• Snap bean, succulent – Quadris (11), Headline (11), Nova (3), Endura (7), chlorothalonil (M)

• Dry beans (Navy, Pinto, Kidney, Lima, Southern, etc.) – Quadris (11), Quadris Opti (11, M),

Headline (11), Endura (7), chlorothalonil (M)

• Lima bean, succulent – Quadris (11), Endura (7)

• English pea, succulent – Headline (11), Quadris (11)

• Southern pea, succulent – Quadris (11), Endura (7)

Organic commercial

• all legume vegetables – sulfur, Sonata

Home garden

• all legume vegetables – sulfur

• snap beans – chlorothalonil

Additional product labels have been applied for that would provide more options in control of rust in commercial fields. I will let you know when they are granted. (SB)

INSECT UPDATE ON FIELD CROPS

by Russ Patrick

Wheat: Thus far we have not had any calls of damage from armyworms. This would be the True Armyworm this time of the year. Maybe the rains have just washed them back into the sea.

Corn: Farmers planting late might consider one of the Bt varieties for Southwestern corn borer control. We plan to run the traps again starting the first week of May. It is possible not to have flights as much as last year. If fields in which the larvae are overwintering in corn stalks, flooding can put a damper on their survival. However, who knows if that will happen. Anyway, we will run the traps to get an idea of potential problems in non-Bt corn varieties.

WARM WEATHER BRINGS OUT ORNAMENTAL PESTS

by Frank A. Hale

Spruce spider mites and southern red mites overwinter in the egg stage. Spruce spider mites infest juniper, arborvitae, dwarf Alberta spruce and other conifer while southern red mites are pests of broadleaf evergreens such as azalea, cherrylaurel, and holly. The tiny reddish eggs usually hatch by early April with the advent of warm temperatures so they should be out now. An application of horticultural oil in February or March prior to egg hatch is one of the best ways to prevent a spring infestation. These mites are most active in the spring and early summer and again in the late summer and fall. Miticide or horticultural oil sprays should be made then to control active mites.

Euonymus scale crawlers hatch from eggs deposited by the female beneath her armor (cover). The crawlers move up to the new spring foliage and are unprotected (without an armor) for a short period of time. The crawlers soon settle on the leaves and stems and appear as gold or brownish one millimeter size specks on the foliage. Treat these exposed crawlers with horticultural oil (2% spray solution) or other recommended insecticides. Two other generations will occur in the spring and summer that will allow you to target the crawler stage. This pest can be controlled if you are able to treat this first generation of crawlers and follow-up on at least one of the other two generations. If the crawlers are not out, have a cold lemonade and read a good book

Azalea lace bugs should be hatching from eggs laid into the underside of the leaves along the mid-vein. Foliar sprays can be made now targeting the spiny nymphs. Systemic insecticides such as acephate (Orthene) or imidacloprid (Merit 75 WP, Merit 2 F, and Bayer Advanced Garden Rose & Flower Insect Killer [which also contains cyfluthrin]) are good choices for the residential landscape. Imidacloprid insecticide brands for commercial nurseries include Marathon and Discus (which also contains cyfluthrin) .

Imidacloprid can also be used as a soil drench for root uptake anytime during the winter or early spring for long-term control. For residential use, if choosing from the Bayer Advanced line of insecticides, pick the Tree & Shrub Insect Control for a soil drench instead of the Rose & Flower Insect Killer, which is for foliar use only.

Boxwood psyllid nymphs are tiny insects that feed on the new foliage and cause the new leaves to cup downward. Target insecticide sprays toward the underside of the new growth beginning in late March. If not controlled, the adult psyllids can be detected later in the spring by shaking the plant. The green adults can then be seen jumping and briefly flying around the plant.

Boxwood leafminer larvae take practically the whole year to mature. They pupate in April and the orange color gnat-like adults emerge. Imidacloprid can be used as a soil drench in late winter or early spring. If using acephate or imidacloprid as a foliar spray, wait until early to mid-May which should be 2-3 weeks after the adults emerge.

