Pest of the Week - Squash vine borer

The squash vine borer, Melittia satyriniformis, is a pest of squash and pumpkin and also a lesser pest of cucurbits and melons. Squash borers usually occur in low numbers.  Their presence is not usually noticed until after damage is done.

Squash vine borer moths look and act like paper wasps and have a 1 to 1½ inch wingspan, with metallic green forewings.  Females lay red eggs near the base of plant stems. The mature larva or caterpillar is a thick, white wrinkled worm with a brown head, and is about 1 inch in length.  The eggs are dull red, 1/25th inch in diameter, and are found glued to the leafstalks and stems of squash vines.  The eggs produce smooth, white caterpillars that bore into the center of the vine a few days after hatching.  The pupa is dark brown, 5/8 inch long, and found in an earthen cell in the soil.

Squash Vine Borer Larvae (R. Bessin)

Squash Bug Nymphs (R. Bessin)

Adult Squash Vine Borer

Management
Most management options are limited to control the hatching larvae before they enter the plant.

A home gardener may have some success with deworming the vines. At the first signs of the sawdust like frass (fecal material from feeding larva), vines can be slit lengthwise near where the damage is found and the borers removed. The stems should be immediately covered with earth.

Sanitation is also important. After harvest is complete, vines should be removed from the garden and composted to prevent the remaining borers from completing larval development. Burying a few nodes along each vine will encourage rooting at these nodes. This will lessen the impact if squash vine borers girdle the base of the vine.

To reduce the number of borers for the next year, destroy crop residue after harvest, and rotate planting sites. 

If insecticides are needed, spray or dust the plant stems at their base. Start treatments when vines begin to run or when the first adult borers are detected. Repeat in 7-10 days. Two applications help manage most squash vine borer adults.


Additional Information

Squash Vine Borer - Penn State University

Squash Vine Borer - University of Kentucky

Clearwing Moths - University of California IPM

Squash Vine Borer - Insect Diagnostic Laboratory - Cornell University

Pests Can Evolve Resistance to Many Types of Control Methods, Not Just Chemicals

A recent article in Entomology Today discusses the resistance that pests have developed to certain types of control methods.  Click on the link below to read more

Entomology Today Article

Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, the 2014 recipient of the Borlaug CAST Communication Award explains how weeds can become resistant mechanical control methods.  Click on the link below to watch a presentation given by her at the National Press Club.

Video - "Communicating Science in a Networked World" by Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam

IPM Notes from June 25, 2015

The IPM team broke up into two teams today to do a group scouting report on the field corn and one field of the soybeans. About a half dozen survey stops were done on both the field corn and soybean field. At each survey stop the number of damaged plants from insects was analyzed, as well as the density of weeds and what type, and any noticeable diseases. Also noted were the plant stage, plant height, soil conditions and weather. Some analysis like row width, plant count and plants per acre were done several weeks ago and were not performed today.

The field corn is in the pre-tassel stage, and is about seven to eight feet tall. Soil conditions were moist. The weather was sunny. Of the random non-BT corn plants selected, over 60% are showing corn borer damage. This can be a major issue later in the season because the corn borer can severely weaken the corn plant, and blow over from high winds before the October harvest. In some areas weeds were in high density like crabgrass and sedge, which can rob nutrition from the plant. These can emerge again next year, so a herbicide may be needed in the spring. No diseases in the cornfield were found.

The soybean field behind the field corn was the other crop scouted this morning. These were the soybeans not planted too deeply due to the earlier dry weather. They are starting to pick up with the recent rainfall, and although a little off-color, do not look spotty. Some leafhoppers and grasshoppers were noted on the soybeans, but not material. Weeds were not noticeable. The soybeans are about in the second trifoliate stage.

In the demonstration plots the millet and broomcorn will both need some fertilizer. The pumpkin plants are showing damage from the cucumber beetle, grasshoppers and moths, but are still growing. The blueberries are beginning to ripen and by next week could be peak season. Both the Bell peppers and hot peppers are growing well at this early stage. Yesterday, the June bearing strawberry plants were cut back and old straw was replaced with new straw to mitigate gray mold disease in the future.

Below is the weekly summary for the insects caught in the four insect traps.

Trap 1 (Black Cut Worm) – Black Cut Worm – 3, ground beetle –2 .

