David Owens, Extension Entomologist, owensd@udel.edu
Green stink bug trap captures continue to be high around the west Greenwood area where we keep a blacklight trap. Fortunately, the flight at other locations has not been unusually high.
Scout for Japanese beetle defoliation, especially in grapes. Check all varieties, they prefer some over others. Carbary, Assail, and Avaunt are among the best Japanese beetle products, per UGA efficacy studies: https://site.extension.uga.edu/viticulture/2022/06/it-is-japanese-beetle-season/.
Scout young tree fruit, especially cherries, for defoliation by Asiatic garden beetle (AGB). It is active at night and hides in the soil during the day. It will cut rectangular holes in leaves from the leaf margin. Materials for Japanese beetle should also be quite effective on AGB.
Spotted lanternfly adults are beginning to appear. Scout grapes for adults.
Grape root borer adults should soon emerge from the soil. You can get an idea of how much activity there is by looking for pupal casings partially emerged from the soil. This is best done where weed growth underneath vines has been controlled. Preventing weeds from growing also reduces larval survivorship. How? Adults lay eggs on leaves. When those eggs hatch, larvae drop to the base of the vine and start burrowing into soil. Removing the weeds reduces some of the larval survivorship. If you have an old bottle of chlorpyrifos that still maintains a label (https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/frequently-asked-questions-about-current-status-chlorpyrifos), this would be an excellent year to use it up; we might not have chlorpyrifos next season.