The Integrated Pest Management Program along with OSU Extension educators across the state are monitoring five key pests this season. Monitoring sites are set up on farmer’s fields across the state and will be updated weekly.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug – This insect will not be monitored for until late July though it is currently active in a broad range of specialty crops.

Spotted wing Drosophila – A total of three sites have been set up in Greene and Ross counties. SWD has not been reported or detected at any sites but growers with ripening brambles, blueberries, peaches and other soft skinned fruit should be aware of this pest so that proper management can be started when detected.

European corn borer – Two sites are set up in South Charleston (Clark Co.) and Fremont (Sandusky Co.), both reporting zero (0) moths captured. Additional sites should start reporting next week.

Corn earworm – Four sites are set up in Clark, Sandusky, Fayette and Crawford counties. Clark county trapped fewer this week than the previous week (28 moth to 9 moths). The other three sites reported capturing zero (0) CEW moths this past week.

Squash vine borer – There are eight sites currently trapping for this pest in Clark, Greene, Ross, Seneca and Morrow, Summit and Williams counties. Clark, Greene and Ross sites are reporting low single digit captures of SVB moths; the other four counties reported capturing zero (0) moths. Expect moth captures to go up this next week.

Growers can access and view the monitoring data directly at this site.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T4Uk8VKH-fY4qms4FlEwQvz8o1Lxk-t8LLHVz97kxNU/edit?usp=sharing

The Integrated Pest Management Program along with OSU Extension educators across the state are monitoring for five key pests this season. Monitoring sites are set up on farmer’s fields across the state and will be updated weekly.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug – This insect will not be monitored for until late July though it is currently active in a broad range of specialty crops.

Spotted wing Drosophila – Two sites were set up this past week in Greene county. Several other county sites will be set up later this week. SWD detections will be reported next week.

European corn borer – Two sites were set up so far in South Charleston (Clark Co.) and Fremont (Sandusky Co.), both reporting 0 moths captured. Additional sites will start reporting next week.

Corn earworm – Four sites were set up so far in Clark, Sandusky, Fayette and Crawford counties. All sites reported capturing CEW moths except Sandusky County.

Squash vine borer – Five sites were currently set up in Clark, Greene, Ross, Seneca and Summit counties. All sites are reporting captures of SVB moths except for Seneca county.

Growers can access the monitoring data directly at this site.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T4Uk8VKH-fY4qms4FlEwQvz8o1Lxk-t8LLHVz97kxNU/edit?usp=sharing

Produced by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Zoonotic Disease Program (ZDP).

Tis the season for ticks. I went for a stroll on a mowed path through a local meadow three days ago and picked up 3 American dog ticks about 6mm in size. I just came back from mountain biking and somehow picked up another American dog tick about 3mm in size. These arthropods are out in their habitat actively questing for a host to take a blood meal and maybe transmit a disease like Lyme, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, or several other serious pathogens. Read on and find out how to minimize your chance of being bitten.

Ohio now has five medically important ticks (Blacklegged, American dog, Asian longhorned, Lonestar and Gulf coast) that you might be exposed to on a daily basis depending on your location in the state and the kind of work you perform.

While most growers likely work from a tractor or within a planted field with little tick habitat, walking across grassy lanes between fields or walking through a cover cropped field can expose you several types of ticks (American Dog, Blacklegged, Lonestar). Working with livestock can expose you to other types of ticks (Asian longhorned, Gulf coast which has only been found on cattle).

Tim McDermott DVM featured in a tick prevention video.

Tim McDermott (DVM), Ohio State University Extension, created a video to highlight how to best reduce your chances of encountering ticks. Since growers need to be in the field to carry out their work, the option for staying out of those areas is not practical but Tim’s advice to consider making your clothes tick repellent via washing or sprays may be reasonable to try. Growers can also try clothing with repellent compounds impregnated into the fabric. No amount of prevention will remove all risk of ticks therefore frequent and thorough tick checks need to be part of a routine a few times a day, especially at night. Check out the short video and see what else Tim has to say about tick prevention.
https://youtu.be/GNc6hQdq9TE?si=Ki7hNy6juVtHibNP

How to remove ticks safely.

