The three major pests of Northeastern hopyards—potato leafhoppers, two-spotted spider mites and hop aphids—can cause significant economic losses. For that reason, we keep a close eye on their populations in our research yard by scouting weekly. From time to time, other pests pop up in our hopyard, but because they don’t seem to affect yields, …
Tag Archives: insects
Biopesticides: A Natural Alternative
Biological pesticides, or biopesticides, are pest management tools derived from animals, plants, bacteria, and/or naturally occurring minerals. Many common biopesticides uses microorganisms like entomopathogenic bacteria, fungi, nematodes or viruses as their active ingredients. The most widely used microbial pesticides are derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt. Each strain of this soil bacterium produces a different …
3 Things that Matter in Pest Scouting: Location, Location, Location
“There are three things that matter in property: location, location, location.” We have found that location also matters in growing hops, particularly this spring. Southern Vermont has been exceptionally dry for long periods, while northern parts of our region have been soggy, to say the least. The cool, wet conditions that we’ve been experiencing in …
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July 2014 Hop Update
Disease: Downy mildew is our biggest pest problem this year in Vermont. Due to the lasting rainy weather, we continue to see aerial and basal spikes appear. For disease control in the Alburgh, VT research hopyard, we spray an organic fungicide weekly. We also have a new crowning trial this season that you can check …
Early season hops work
Hello hop enthusiasts! We hope that all of your hops are beginning to grow and green up as the season gets into full swing. This year we are conducting a crowning date experiment. The first crowning date occurred on April 14th, and the second on May 12th. Stay tuned for growth and production updates! We …
August 1st Annual Field Day
Hi All, A quick reminder that our Annual field day is happening this Thursday (August 1st) at Boderview Research Farm in Alburgh,VT! There will be an informational session in our hopyard in the early afternoon; along with many other great opportunities to learn throughout the day. below is a link to the brochure, which will …
Plant/Insect Diagnostic Clinic Information
We have been receiving inquiries from folks who are wondering about diseases and insects in their hopyards. The UVM Extension website has some wonderful information that can allow you to identify and try to manage these issues on your own. However, if you are looking for reassurance, and/or suggestions to try and minimize damages, the …
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