Joanne Whalen, Extension IPM Specialist; jwhalen@udel.edu
Cole Crops
Continue to sample for cabbage looper, diamondback larvae, armyworms and Harlequin bug. Although the pyrethroids will provide control of Harlequin bugs they are not effective on diamondback. So be sure to scout and select controls options based on the complex of insects present in the field.
Lima Beans
Continue to scout for spider mites, stink bugs and lygus bugs. Be sure to sample for corn earworm larvae as soon as pin pods are present. A treatment will be needed if you find one corn earworm larvae per 6 ft-of-row. You will also need to watch for soybean loopers that can quickly cause defoliation.
Melons
Continue to scout all melons for aphids, cucumber beetles, and spider mites. We continue to see an increase in aphid populations. Treatments should be applied before populations explode and leaf curling occurs.
Snap Beans
Sprays are needed at the bud and pin stages on processing beans for corn borer control. An earworm spray may also be needed at the pin stage. You will need to check our website for the most recent trap catches to help decide on the spray interval between the pin stage and harvest for processing snap beans. Once pin pods are present on fresh market snap beans, a 7 to 10-day schedule should be maintained for corn borer and corn earworm control.
http://agdev.anr.udel.edu/trap/trap.php
Spinach
As soon as the earliest planted spinach emerges from the ground, be sure to watch for webworms and beet armyworms. Both moths are active at this time and controls need to be applied when worms are small and before they have moved deep into the hearts of the plants. As a reminder, the pyrethroids have not provided effective beet armyworm control in past years. Remember that both insects can produce webbing on the plants and it is important to apply controls before any webbing occurs.
Sweet Corn
With the recent increase in corn earworm pheromone trap catches, be sure that a spray is applied as soon as ear shanks are visible on plants. If fall armyworms are present in the whorl, you will need multiple whorl sprays for this insect before the ear shank spray to achieve effective control and to prevent larvae from dropping into the ear zone. Once fields are silking, you will need to check both blacklight and pheromone trap catches for silk spray schedules since the spray schedules can quickly change. Trap catches are generally updated on Tuesday and Friday mornings