David Owens, Extension Entomologist, owensd@udel.edu
Tree Fruit
Continue scouting for and treating for plum curculio in peaches, apples, plum, and cherry. Now is also the time to begin monitoring for white peach scale. Crawlers can be intercepted on black electrical tape wrapped around a branch to expose the sticky side up. Crawlers are the most susceptible life stage to insecticides.
Strawberries
With cooler, cloudy, and wet weather, complaints of slug activity have come in on various crops including strawberry. The only two recommended products are Sluggo (OMRI) and Deadline. Check berries for slime trails and holes. Slugs are more of a potential issue in matted row systems. Also continue scouting late strawberries for tarnished plant bug adults and nymphs feeding on flowers. If planting vegetable crops adjacent to strawberries, be sure to scout them for spider mite activity. Spider mites often build up early in strawberries and then spill over to the other vegetables.