Greetings,

On June 15, 2019 the EPA approved the renewal of a Section 18 Emergency Exemption for use of the neonicotinoid insecticide, dinotefuran, against brown marmorated stink bug in pome and stone fruit crops in Virginia. Growers from the other States that have previously participated in this Section 18 should contact their State Department of Agriculture regarding the status of this petition. The two products included in this exemption are Venom Insecticide and Scorpion 35SL Insecticide. Per application, Venom can be used at rates between 4.0 and 6.75 oz of product per acre (0.179 to 0.302 lb active ingredient) and Scorpion at 8.0 to 12.0 fl oz of product per acre (0.203 to 0.304 lb active ingredient). Restrictions include a maximum of two applications per season, a seasonal maximum of 0.608 lb active ingredient per acre (regardless of product used), and a minimum 7-day re-application interval. The re-entry interval for both products is 12-hours and a 3-day pre-harvest interval must be observed for both. This compound is highly toxic to bees and remains toxic to bees exposed to residues for more than 38 hours following an application. This Section 18 for use of dinotefuran  in Virginia pome and stone fruit will expire on October 15, 2019.

Until next time, best wishes.

Greetings,

As of today (June 20), 1423 degree days (DD) have accumulated since biofix for oriental fruit moth (OFM) at Winchester (April 14). OFM is now entering the second half of its second generation of the year. If captures in pheromone traps are exceeding the 10 moth/trap/week threshold, optimal timing to control this portion of second generation OFM in both peaches and apples is between 1450 and 1500 DD, which will occur between June 21 and June 23.

As of June 20, 913 DD have accumulated since codling moth (CM) biofix at Winchester (May 1). The next sprays for CM management would target second generation at the following timings: Rimon at 1250-1320 DD, Assail, Belay, CM virus, Esteem or Intrepid at 1350 DD, and all other products at 1450 DD. The NEWA website predicts 1054 DD for CM on June 26.

Until next time, best wishes.

Greetings,

If average weekly OFM captures in pheromone traps are exceeding 10 moths/trap/week, management of second brood larvae is warranted.  As of today (June 9) 1150 DD have accumulated since oriental fruit moth (OFM) biofix at Winchester on April 14. In peaches, optimal timing for Assail against OFM occurred over the last several days (1050 – 1100 DD). Optimal timing for  use of all other effective insecticides against OFM in peaches is from 1150 – 1200 DD; the NEWA website forecasts 1211 DD for OFM on June 12. In apple, the recommended timing targets the second half of second brood OFM. Rimon is recommended at 1300 – 1350 DD, Assail, Belay, or Intrepid at 1350 – 1400 DD, and all other insecticides effective against this pest at 1450 – 1500 DD.

As of June 9, 695 DD have accumulated since codling moth (CM) biofix at Winchester on May 1. In recent years, some growers have applied a third spray against first brood CM, which would occur in early to mid June. Otherwise, recommended spray timing against second brood CM (if captures exceed the threshold of 5 moths/trap/week) are as follows: Rimon at 1250 – 1320 DD, Assail, Belay, CM virus, Esteem or Intrepid at 1350 DD, and all other insecticides effective against CM at 1450 DD.

Early to mid-June is when San Jose scale crawlers can be targeted with products rated as Excellent (Esteem, Centaur) or Good (Lannate, Sivanto, Admire Pro, or Diazinon).

Until next time, best wishes.

Greetings,

Based on the May 1 biofix for codling moth (CM) at Winchester this year and data from the NEWA weather station at the Winchester research station, degree day accumulations for CM as of May 28 are 458 DD, and NEWA predicts 550 DD on Saturday, June 1. If weekly captures in pheromone traps are exceeding 5 CM/trap, use of Assail, Belay, Esteem or Intrepid against the 2nd half of first brood CM is optimal at about 450 DD. Timing of Altacor, CM virus, Delegate, Exirel, Imidan, or Voliam Flexi sprays is optimal at 550 DD.

