Earlier this week ( onJuly 2, 2023) our first spotted wing drosophila flies were captured in southern NH. Fifty (50) flies were captured with sticky card trap in Hollis within a raspberry planting. A single male SWD was caught within a hedgerow in Litchfield that serves as an early indicator location. Growers with blueberry and bramble crops should install traps as fruit begins to ripen. Later season varieties or day neutral strawberry plantings could benefit from monitoring as well.
Below are a few resources to learn more about SWD:
- SWD – a major pest of fruit crops
- Monitoring SWD with traps
- Over-informed on IPM blog: SWD Monitoring
Additionally, western bean cutworm activity has been observed in sweet corn this week. Four moths were caught in Hollis on July 5th. This species can cause injury to sweet corn ears that is similar to corn earworm.
Consult the New England Vegetable Guide for recommendations on how to manage these pests. A PDF version is available for free download here.
For fruit growers, our Fruit Pest Hotline is back and will be updated every Tuesday until the end of the season. Call the hotline at 603-862-3763 for current updates or access transcripts of past calls here.
For vegetable growers, a weekly report of our insect scouting efforts is released every Friday during the season. The reports can be found here.
- The Extension Production Agriculture team.