What happens if I find a tick on me, how do I remove it? Watch this short video for the safest way to remove ticks and avoid infection. Spoiler alert, this video does not include or recommend using lit matches, gasoline, kerosene, nail polish, duct tape or Vaseline as a safe removal method.
https://youtu.be/-hLHmKVWWAg?si=WV5XfknXEeIwrEsW

The five medically important ticks in Ohio.

How do I know what species of tick is on me? Concise summaries of all 5 medically important ticks in Ohio.
https://kx.osu.edu/bite/site/ticks

Want even more information about ticks in Ohio? Read this from the Ohio Department of Health.
https://odh.ohio.gov/know-our-programs/zoonotic-disease-program/diseases/tickborne-diseases

Striped cucumber beetle adult.

Mating squash bugs.

It’s mid May on the calendar but given how warm it is, it might seem more like late May or early June to some early season cucurbit pests. Based on our biweekly fruit and vegetable conference calls, no cucumber beetles or squash bugs have been reported in the state.

As growers begin to plan for direct seeding or transplanting, keep an eye out for striped cucumber beetles and squash bugs in particular.  Earliest planted fields will likely be infested soon after emergence or when placed in the field. For growers who purchased seed treated with FarMoreFI400, striped cucumber beetle populations should be controlled for 2-3 weeks. After this period if scouting reveals beetles in excess of plant stage threshold, foliar treatments are an option.  For growers who did not purchase systemic insecticide treated seed, remember to scout plants frequently in multiple parts of the field, edge and interior, and if the damage exceeds the following thresholds, consider treating with a foliar insecticide to knock these pests down. Foliar insecticide options can be found here: https://mwveguide.org/uploads/pdfs/Cucurbit-Crops_2023-12-20-141555_pieo.pdf

Systemic insecticide use and guidance on cucumber beetle thresholds based on crop type is listed in detail below based on an excerpt from an earlier VegNet article from J. Jasinski and C. Welty (2020).

Characteristic striped cucumber beetle feeding. FarMoreFI400 should prevent significant feeding and therefore limit bacterial wilt spread.

Systemic Insecticide Use Considerations
Seed treatments containing thiamethoxam (FarMore FI400, Cruiser) offer maximum protection against cucumber beetles and other pests for about 2 to 3 weeks after seedling emergence. Seed treatments offer little protection to transplanted crops. For transplants and direct-seeded plants over 3 weeks old, the concentration of insecticide from seed treatment is no longer strong enough to kill beetles but can still harm bees due to sublethal doses in the pollen and nectar. Treated seed should never be used in combination with at-plant soil drenches with flupyradifurone (Sivanto), imidacloprid (Admire or generics), or thiamethoxam (Platinum). At-plant soil drenches used alone, with non-treated seed, offer similar protection to treated seed for beetle control. Due to increased residues in nectar and pollen, in-furrow applications should be considered last and applied at the lowest recommended rate that provides control. Non-systemic foliar applications of insecticides can be used to control cucumber beetles if seed or in-furrow treatments were not used, or were ineffective. Once flowers are present, applications should be made in the evening when flowers are closed and bees are not actively foraging, which minimizes the risk to pollinators.

Thresholds range from 0.5 to 1 beetle per seedling, and 1 to 5 beetles per plant for plants after 4 leaf stage. The threshold for cantaloupe melons and cucumber is lower because these crops are susceptible to bacterial wilt, which is vectored by cucumber beetles. Pumpkin, squash, and watermelon have higher thresholds because these crops are less susceptible to bacterial wilt, but beetle feeding can occur on the fruit rind by both adult and larvae, causing marketable loss. Beetles found in pumpkin or squash flowers do not pose a risk to the plant but as flowering decreases, rind feeding may increase.

Pumpkin playlist on OSU IPM Video Library.

OSU IPM Video Library
Newly added this spring are additional resources in the OSU IPM Video Library. These resources help growers identify and manage all of the key cucurbit pests including striped cucumber beetle, squash bug and squash vine borer plus a new potential pest, the melonworm.