Trap 2 (European Corn Borer) – 1 each European Corn Borer, click beetle, spider.

Trap 3 (Fall Army Worm) – 3 each ladybug and chafer beetle, 1 each true armyworm and soldier beetle.

Trap 4 (Corn Ear Worm) – 1 each chafer beetle and noctuid.

Notes compiled by John Siemanowski

Rutgers IPM related News

Some recent IPM related news from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Click on the links for more information.

The Weather of Late a Doubld Edged Sword

Heads up, Boxwood lovers

Basil downy mildew has been reported in Northern New Jersey this past week. All basil growers should continue to scout and be proactive.

Late blight has been reported on potato as far north as North Carolina near the Virginia border. There have been no reports of late blight in the region to date. To track late blight in the US please visit http://usablight.org/ 

Cucurbit downy mildew has been reported on cucumber, butternut, acorn, and yellow summer squash as far north as central South Carolina. To track the progress of CDM in the US please visit http://cdm.ipmpipe.org/ 

Bacterial leaf spot are coming in on pepper and tomato. Black leg has been reported in potato in southern New Jersey. Phytophthora blight on pepper and cucurbit crops has been reported. The heavy rains that have come into and remain in the region have been ideal for P. capsici. All growers need to scout on a regular basis and be proactive.

Early blight has been reported in tomato.

IPM Notes from June 18, 2015

Due to the rain, an abbreviated IPM session was held today.

Continuing the strawberry analysis from last week, Rob Mazza provided additional data. The picking of strawberries is nearing completion for the May-June period. (Ever bearing berries may be picked later this year). After harvesting strawberries for the past 22 days for 20 plants, a total of 3,551 berries were picked. A total of 62.9 pounds of strawberries were harvested, which averaged a little more than 3 pounds per plant. As mentioned last week, in the near future the plants will be cut back and old straw replaced with new to mitigate gray mold disease in the future

A quick walk through the field corn is showing very noticeable insect damage to the non-BT corn, mainly from the corn borer. Since the corn borer can have multiple generations in one season, one can see that non-BT corn can be severely weakened by the corn borer and blown down by high winds before a September-October harvest. The field corn is in the 8th to 9th leaf stage.

The soybeans planted around May 15 are in the 6th trifoliate leaf stage. The soybean field behind them and the field corn are starting to pick up with the recent rainfall. There was about .5 inch of rainfall received this morning. These  soybeans were not planted too deeply due to the earlier dry weather. Additional soybeans were seeded over the oat field that was recently harvested.

In the demonstration plots the millet seeds and broomcorn seeds are beginning to germinate. They were both weeded on Wendesday. The millet will need about 1.5 cups of fertilizer, while the broomcorn will need to be thinned out. The pumpkin plants are showing damage from the cucumber beetle, grasshoppers and moths. Today there were about 10 cucumber beetles in one pumpkin flower alone. The hops are beginning to sprout their buds. The scent from the lupulin bud was evident. The blueberries are beginning to ripen. Both the Bell peppers and hot peppers are growing well at this early stage.

Below is the weekly summary for the insects caught in the four insect traps. Once again, traps 3 and 4 are collecting the most insects.


Trap 1 (Black Cut Worm) – Nothing.

Trap 2 (European Corn Borer) – 1 chaffer beetle.

Trap 3 (Fall Army Worm) – 14 true army worm 1 each bumble bee, diptera and coleoptera

Trap 4 (Corn Ear Worm) – 18 noctuids, 2 chaffer beetles, 1 each sap beetle and corn borer.


Notes compiled by John Siemanowski

IPM Notes from June 11, 2015

A preliminary analysis was provided by Rob Mazza regarding the strawberry crop. So far this season about 50 pounds of strawberries have been picked from 20 plants, including the picking from this morning. In order by berry size, the largest was All-Star (June bearing), then Chandler (June bearing), and then Tribute (Ever bearing). A total of 2,245 strawberries have been picked - 810 for Chandler, 784 for Tribute, and 651 for All-Star. Gray mold disease, or Botrytis blight, has damaged a significant number of berries. The bigger leaf canopy of the plant, along with recent moisture and humidity has led to an increase in the disease. In the near future the plants will be cut back, and old straw replaced with new.

