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: Fly counts in our vinegar/yeast traps were high enough to warrant protective sprays to all ripening berry and soft fruit crops to protect against infestation. I […]
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FALL ARMYWORM PRESSURE INCREASING Western Bean Cutworm Moth Counts at Highest Levels Seen SITUATION Corn harvest is coming into full swing. Corn earworm numbers have moderated in some locations but fall armyworm and western bean cutworm numbers were generally higher, meaning silking corn in nearly all location requires protection. European corn borer: No moths were […]
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CORN EARWORM, FALL ARMYWORM NUMBERS RISE Silking Corn Requires Protection SITUATION Early corn harvest is underway in southern Maine. Corn earworm and fall armyworm numbers have increased significantly at most locations. Feeding damage on pre-silking corn from fall armyworm is also increasing. Expect continued warm nights to keep moth activity high in the coming days. […]
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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 The early arrival of spotted wing drosophila fruit flies caused significant damage to some strawberry fields in southern Maine. Now that the strawberry season is over, other fruit hosts […]
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RENOVATION AND WEED MANAGEMENT ISSUE Get Your Strawberry Beds Ready for Next Year and Manage Pests in Day-Neutral Strawberries The strawberry harvest has come to an early close in most parts of the state due to the very warm weather in recent weeks. The season started early for most farms, and was shortened by the […]
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EARLY CORN HARVEST TO BEGIN IN SOUTHERN MAINE Corn Earworm Threatens Silking Corn at Most Locations SITUATION The high heat continues to push corn development. Harvest of the earliest plantings may begin by the end of the week. Rainfall has been adequate in most areas, but some fields with lighter soils are now irrigating. Corn […]
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In this newsletter: Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) in Stone Fruit Time to Collect Leaf Samples Summer Tour Announcement Spotted Wing Drosophila in Cherries Unfortunately, SWD has been found in a cherry orchard in Maine. As a reminder, stone fruits are susceptible to damage by this insect pest. Plum, peach and cherry fruits become soft as […]
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CORN EARWORM AND CORN BORER ACTIVE IN EARLY CORN Fall Armyworm, Western Bean Cutworm Numbers Variable SITUATION Many early planted fields are coming into silk this week, although there is still plenty of pre-tassel and whorl stage corn from later seedings. The warm weather and adequate water have encouraged rapid growth, and plantings mostly look […]
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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 fruit flies and larvae have been reported in ripe strawberry fruit in southern and central Maine this week. This is a very early appearance of spotted […]
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CORN BORER AND EARWORM THREATEN SILKING CORN! Spotted Wing Drosophila Active in Strawberry Fields SITUATION Early planted corn is in the tassel to early silk stage in southern Maine. Most fields have had adequate water, although a few farms have been irrigating. We again caught all three of the major sweet corn pests in pheromone […]
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