BED BUGS MAKING A COMEBACK IN TENNESSEE TOO!

by Karen Vail

In the past week I have received two bed bug inquiries from people in the East TN area. This prompted me to assess our Extension agents regarding bed bug occurrence in their county. I kept the inquiry simple - just asked them to report the number of bed bug cases they were aware of in their county for each year from 2000 to the present. Thus far, reports from the 50 of the 95 counties indicated 22% were aware of bed bugs in their county. Bed bugs were reported from the three Tennessee Extension regions (East, Central and Western, http://www.agriculture.utk.edu/personnel/districts_counties/default.asp). According to my pest identification database, I’ve only recorded three bed bugs since 1996 and these occurred since 2001. In the future, we hope to obtain more information from our diagnostic lab to further support the assumption that Tennessee is experiencing a bed bug comeback similar to the rest of the nation.

In May I’ll attend a bed bug management conference and will then develop a fact sheet after I have heard the latest control strategies. In the meantime, the main points of management and a few references are provided below.

Identification

The adult bed bug is 1/5-inch long, 1/6-inch wide, and reddish brown. Its flattened oval body is well adapted for hiding in narrow crevices. The body may become greatly enlarged and blood red in color during a blood meal, but turns subsequently a dirty brown. The female can live nearly a year without food and can endure freezing temperatures for considerable time.

Harborage Sites and Inspection

Bed bugs commonly occur in such places as seams of mattresses, inside mattress coils, cracks in beds, bedside furniture, dressers, wallboards, wood paneling, door and window frames, behind pictures, under loose wallpaper and in rooms near host sleeping areas. In hotels/motels, bed bugs are often found in the crevice behind the headboard that is screwed into the wall and are less likely to be found in bedding that is changed on a regular basis. Bed bugs may move from an attic area to living spaces through light and fan ceiling fixtures or light switches, pipe penetrations or wall outlets. A heavily infested house has a distinctive odor similar to “fresh, red raspberries.” Some people are very sensitive to bed bug bites while others are hardly aware of them. Immediately after feeding, the bed bug defecates the semisolid sticky remains of its last meal, which is a good clue to their presence. Humans are the preferred host, but bed bugs will feed readily on poultry, mice, rats, some song birds and other animals. Look for bed bugs by inspecting their harborage, usually in and around bedrooms or sleeping areas.

Pesticide Applications

To control bed bugs, caulk, or otherwise repair all cracks and spaces behind baseboards and other areas of the house. Treat infested areas with a crack and crevice or void application of a dust (or liquid, if appropriate) insecticide registered for this purpose. Treat crevices of bed frames, baseboards, under edges of wall-to-wall carpeting, other wall/floor material interfaces, closets, wood paneling, and the back side of wall-mounted items, behind mounted light and ceiling fan fixtures and other places that may harbor bed bugs. After pesticide applications, caulk cracks and crevices. Avoid spray runoff if applying liquid insecticides onto surfaces and into cracks. Do not apply liquids to electrical components. Multi-dwelling structures and hotels require frequent inspections and perhaps repeated applications. If the infestation is localized in an apartment building or hotel, treat all units connected to the infested area. A pest management professional (PMP) should be considered for management of this pest as PMPs have the tools needed for crack and crevice applications and access to more insecticides. Pesticides must be applied by a person under the direct supervision of a person licensed to applied pesticides if the building is used for the temporary or permanent lodging of others (TDA 62-21-124). While we do list some insecticides in our Insect and Disease Control Manual (http://eppserver.ag.utk.edu/redbook/pdf/professionalinsects.pdf ), hopefully I will have a more extensive list of pesticides to recommend after the National Pest Management Association (www.pestworld.org) Conference.

Steam Application

Because of the safety risk involved with treating mattresses, sofas or other furniture which people contact, alternative methods may be employed. Orkin has data that indicates steam cleaning, in conjunction with applying an insecticidal dust to suspected crevice and void harborages, can be very effective in managing bed bug populations. A low vapor, high temperature (220F) steam, such as that produced by the Steamy 4000, applied to mattresses’, box springs’, sofas’, love seats’, chairs’ and other similar furniture’s seams, tufts, button holes, crevices and folds should kill all eggs, nymphs and adult bed bugs contacted. Check sofas for mattresses. Vacuuming with a crevice tool along edges of the beds, mattresses, etc. can also aid reduction in bed bug populations.

