Well … maybe not Z. Not this time around. Bugs that infest your pantry or bite you at night … those intractable weeds … the rot on your peony blossoms — each is a pest. Even mildew (yes, mildew) is technically a pest. Our IPM educators statewide are writing up their quarterly reports even as we speak….Continue Reading Just Ask: Pests A to Z
Hops High-Rise
100 years ago, New York growers had a lock on the hops business, and New York’s “International Hop Stock Exchange” controlled prices worldwide. Then downy mildew struck. This devastating disease ravaged hopyards throughout the East and Midwest. Now the Pacific Northwest is the hops capitol of the world. But as appreciation of craft beers and microbrews…Continue Reading Hops High-Rise
Fireflies and … “Four Firsts” in Field Crops
Fireflies are out and about, here and there — and when you see them, know that corn rootworms are most likely hatching. If this is year one of a corn rotation, not to worry. Otherwise — scout. Small investment, big returns. Stable fly adults — ouch — have emerged via slowly growing larvae from…Continue Reading Fireflies and … “Four Firsts” in Field Crops
Skeeters, Ticks, and the Sandy Connection
Metro-New Yorkers can count on mosquitoes being even more of a hassle this year. Wherever Hurricane Sandy carved belowground gullies, however small, beneath streets or buildings — mosquitoes will find them. That’s because the rainwater that pools underground provide all the room these mosquitoes need to lay eggs….Continue Reading Skeeters, Ticks, and the Sandy Connection
Pepper Weevil: All-Points Alert
If you grow peppers from transplants, especially in high tunnels or greenhouses, scout starting now for pepper weevil — a pest you’ve probably never seen, let alone heard of. This weevil is tiny, just 1/8 inch long, but it packs a punch disproportionate to its size. In fact, its action threshold is exactly ONE — one…Continue Reading Pepper Weevil: All-Points Alert