […]
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Apple Maturity at Highmoor Farm Paulared apples are not quite at their best for eating, but some of your customers might like them this way. Starch index of 1.5. Zestar! Starch index is 2.8. They are still starchy and lacking in color. Flavor should be good, based on how ours taste. We have another summer […]
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CORN EARWORM PRESSURE HIGH Silking Corn Requires Protection at Most Sites SITUATION We’ve had another week with some heavy rain showers, making pest management in corn fields challenging. There are some reports of light infestations of caterpillars in ears, despite regular sprays, which may be due to poor efficacy because of sprayed materials washing off […]
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