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
Farming NYC’s Watershed the IPM Way
Keeping fruits, veggies and ornamentals safe from hungry bugs, invasive weeds, and the potential downsides of pesticides and fertilizers — it matters everywhere, of course, but it really matters in New York City’s watershed among the streams and rivers feeding into the reservoirs that provide safe drinking water to millions of people in metro-New York….Continue Reading Farming NYC’s Watershed the IPM Way
In Greenhouses, Good Science = Good ¢
In the cold Northeast, heat costs money. And no one knows it better than greenhouse growers. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, growers are ramping up for one of their biggest sales days of year — which until now, has meant cranking up the thermostat. Not any more. Growers want to save money…Continue Reading In Greenhouses, Good Science = Good ¢
Review Your Balance Sheet (aka Better Late Than … )
… Never. This post was slated to go live the same day Uncle Sam started surcharging tardy tax returns. Then — human error took over. You don’t have to step back in time, though, for this post to help you — it’s as relevant now as it was on April 15. And it’ll stay…Continue Reading Review Your Balance Sheet (aka Better Late Than … )
Year of the cicadas — again!
They’re back. And IPM’s Matt Frye is here to tell you about it. For those who witnessed the last bumper crop of 17-year cicadas back in 1996, it was nigh unforgettable. And it about to happen again. In fact, maps going back 100 years track hatches of the 17-year cicada and its cousin, the…Continue Reading Year of the cicadas — again!
Sentinel Plants and GDDs
Keep your weather eye open: using sentinel plants and weather info to stay abreast of pests Growers statewide are gearing up for the growing season: calibrating their equipment, prepping fields, packing their greenhouse benches, seeding the earliest crops. And though the main crop of insect pests needs a spell of warm weather to rev…Continue Reading Sentinel Plants and GDDs
Don’t bee fooled
April can fool you all month long. Even if your pest-prevention responsibilities lie mostly indoors where frost and rain rarely intrude — a school, an office building, a museum, your home — April has some tricks up her sleeve. Those perimeter pests, for example: wasps, bees, ants, termites. For many species of wasps and bees,…Continue Reading Don’t bee fooled