David Owens, Extension Entomologist, owensd@udel.edu
Continue scouting for plum curculio in stone and pome fruits. Look for crescent shaped scars on fruits and shake branches of white drop cloths to assess presence.
Late strawberries that are still blooming should be scouted for tarnished plant bug. Feeding by adults or nymphs can distort berry shape and decrease berry size. Adults are about the size of a small finger’s nail. Nymphs are green and aphid like, but if you shake flower clusters over black plastic or a dark cloth, you will see that they run much, much faster than an aphid.
Honeybee swarm season is here! If you encounter a swarm, do not panic. Swarms are generally gentle and should not bother anyone who gets close to them. They will leave the spot that they are at within a few hours to a day or even two. The problem is that they sometimes decide that the side of a building is a great place to start a new colony. The Delaware Beekeepers Association maintains a list of folks who you can contact for swarm removal assistance: If you call someone, please take a picture of the swarm and send it to them so they can verify that it is indeed a swarm, how accessible it is, and what sort of tools might be necessary: https://delawarebeekeepers.com/Swarm-Removal