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From: Jack S. Bacheler, Extension Entomologist
Hopefully, we are in a bit of an insect lull as our late cotton crop struggles to catch up.
Spider mites and cotton aphids could occur just about any time from now to well into the bloom period. Outbreaks associated with Orthene insecticide sprays (especially following seed treatments) will occur sooner rather than later, so scouts should watch for these pests. Because of beneficial insects and fungal pathogens, we do not typically treat for either of these pests until levels are high and are potentially damaging economically. The good news is that these infestations are easy to spot. The cautionary note is that you have to be there to spot these infestations. That means walking, however quickly, over a significant part of cotton fields.
The onset of squaring on some of our cotton acreage this past week means that square retention counts should be taken routinely as the easiest means of either ruling out plant bugs as a possible immediate economic concern, or pointing out the need for further assessments. Here in North Carolina (as in several other states), if square retention is 80 percent or more, no further examination is needed. If square retention is less than 80 percent, sweep net sampling for live plant bugs is recommended. At this time of year, an average of 15 adults and/or nymphs (or more) per 100 individual sweeps may indicate the need to spray. Fortunately, this threshold is not often met in North Carolina.
Hopefully, we can receive timely rainfall and continue our recent high heat unit accumulation to help get cotton maturity “back on track” in the coming weeks.
Please do not hesitate to call by telephone or notify me by electronic mail (Jack_Bacheler@ncsu.edu) of cotton pest outbreaks or trends in your area so that I can share the information with your colleagues.
Wayne, Sampson and Duplin counties: Friday, July 7 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Mount Olive College Agri-Business Center, Mount Olive, North Carolina. Contact Kevin Johnson (telephone: 919-731-1520; e-mail: kevin_johnson@ncsu.edu) for details and directions.
Edgecombe County: Thursday, July 13 from 10:00 to 12:00 noon at the Eastern Carolina Agriculture and Education Center, Kingsboro, Exit 478, Highway 64, approximately 6 miles east of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Contact Art Bradley (telephone: 252-641-7815; e-mail: art_bradley@ncsu.edu) for details.
Nash and Wilson counties: Tuesday, July 18, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Wilson County Agricultural Center, 1806 S. Goldsboro Street, Wilson, North Carolina. Contact Norman Harrell (telephone: 252-237-0111; e-mail: norman_harrell@ncsu.edu) for details.
Northampton County: Thursday, July 20 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the County Administration Building, Jackson, North Carolina. Contact Craig Ellison (telephone: 252-534-2711; e-mail: craig_ellison@ncsu.edu) for details.
Halifax County: Thursday, July 20 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Agricultural Building, Halifax, North Carolina. Contact Arthur Whitehead (telephone: 252-583-5161; e-mail: arthur_whitehead@ncsu.edu) for details.
From: Stephen B. Bambara, Extension Entomologist
It seems to be that time of year again. With adequate rain so far this spring, millipedes will be occurring more in the garden soon. That also means they may be entering the houses of lucky homeowners. Just for review, they like moist organic places such as natural areas and well mulched places. They have all those legs and they like to use them. I estimate they may commonly disperse 50 to 100 feet from their source and can climb up the sides of a house easily. They don't bite and they are not tasty, either. They do not survive long once they enter a house. Chemicals inside the house are unnecessary. Keep the vacuum cleaner handy. Chemical barriers outside may be only mildly helpful. For complete information, see Dr. Mike Waldvogel's Residential, Structural and Community Pests Insect Note Number 18 on the web at: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/millipedes.htm.
Giant barklice (Psocids) “popped up” recently. Barklice are small, fragile, sometimes strikingly marked insects that have chewing mouthparts and a relatively large head. They are usually about 1/8 inch in length, but are conspicuous when they band together in herds on the trunks of trees and shrubs. They may be noticed with or without wings. Barklice feed on molds, fungi, pollen, fragments of dead insects and other detritus. None of the barklice are capable of injuring plants. Barklice are gregarious and are often seen in groups. Sometimes they are referred to as bark cattle. Since they are not harming the tree, no pesticide recommendation seems appropriate. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 contain images of what I suspect is Ceratipsocus venosus.
For more information, visit Ornamental and Turf Insect Information Note Number 43 on the web at: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note43/note43.html.
Halictid bees (http://entweb.clemson.edu/museum/webonly/local/lmisc/lmisc19.htm) are also known as sweat bees. These bees are often companions of the landscaper on warm spring and summer days as the bees land on the arm or leg to lap perspiration. Sometimes these bees are caught in the fold of an elbow or knee and they sting with a slight but noticeable sting. When sweat bees are abundant, about the only thing to do is to wear long sleeves or use an insect repellant. Sweat bees are solitary bees and only primitively social. They do not have an organized alarm pheromone, which encourages the bees to swarm out of the nest after a predator. Sweat bees nest in soil. The tiny nest resembles an ant hill (a hole in the ground surrounded by a small mound of loose soil). A very small amount of Sevin insecticide sprinkled on the hole would be fatal to these attractive, beneficial pollinators. However, peaceful coexistence is encouraged! In addition to Halictids, there are several other ground nesting solitary bees that may occur in the yard during the summer.
We may be “jumping the gun” a little. It seems like Japanese beetles just appeared, but green June beetles are not be far behind. Adequate rainfall will not be delaying the beetles this year. Don't be surprised if they begin appearing this week. These beetles are metallic green and four times the size of Japanese beetles.
Despite the buzzing around turf and pasture, green June beetles do little harm to plants and no harm to people. They can be handled without fear (if you want to impress your friends). Though there are possible control measures available for turf (later in the season), I have rarely ever seen this justified in residential turf. Grubs are sometimes a problem in pastures and heavy manure-applied fields. Adults are sometimes a problem in fruit trees and vines. Adult populations should start to decline after two weeks and they should be gone after three to four weeks. Patience is the best recommendation. For more information, see the following insect notes on the web:
Ornamental and Turf Insect Information Note Number 67 (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/lawn/note67/note67.html)
Forages and Pastures Insect Note Number 02 (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/forage/gjbnote02/note02.htm)
Since we mentioned grubs “above”, we need to mention moles “below”. Contrary to what most of us have learned from back in the 1950s, moles tend to feed more on earthworms than grubs. The automatic application of a grub killer to control moles is generally not recommended or supported by me. If the presence of earthworms is an indicator of good soil, then the presence of an earthworm predator would suggest that worms are present. Grub killer applications may have reduced the presence of moles because the insecticides were killing grubs and worms, and most other arthropods in your soil. If you have mole tunnels in your lawn, it is probably due to a healthy lawn and earthworm population rather than a large grub population. If you have moles, scout for grubs. Despite all the mole chasers, gum, mothball and other home remedies, trapping is the most effective means for reducing mole populations. We have no recommendations for reducing the generally beneficial earthworm populations, unless you care to have a high thatch, low organic matter soil and rock-hard soil yard. For more information on the control of moles, see the following web site: http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/news/insects/molesvoles.htm.
From: Alan A. Harper, Lenoir County
June
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Number of Adult Insects
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Date HW CEW ECB AW AWC GSB BSB TBW
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June 7 Light trap erected
June 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
June 9 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
June 10 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
June 11 0 0 0 0 1 6 1 0
June 12 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 0
June 13 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
June 14 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
June 15 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
June 16 0 0 2 2 0 3 2 0
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Abbreviations: HW = hornworms; CEW = corn earworms; ECB = European
corn borers; AW = true armyworms; AWC = armyworm complex; GSB =
green stink bugs; BSB = brown stink bugs; TBW = tobacco budworms
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Last modified on June 26, 2006 by Stephen J. Toth, Jr.