David Owens, Extension Entomologist, owensd@udel.edu and Bill Cissel, Extension Agent – Integrated Pest Management; bcissel@udel.edu
Sweet Corn
by Bill Cissel and David Owens
Sweet corn trapping data is updated by Tuesday and Friday mornings and can be accessed here: http://agdev.anr.udel.edu/trap/trap.php. If there is one thing insects are really good at, it is making liars out of people. That said, I expect low earworm numbers until mid-July. Trap catches are as follows:
| Trap Location | BLT – CEW | Pheromone CEW | Corn spray schedule |
| 3 nights total catch | |||
| Dover | 3 | 0 | 4 day |
| Harrington | 0 | 0 | No spray |
| Milford | 0 | 0 | No spray |
| Rising Sun | 1 | 0 | 6 day |
| Wyoming | 1 | 0 | 6 day |
| Bridgeville | 0 | 0 | No spray |
| Concord | 0 | 0 | No spray |
| Georgetown | 0 | 1 | 6 day – no spray |
| Greenwood | 0 | 0 | No spray |
| Laurel | 0 | 6 | 4 day |
| Seaford | 0 | 1 | 6 day – no spray |
Cucurbits
by David Owens
With the warm weather, it is not surprising that low levels of spider mites can be found in most fields. Check field edges and near wood lines. The action threshold we use as a benchmark is 1-2 mites per crown leaf, 20 – 30% of the crown leaves infested. During hot dry spells, try to limit mowing as much as possible, spider mites feeding on the grasses will be forced to look elsewhere for food once the plant they are on has been cut. I have also noticed a slight uptick in cucumber beetle activity.