Upcoming Pest Events | Trap Catches | Pest Focus | Insects

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Upcoming Pest Events | Trap Catches | Pest Focus | Insects

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Upcoming Pest Events | Trap Catches | Pest Focus | Insects

Geneva: 
Degree days (base 43F) since Spotted Tentiform Leafminer 2nd
flight began (6/23) = 1451.

Highland:
San Jose Scale 2nd gen crawlers crawlers in white cap phase.
Pear Rust Mite numbers increasing.
Obliquebanded Leafroller 2nd summer generation flight continues.
Degree days (base 50F) since first Codling Moth trap catch = 1723.

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Upcoming Pest Events | Trap Catches | Pest Focus | Insects

Geneva Predictions:
Codling Moth
Codling moth development as of August 8: 2nd generation adult emergence at 72% and 2nd generation egg hatch at 33%.
2nd generation 30% CM egg hatch: August 8 (= target date where one spray needed to control 2nd generation codling moth).

White Apple Leafhopper
2nd generation WAL found on apple foliage: August 1.

Highland Predictions:
Codling Moth
Codling moth development as of August 8: 2nd generation adult emergence at 88% and 2nd generation egg hatch at 60%. 2nd generation 30% CM egg hatch: August 2 (= target date where one spray needed to control 2nd generation codling moth).

White Apple Leafhopper 2nd generation WAL found on apple foliage: July 31.

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   Most of the season's pest control decisions are likely to be completed this week and next.  As growers prepare to make what will likely be their final run through the orchard for crop protection purposes before turning their attention to harvest activities, we are trying to keep alert to any late-breaking pest developments that might be expected during this most summer-like of summers.  We may be approaching near-drought conditions in some areas, but extra heat is more conducive to insect activity than almost any other weather factor you might name, and our NY populations are more than up to the task of acclimating to a season that would be right at home in Pennsylvania or even North Carolina.  Here's a quick rundown of some of the more important players to keep in mind for your dog day duties.

Apple Maggot
   Adult numbers have been very healthy in the orchard sites where we're catching them.  Some blocks don't have notable populations, but in historically high-pressure orchards, mid-August is traditionally still fair game for a decent number of flies to be out and laying eggs.  This is yet another of those seasons when localized trapping can pay off in the event that some blocks are under greater pressure than others, even on the same farm, so please continue to monitor traps in representative blocks. 

Internal Lepidoptera - Oriental Fruit Moth & Codling Moth
   This complex has become our perennial wild-card puzzler since making such a big splash in 2002.  For the past 2 years, the later broods of oriental fruit moth and/or codling moth fortunately failed to make much of a showing.  Those of us with field plots and traps under observation this season have been continually monitoring the progress of OFM and CM, in both adult and larval forms.  Fruit damage by the early broods has been generally low, although there are some exceptions in specific problem blocks. 

   Trap counts for the 2nd flight of oriental fruit moth have tapered off from their moderate July levels, but it seems likely that this year is setting up to be a good one for a significant 3rd flight.  Codling moth 2nd generation adult numbers are already much higher in most orchards than we traditionally see.  We are currently in the middle of an appropriate window for management sprays of either species, so prudence would dictate a critical evaluation of your late season fruit protection status, to be sure you are adequately covered until the PHI for the various respective varieties.

   For now, we're recommending that problem sites be kept covered with at least another spray, and we'll see what the tail end of the pre-harvest period looks like.  Options include Guthion or Imidan or Asana in peaches.  In apples and pears, you can use Guthion, Imidan, Assail, Avaunt, Warrior or Danitol; the non-OP materials will additionally give control of white apple leafhopper.  For control of OFM, alternate row middle applications will not be as effective as whole orchard sprays in high pressure blocks.  Assess the pressure in your specific situations, check the pre-harvest intervals, and determine whether a full or border spray might be in order.

European Corn Borer
   Recall that these moths have a final flight that extends to the middle of September, and that the offspring can inflict last-minute fruit feeding damage to later varieties.  One or two late sprays of a B.t. product like Dipel can go a long ways toward minimizing this injury, and the 0-day PHI is compatible with any harvest schedule.  Also, SpinTor applied against late season leafrollers will provide incidental corn borer control (PHI = 7 days).

Mites
   It can't be said often enough in a season like this that mites are extremely good at exploiting high temps and dry conditions to pump out a few more generations before they pack it in for the winter.  Twospotted spider mites particularly love these patterns.  A frequent (weekly) perusal of your foliage can pay off big dividends if they decide to take off before the crop is fully made.

Obliquebanded Leafroller
   The second summer flight of OBLR is due to start any day now, which means that the first larvae will be out looking for a snack by the 2nd to 3rd week of August.  If you struggled to manage the 1st summer brood (and a number of growers did), you might also cast a judicious eye on your fruits while you're in there checking the leaves for mites, to determine whether a late application of SpinTor or a B.t. material such as Dipel, Deliver or Biobit might be of use in heading off late-season feeding damage.

Scaffolds is published weekly from March to September by Cornell University -- NYS Agricultural Experiment Station (Geneva), and Ithaca -- with the assistance of Cornell Cooperative Extension. New York field reports welcomed. Send submissions by 3 p.m. Monday to:

Scaffolds Fruit Journal
Editors: A. Agnello, D. Kain
Dept. of Entomology, NYSAES
P.O. Box 462
Geneva, NY 14456-0462
Phone: 315-787-2341 FAX: 315-787-2326
E-mail: ama4@cornell.edu

Online at <http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/scaffolds/>