Examine your caneberry (raspberries and blackberries) plantings for conditions that promote spotted wing drosophila (SWD) infestation and take steps to eliminate them. Although we cannot change the weather, we can alter conditions in the planting to reduce the cool, dark, humid areas preferred by SWD. Pruning and training systems can help maintain an open canopy…Continue Reading Pruning berry bushes to minimize destructive pest habitat
Excellence in the Berry Patch
Dale-Ila Riggs, president of the New York State Berry Growers Association, has amassed a lifetime of expertise in IPM and berry farming. Combine that with inventiveness, insatiable curiosity, and determination — tackling head-on what could be the berry growers’ worst pest ever — and it’s no surprise she earned a recent Excellence in IPM award. That…Continue Reading Excellence in the Berry Patch
Tiny Fruit-Fly Pest Packs Big Wallop — Now on TV
It’s tiny, but it packs a wallop. That’s SWD — spotted-wing drosophila — a new invasive fruit fly that’s put down roots in nearly every berry-growing region in North America. Losses can range from “lots” to “entire crop wiped out.” In New York alone, that’s millions of dollars down the drain. CBS2’s Vanessa Murdock reported…Continue Reading Tiny Fruit-Fly Pest Packs Big Wallop — Now on TV