Do the state extensions track the swd sightings annually? About what time of the year are the swd done?
Looks like you should exchange plants:smile:
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I donât know, that for SWD, netting would work as anticipated. If not applied in time and if it trapped even a single female inside just think of the feast she and her brood would have. Even if none were trapped at the time of the original installation of the netting, there is the potential of letting them in when the netting is lifted during the extended harvest time.
I think that this plan of attack has too many weak links that would undermine alot of hard work.
Mike
Alan ⌠nothing attached
Mike
'Weak linkâs, Mike I like that. Yes, I see many problems with trying to screen in brambles. The only way I can see it working is to make it large enough to walk around in and even that wouldnât work if pollination needs to be ongoing.
Unless you have a lot of time and money available, the easiest way to control SWD is with a spray. Several organic, ORMI labeled chemical are effective. See link from Cornel: http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/spottedwing/pdfs/SWDgarden.pdf
NC State normally publishes info on SWD counts at several research farms in the state.
We grew blackberries on a small commercial basis for over 20 years with no spray. Since SWD arrived, we spray ahead of the expected wave of SWD to make sure the fruit is not infected. The worst case scenario is to sell a lot of SWD infected fruit that is showing no signs of infection and have the fruit maggots crawl out of the fruit in the customers refrigerator.
Rick, I have the time but I have been accused of being frugal. Thanks for the link and suggestions. I agree that finding maggots crawling out of fruit could be very off putting.
Only if you donât like maggotsđ Could they invent a more disgusting pest? I think not.
I corrected it and added this link.
Maggots are added to my list along with ticks, heartworm and those cute fluffy field mice. It seems as if there are a whole host of new pests to learn about since I last had a garden 20+ years ago.
Stinkbugs were not a problem here for the first 20 years but are now amongst my worst pests for the last 5. Pear psyla took about 15 years to find my trees. I have long had coddling moth but theyâve only recently become highly destructive- especially to Asian pears.
Pest pressure just gets heavier and heavier.
I had plenty of SWD last season, but I didnât notice any larva- even in the raspberries. They were feasting on drops. For all I know they might have been fruit flies but fruit flies have always been here and never showed up outdoors in swarms like this last season.
Thank you Alan for the link! The most comprehensive article on SWD management I have ever seen.
Although the article mentioned the standard IPM approach of monitoring insect counts before spraying, that method is not longer suggested in my state (NC) for SWD. In October, NC State received a big USDA grant ($6.7 million) for a multi state research project on SWD, which should produce some results.
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Thank you, Alan. The article addressed many of the concerns mentioned above. And thank you Rick, Iâll check out your link too.
Fruit flies that are on dropped fruit only are not likely SWD.
Many fruit fly larvae species emerge from fruit and pupate on the ground nearby or directly under the target fruit plants. Enclosing the whole row or area in netting will only confine next yearâs fly population. The method may only be useful for virgin plantings.
Products containing Spinosad are considered organic and fairly effective.
Last autumn I saw hundreds of SWD on fallen paw paw. When near-ripe this fruit is subject to attack.
LG, I didnât know that paw paws are vulnerable. I wonder what other unexpected fruit are?
Hey Larry,
Good to see your post.Not so much about the Pawpaw,but your presence.
Off topic a bit,but how did your Feijoa do this year?I did get some for the first time,about 3-4 on a Coolidge and a few small ones with a no name.They were put in an unheated greenhouse to help them ripen in pots. Brady
Hello, Duboisag or Agrinovation in Montreal has 26â X 328 foot insect netting, with 90% light transfer and 95% porosity, cost around $1000. This can be sewn to make tents of varying sizes. A berry grower near me used this on a hoop house to inclose his fall raspberries with some success, but he is seriously considering plowing under his fall raspberries due to continuing SWD damage. SWD are small and there are lots of them so any hole will let them in and once in they reproduce rapidly. Maybe the new traps coming out can be used to deplete the population inside the screen. I grow mostly plums, and the PHI of pesticides for SWD is around 7 days, vs 1 day for the same pesticides on raspberries, I guess pesticide toxicity for the same chemical is lower on raspberries than plums.
I net for stink bugs and Japanese beetles (as well as birds) which works very well, but they do not reproduce inside the net so if a few get in it does not matter, as long as you keep the other thousands out. I have not had a really wet year yet to test the high humidity issues, but on normal years rot does not seem to be worse (you have to spray for it anyway).
Eric
Plumhill
The way the PHI for a given chemical drastically changes from one fruit to another drives me crazy!
In many cases the PHI for blackberry, blueberry, apples and peaches change a lot for the same chemical. I have to use a spreadsheet to keep it all straight. Might be 1 day for one crop, but 3 days, 7 days,10 days or 14 days for the other fruits.
Danitol is labeled for SWD on stone fruit. I use it on Peaches for GJB and JB where the PHI is 3 days and I believe the PHI is the same for Plums. Like Mustang, its hard on fish and beneficial insects and is restricted use
SWD would potentially go after any hard fruit that is injured, firm fruit that that becomes overripe-soft, or fruit that is naturally soft (caneberries at ripe-color stage).
I observed afield numerous SWD on paw paw (fallen and injured, but this fruit needs to be very soft for edibilityânormally brought indoors while still firm), and also on fallen plums. If we did not keep our tomatoes tidy here at the house, SWD would be no surprise on them. Rain-induced cracks would be a likely port of entry on tomatoes.
Thanks. I was hoping the vegetables would not be attractive. Maybe I should move my compost pile or make sure any veggies are well covered.