Until next time, best wishes.

Greetings,

On May 6, 2019 the Environmental Protection Agency approved the renewal of a Section 18 Emergency Exemption for use of the bifenthrin-based products, Brigade WSB, Bifenture EC, and Bifenture 10DF against brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) in apples, peaches, and nectarines in Virginia. This exemption applies only to the products mentioned above. These and other bifenthrin-based insecticides have a Section 3 label for use in pears. The requirements of this Section 18 are that applications must be made only from the ground, at a rate of 0.08 to 0.2 lb active ingredient (a.i.) per acre, with not more than 0.5 lb a.i. per acre per season. These application rates equate to 5.12 – 12.8 fl oz of Bifenture EC, and 12.8 – 32.0 oz of Bifenture DF or Brigade WSP per acre. Seasonal maximums are 32 fl oz of Bifenture EC, 80 oz of Bifenture DF, and 72 oz of Brigade WAB. Multiple applications may be made per season, at a minimum retreatment interval of 30 days. The REI is 12 hours and the PHI is 14 days. This insecticide is extremely toxic to fish, aquatic invertebrates, and bees, and all precautions to avoid these exposures must be observed. Bifenthrin is considered one of the strongest insecticides against BMSB but can be disruptive to natural enemies of secondary pests. Consequently, we recommend its use in apples later in the season, when BMSB populations are highest. In peaches and nectarines, it can be useful from fruit set until 14 days before harvest. This Emergency Exemption expires on October 15, 2019.

Until next time, best wishes.

Greetings,

Below-average temperatures through at least Tuesday of this week are resulting in a very slow accumulation of codling moth degree days from biofix. Therefore, and despite my previous prediction, the NEWA website forecasts 218 DD on Friday, May 17. Much warmer weather from Thursday onward is likely to result in the critical 250 DD for codling moth occurring early next week. This is the optimal timing for use of products such as Altacor, Delegate, Exirel, Imidan,  Minecto Pro, virus, or Voliam Flexi against first generation codling moth larvae.

Until next time, best wishes. – Chris

Greetings,

Despite quite low codling moth (CM) captures in pheromone traps in the blocks where they are deployed this year, I have set CM biofix at Winchester for May 1, which is right on target with the historical average for this area. Until we have the 2019 management tables updated for posting, I will post information about degree day (DD) accumulations as related to management timing via text updates.

Based on the output from the NEWA website (http://www.newa.cornell.edu/), using data from the Winchester AREC weather station, as of today (May 8) 128 DD have accumulated since CM biofix. The 5-day forecast for CM degree days is as follows: May 9 (144), May 10 (160), May 11 (171), May 12 (180), May 13 (188). Recall that the management threshold for CM, based on captures in pheromone traps, is an average of 5 or more moths per trap per week.

Rimon targeting CM eggs is an excellent option at this time, although the recommended timing (50 – 150 DD) is now and the window for that is closing quickly. Assail, Belay, Esteem, or Intrepid are optimally timed at 150 DD, which is also fast approaching. All other products for first brood CM larvae control (e.g. Altacor, Delegate, Exirel, Minecto Pro, Imidan, Lannate, CM virus, Voliam Flexi) are best timed at about 250 DD, which is expected to occur at some point between the middle and latter portion of next week. Again, I will continue to post text messages for now and will let you know when the regular tables, etc. are available.

Until next time, best wishes. – Chris

Greetings,

Oriental fruit moth biofix at the Winchester research center was set on April 14 and our codling moth traps have been checked daily since April 18. First codling moth captures were recorded this morning (May 1) and we will continue to record daily captures until biofix is set. The average biofix date for codling moth at Winchester since 2000 is April 29, so I’m anticipating it soon.  My new technician and I are awaiting training on updating the blog site, which has always been done by my technician who retired recently.  We expect to begin posting weekly pheromone trap captures and twice weekly information about oriental fruit moth and codling moth development and management recommendations very soon.

Until next time, best wishes.