Sources:

Anonymous. 2002. Chapter 5: House Frequenting Insect Pests. In Category 8, Public Health Pest Control, Pesticide Applicator Certification Training Manual [K. M. Vail, E. E. Burgess, R. Gerhardt, C. Jones and J. Skinner eds.], The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service, Knoxville, TN. http://eppserver.ag.utk.edu/pat/PATinfo/C8/C8index.htm

Anonymous. 2002. Bed Bugs. Whitmire Microgen Prescription Treatment Brand Pest Management. Volume 2.

http://www.pt-u.com/library/pdf/WHITM0-40_2ndPTfinaldraft.pdf

F. Meek. 2002. Bed Bug Scope of Service. Orkin Technical Services

STREPTOMYCIN IN TOBACCO BEDS

by Steve Bost

We have had a couple of cases of plant damage in tobacco float beds caused by streptomycin sulfate (Agrimycin, Agri-Strep). This antibiotic can cause diffuse, yellow spots on leaves and can interact with other foliar-applied products to increase the chance of damage. I recommend that streptomycin not be used in float beds, for 3 reasons: (1) It is not labeled for this use. It can be used in ground beds, but not float beds. (2) It tends to cause tobacco plant damage. (3) It adds nothing to the protection that Dithane provides, other than angular leaf spot, which is not usually a problem in float beds.

PHEROMONE TRAP CATCH UP DATE

by Frank A. Hale

American plum borer is a pest of plum, peach, cherry, persimmon, sycamore, basswood, tuliptree, sweetgum, oak and others. It and another closely related borer, the root collar borer, can be a serious pest of tuliptree in the landscape or tree plantation. These pyrallid moth borers have two generations per year. The use of a protective spray such as permethrin in the residential landscape (permethrin or chlorpyrifos in the commercial nursery or tree plantation) is recommended in spring and late summer. An American plum borer pheromone trap was just put out here in Nashville on April 18 and three moths were caught by April 20. While I have recommended treating in early May in the past, the pheromone trap catches indicate that it is not to early to treat now. A spray for the second generation is recommended for early September. I will run the pheromone trap all summer and let you know if we need to adjust timing of the late summer spray.

Diamondback moths are pests of cabbage and other cole crops. These tiny moths have a series of diamond shaped white marking down the back where the folded wings come together. The larvae chew small holes in the leaves of cole crops. I should have had the diamondback pheromone trap out earlier than I since I caught five in the first two days when the trap was checked on April 20. Inspect cole crops for the presence of the small green larvae and their feeding damage

Black cutworm moths fly north each spring from their overwintering sites in the Gulf states. A black cutworm pheromone trap put out on March 30 caught the first and so far only two moths on April 12.

Refer to the Extension on-line newsletter, Fruit Pest News, for trap catch updates each week throughout the spring and summer at http://web.utk.edu/~extepp/fpn/fpn.htm

FIELD CROPS UPDATE

by Russ Patrick

Cutworms in Corn: Due to the wet weather conditions and cool weather approaching, watch corn that will be

emerging within the next week or so for signs of black cutworms. If let unattended they can devastate a field

of young corn plants. Over the top insecticides such as the pyrethroids-Mustang Max, Warrior, Asana, Pounce

can do a great job and control the infestation. If we have 3% of the plants cut off at the ground, then spray.

Thus far, no indication of armyworms(True) in wheat this year. If there were I have not been informed.

I would think that corn should be our priority at this time because of ideal conditions for cutworms. If the

fields had winter weeds, then even more so I would check them weekly until corn is too large to be damaged

by the worms(over 12 inches).

Disclaimer Statement

Pesticides recommended in this publication were registered for the prescribed uses when printed. Pesticide regulations are continuously reviewed.

Should registration or a recommended pesticide be canceled, it would no longer be recommended by

The University of Tennessee.

Use of trade or brand names in this publication is for clarity and information; it does not imply approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may be of similar, suitable composition, nor does it guarantee or warrant the standard of the product.

The Agricultural Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, age, national origin, sex, veteran status, religion or disability and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

and county governments cooperating in furtherance of Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914.

Agricultural Extension Service Charles L. Norman, Dean