Corn Earworm Numbers Increasing Fall Armyworm Also Threatens Silking Corn Situation Plants continue to develop rapidly with warm temperatures and adequate moisture. Harvest of early corn started on plastic mulch or under row covers could begin next week. Corn earworm numbers are now increasing at most locations, and fall armyworm moths have begun to arrive […]
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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 Farmers Project Manager Spotted wing drosophila fruit fly numbers have increased significantly at some of the sights we are monitoring with vinegar/yeast traps in raspberries and highbush blueberries this week (see table […]
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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 finished in most parts of the state, as very warm weather has hastened the ripening of later varieties. Overall, the crop was good and pickers were out in high numbers, especially when […]
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Earworm Threatens Silking Corn Spotted Wing Drosophila active in strawberry fields Situation The heat continues to push corn development. Rainfall has been inadequate in most areas, and many fields are now being irrigated. Corn earworm has been caught at most locations. Warm nights will increase moth activity, and we expect numbers to keep climbing. Fresh […]
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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 Farmers Project Manager Spotted wing drosophila fruit flies are now being caught in traps we have set up in strawberry and raspberry fields in southern Maine (see table below). Drosophila larvae have […]
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Scapes have been harvested throughout southern and central Maine, and garlic crops look good for mid to late July harvest. Bulbs will continue to develop over the next week or two, then begin to senesce. Harvest is typically 3-4 weeks after scaping. It is advisable to stop irrigating two weeks before harvest so as to […]
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Corn Earworm Threatens Early Silking Corn First Fall Armyworm Moths Caught This Week Situation Early planted corn suffered from cold soils at many locations, so germination has been spotty at some sites, but recent warm temperatures have pushed development rapidly. Some fields seeded under clear plastic mulch are just beginning to silk in southern Maine, […]
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2026 Sweet Corn Pest Season Begins! Insect Pests Active in Early Corn The 2026 University of Maine Cooperative Extension Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program for sweet corn is getting underway. We have set up pheromone traps at volunteer farms to monitor the adult (moth) stages of European corn borer, corn earworm, fall armyworm and western […]
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Reducing Biennial Bearing in Honeycrisp Apples It is time for NAA (naphthaleneacetic acid) summer sprays to enhance repeat bloom in Honeycrisp and other varieties. NAA will no longer thin apples and can be applied at this time to stimulate flower bud formation for next year’s crop. Three applications at roughly two-week intervals will cause a […]
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Thrips numbers were up in Topsham and Washington this week, but down in Buxton and Monmouth, and all locations are below a 1 thrips per leaf threshold. These insect populations thrive in hot and dry conditions, so while this week’s weather may have encouraged their development, the next week of rain and cooler temperatures will […]
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