Videos on weed control, disease control (powdery mildew, plectosporium) and hybrid selection are also in this playlist collection.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0HRPaZDLHyH64oVLKdX5icKQFzqQ5nCA

Map of projected cold snap.

From Aaron Wilson,  Ag Weather and Field Crop Specialist.

Our regional partners are elevating awareness concerning an increasing risk of cold temperatures next weekend on the back side of the storm system coming through this week. Our forecast models are handling this a bit differently, but this is worth watching.

Temperatures may fall decently below freezing across Ohio late in the week after several days of above normal temperatures Sunday-Thursday.  No specific temperature forecasts for now, but I just wanted to raise awareness for those with ag/horticulture interests.

If you have transplants that cannot withstand these projected cold temperatures, you may consider keeping them protected until the cold spell passes.

Attention pumpkin growers! Start your New Year off right by getting your pumpkin production skills in shape! No matter if you just started growing this crop or are an experienced grower, this workshop will feature both basic and advanced topics to help you grow high quality fruit for your customers. Topics and speakers will include:

-Hybrid Selection, Fungicide Selection and Efficacy (J. Jasinski)
-Weed, Disease and Insect Management Programs (C. Galbraith, F. Rotondo, A. Leach)
-Labor Issues, Marketing Tips and Measuring Profitability (M. Jodlowski, R. Leeds, E. Richer)

The workshop will be held January 30, 2023 from 10am-2pm at the OSU Extension Delaware County Office, Byxbe Building, 1610 SR 521, Delaware, OH 43015.

Registration for the event is required by Jan. 23, 2024. Cost of the event is $25 and includes lunch plus handouts. Use the URL or the QR code below to pay for the workshop using a credit card or to pay by check. We are currently seeking pesticide license CEU’s from ODA for this event. Don’t delay – Commit to do better in 2024!

For more information, please contact Jim Jasinski, Jasinski.4@osu.edu, 937-484-1526.

https://go.osu.edu/pkinbootcamp24

One of the demonstration trials designed for the annual Pumpkin Field Day held for growers at the Western Agricultural Research Station in South Charleston, OH is a pumpkin and squash hybrid trial. There are two main purposes of the trial, 1) to allow growers to see firsthand the foliage and fruit (color, size, rind, handle, fruit set, etc.) of both commercially available and some experimental hybrids for potential inclusion on their farm in future seasons and 2) to reinforce the use of Powdery mildew tolerant or resistant hybrids as a key pest management practice which can affect fungicide selection, canopy cover, fruit quality and marketability.

2023 Pumpkin and Squash Group Photo.

The 2023 trial was extremely challenging to conduct at the station, as mice and voles ate over 80% of the planted seeds and transplants. Having a range of none to only a few surviving plants of the 20 hybrid entries after multiple rounds of reseeding and transplanting, a normal trial with yield results could not be conducted due to missing and reduced stand populations.

For the record, here are the trial details. The trial was mainly transplanted with some direct seeding on May 25-26. A spring oats cover crop was drilled on March 21 and terminated by applying glyphosate (32oz/A) from a shielded sprayer in specific trial areas, otherwise the field was not tilled. The lack of tillage and addition of spring oat cover crop plus droughty spring conditions were likely significant factors in the large vertebrate population in the field resulting in reduced stand. For weed control, a burndown and preemerge herbicide (glyphosate 32oz/A + Strategy 4pt/A + Dual 1.3pt/A) was applied on May 28. Soil tests revealed sufficient P and K levels, so only 70lb N (28-0-0) was sidedressed on June 20. Plots were originally 60’ long, planted on 15’ centers with in-row spacing of 3.5’. A recommended fungicide program was followed starting with first detection of powdery mildew on July 31.

Despite the huge impact mice and voles had on the trial, below is what was salvaged from the trial in terms of fruit size and additional comments but no yield calculations were possible. Looking forward to a “normal” trial next year. If you have comments about the trial or hybrids you would like to see included in the trial in 2024, send me an email at Jasinski.4@osu.edu.

2023 pumpkin and squash hybrid trial results.