Hi all,
This week we have officially added a new monitoring site outside of Chittenden County. The farm team at Cedar Circle Farm in Thetford, VT will be sharing their weekly observations and scouting reports with our team to better capture the distribution and movement of pests throughout the region. We’ll incorporate their data to our weekly reports to give a more complete picture of the pest and disease issues in the state.
In general, we are starting to see things really picking up over the past week. With the consistent rains and new plantings out in many fields and gardens, pests are arriving in droves.
Some highlights from the past week at our locations are:
Colorado potato beetle adults are being found in large numbers mating and laying eggs in eggplant and early season potatoes. Be sure to check under leaves for the characteristic orange egg masses. In the next couple of weeks expect those hungry larvae to begin emerging from their eggs. Larvae are the most damaging stage of the beetle, but are also most susceptible to chemical treatments. Also, in recent years many farmers have reported success in reducing CPB damage by delaying planting.
Flea beetle infestations are being reported by many growers and gardeners. Floating row covers or insect exclusion netting for seedlings and smaller plants can be a very effective strategy for minimizing the impact of flea beetles on brassicas until plants are large enough to tolerate the pressure.
Cabbage white butterflies, the adult form of the imported cabbageworm, are actively flying in the region and laying egg on brassicas. We are yet to see larvae or their characteristic leaf feeding damage. Larvae and eggs can be found on the underside of leaves. Smaller larvae can be difficult to see, as they are green and camouflaged.
Spinach leaf miner eggs and larval tunnels have been reported by growers in NY, though we are yet to see them on plantings in Burlington. They are likely flying and laying eggs here in Vermont, however, the susceptible plants (e.g. spinach, chard, etc.) at the UVM farm are still under row cover for protection so we haven’t seen them. Their bright white eggs are easily identified on the underside of leaves, in collections of 2-10 eggs. Spinach leaf miner infestations can often be exacerbated by the presence of lamb’s quarters and wild amaranth species. So, weed management can have a significant effect on their impact.
And finally, as mentioned last week, Striped cucumber beetle are being found in high tunnels and are showing up in some field plantings of cucurbits.
As always you can find our weekly reports at go.uvm.edu/pests
Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.
vizzo@uvm.edu & slewins@uvm.edu
| Pest | Crop | Observations |
| Colorado Potato Beetle | Potatoes | High numbers of CPB in eggplant and potato. Adults are mating and laying eggs at a precipitous rate. |
| Spinach leaf miner | Spinach, Swiss Chard, Beets | Adult flies are flying and laying eggs. Some larval tunneling is being reported in NY and a few growers in Vermont. |
| Striped Cucumber Beetle | Squash/Cucumber | Several farmers have reported the arrival of cucumber beetles in high tunnels. Numbers are low in any field cucurbits at the current time. |
| Flea Beetle | Broccoli/ Kale | We are in peak flea beetle season. Large populations are being reported throughout the state. |