The field corn is in the 5th to 6th leaf stage. The cornfield was fertilized recently because last week the new growth had shown signs of yellowing. The field corn looks greener now, but since it is not BT corn, the plant is showing damage from the corn borer. A similar pattern of holes can be seen in the plant before the collars had fully opened. Frass was also noted. Since the corn borer can have multiple generations in one season, one can see that non-BT corn can be severely weakened by the corn borer and high winds before a September-October harvest.

The soybean field behind the field corn was not planted too deeply due to the dry weather and rye residue remaining in the field. With some recent rain the soybeans have started to germinate. Time will tell if the soybean field growth will look spotty because some of the shallow seeding will not take hold and therefore not germinate. There is another soybean crop and because of groundhog damage and previous dry weather the field looks spotty.

The sweet corn is in the 4th leaf stage. Weeds, probably foxtail, are becoming a problem in the sweet cornfield and will need to be monitored.

The oat field has been cut and is drying by tedding (turning it over). The harvesting process takes about 3 days, similar to alfalfa. The alfalfa field is showing good growth after being cut about 3 weeks ago. Possible alfalfa plant damage can come from the alfalfa weevil, leaf hoppers, caterpillar and cabbage loopers.

The Padron peppers, which were struggling last week, have rebounded. Unfortunately they're showing insect damage, possibly from the potato beetle. The weeds in this field have also diminished.

In the demonstration plots the tomato plants having the Colorado potato beetle and its eggs last week, could not be seen today. The pumpkin plants were sprayed because of the presence of the cucumber beetle. The millet seeds and broom corn seeds are beginning to germinate. The hops are being eaten less by the tent caterpillar as they were sprayed last week.

Below is the weekly summary for the insects caught in the four insect traps. Insects caught this season, so far, have been greater in number than last year.

Trap 1 (Black Cut Worm) – 5 black cut worm.

Trap 2 (European Corn Borer) – 1 each wasp and ladybug.

Trap 3 (Fall Army Worm) – 14 true army worm.

Trap 4 (Corn Ear Worm) – 21 noctuids, 1 corn ear worm, 1 click beetle.



Compiled by John Siemanowski

IPM Notes from June 4, 2015

The Pedrone peppers, which were planted as part of a research project, are struggling. Many have not survived. They were planted during the period of hot, dry and windy weather. In addition, weeds like lambs quarter, velvet leaf and spiny amaranth are creeping into the pepper field, competing for space, water and nutrition.

The field corn is in the 6th leaf stage, and the newer growth is showing some yellowing, signaling a lack of nitrogen. This cornfield also has its share of crabgrass, and in one small sample area a large number of small grubs were uncovered from the ground. These grubs will eventually turn into Japanese beetles, June bugs and Chaffer beetles. Since grubs will eat the roots of the corn plant, one needs to monitor the feeding damage, if any, in the next few weeks.

As noted last week, in the soybean field behind the field corn the soybean seeds were not planted too deeply due to the dry weather and rye residue remaining in the field. This week most of the soybeans still have not germinated. There is concern that in time the soybean field growth will look spotty because some of the shallow seeding will not take hold and therefore not germinate.

There is another soybean crop in the second trifoliate stage and because of groundhog damage and previous dry weather the field looks spotty.

The sweet corn is in the 4th leaf stage. The sweet corn, like the field corn, is showing some yellowing due to its new quick growth from the rain. It will need nitrogen fertilizer going into its 5th or 6th leaf stage.

In the demonstration plots the tomato plants still need to be monitored for the Colorado potato beetle and its eggs. They've been appearing in a lesser number every day. The pumpkin plants are greening-up. No bug issues so far with the pumpkin plants. The strawberries are being harvested, weighed and tasted. The millet seeds and broom corn seeds were planted yesterday. The hops are being eaten by the tent caterpillar and some sort of beetle. The hops are also showing signs of powdery mildew. Below is the weekly summary for the insects caught in the four insect traps.


Below is the weekly summary for the insects caught in the four insect traps.

Trap 1 (Black Cut Worm) – 5 black cut worm, 1 hemiptera.

Trap 2 (European Corn Borer) – 1 each European corn borer and ladybug.

Trap 3 (Fall Army Worm) – 10 true army worm.

Trap 4 (Corn Ear Worm) – 32 noctuids, 1 corn ear worm.



Notes compiled by John Siemanonski